Ada Cambridge

She married Rev. George Frederick Cross on April 25, 1870 and moved to Australia, where she spent a major part of her life.

Her first and second child passed away in 1874 and 1875, because of whooping cough and scarlet fever, respectively.

In her earlier days, Cambridge was always occupied with community work (parish activities) as she was the wife of a clergyman.

Ada Cambridge was the second child of gentleman farmer, named Henry Cambridge and his wife Thomasine, a doctor’s daughter.

She received her early educational training under numerous governesses, which she hardly cherished.

As a child, she was an avid reader and a firm Anglicanism. Her childhood experiences inspired many of her works.

Her writing career began in late teens, with ‘Hymns on the Litany’ being the first formal publication in 1865. This was followed by another collection of poems titled ‘Two Surplices’.

Although her first novel, ‘Up the Murray’ was published in 1875, Cambridge received recognition as a writer only after the publication of ‘A Marked Man’ in 1890.

She received much recognition in England and Australia after publishing ‘The Three Miss Kings’ in 1891.

Her most important works include ‘Thirty Years in Australia’, published in 1903 and ‘The Retrospect’, published in 1912, among others.

She established herself as a great poet with her works ‘Echoes’ and ‘The Hand in the Dark’ in 1869 and 1913, respectively.

Her famous novel ‘Thirty Years in Australia’ (1903) was inspired from her experience and time spent in Australia. ‘The Retrospect’ (1912), another one of Cambridge’s unique works, was influenced by her visit to England in 1908.

Some of her other significant novels were: ‘A Marked Man’ (1890)—in this novel Richard Delavel, her hero gets saved from horrendous marital choices, and ‘Three Miss Kings’ (1891), its plot revolves around three sisters looking for earnest husbands.