An Irresistible Temptation
An Irresistible Temptation: the true story of Jane New and a Colonial Scandal was first published by Allen & Unwin in 2006 to critical acclaim. It was republished in 2008 in paperback size and is still in print. The producers of the two-part docu-drama Rogue Nation used Jane New's story to book-end the second episode about the conflict between Governor Ralph Darling and lawyer William Charles Wentworth.
The blurb and prologue, as well as some reviews, are shown below. To purchase a book, go to Orders.
In brief: An Irresistible Temptation tells the true story of a political-sex scandal in New South Wales in 1829. Jane New, a minx of a convict, caught the eye of John Stephen Jnr, Registrar of the Supreme Court of NSW, son of a Supreme Court judge, and scion of a distinguished British legal family. The consequences pushed the colony to the brink of a constitutional crisis and contributed to Britain’s decision to recall the NSW Governor. The backdrop to the story is Sydney during the divisive period of the late 1820s, when the liberals and conservatives clashed so strongly that, according to one resident, two brothers of different political persuasions could not stop and talk together in the street.
The blurb and prologue, as well as some reviews, are shown below. To purchase a book, go to Orders.
In brief: An Irresistible Temptation tells the true story of a political-sex scandal in New South Wales in 1829. Jane New, a minx of a convict, caught the eye of John Stephen Jnr, Registrar of the Supreme Court of NSW, son of a Supreme Court judge, and scion of a distinguished British legal family. The consequences pushed the colony to the brink of a constitutional crisis and contributed to Britain’s decision to recall the NSW Governor. The backdrop to the story is Sydney during the divisive period of the late 1820s, when the liberals and conservatives clashed so strongly that, according to one resident, two brothers of different political persuasions could not stop and talk together in the street.
Blurb
Seduction, dramatic escapes, embezzlement and political intrigue aplenty in this story of the convict, Jane New, and the scandal that rocked Australia's early colony to its core.
In 1829 at the Supreme Court in Sydney, the bewitching Jane New was sentenced to death. Her crime: shoplifting a bolt of printed French silk. But was she guilty? Many had their doubts.
Although a legal technicality soon quashed Jane's sentence, the autocratic Governor Ralph Darling refused to set her free. Like bees to the honey pot, the gentlemen of Sydney swarmed to Jane's defence including barrister and political agitator William Charles Wentworth and Supreme Court Registrar John Stephen Jr, who were both vigorous and manipulative in their appeals to set her free.
An Irresistible Temptation is set against the backdrop of a particularly divisive period in colonial New South Wales. Not only did the scandal titillate Sydney and its legal and political ramifications push the colony to the brink of a constitutional crisis, but it contributed to the savagery of Governor Darling's public vilification and bestowed upon Jane New a place in the annals of Australian colonial history.
Compelling and fast-paced, An Irresistible Temptation is a meticulously researched history that takes us from the court docks of industrialising England, to Tasmania's raw penal settlement, the rough-house world of Sydney's Rocks and eventually back to the rarefied atmosphere of Britain' House of Commons.
Prologue
Sydney, 6 January 1829
A menacing courtroom. A judge donning the dreaded black cap. A prisoner cowed. To all appearances it was just another day in the penal settlement of New South Wales. In truth, it was the beginning of the Jane New affair.
Sydney was a town of 15000 souls squatting on the banks of Port Jackson when the spotlight blazed upon Jane New. In the forty years since the First Fleet ejected its cargo of crime into the pristine bushland lining Sydney Cove, a remarkable transformation had occurred. Sydney was no longer such a feared place that British prisoners facing the noose chose execution over the offer of transportation to Botany Bay. Indeed, a traveller observed that nearly all of the recent transportees had been volunteers, delighted to be sent there.
While convict transports continued to offload these British outcasts, they were outnumbered by trading vessels – barques, brigs, schooners, cutters – carrying luxuries unimagined by the early settlers who, tattered and barefoot, had almost starved to death. Whalers regularly scuttled into Sydney harbour reeking of savage death on the high seas, with sailors so desperate for dry land and convivial company that mutiny threatened. Passenger ships materialised in increasing numbers, ferrying the free immigrants who would soon swamp the colony. British and Russian warships and scientific expeditions swanned into harbour. By 1829 Sydney was a regular port of call on the international shipping routes.
As the penal settlement opened its arms to the outside world, the population balance shifted and Sydney society evolved. Gone were the days when convicts outnumbered free people four to one, when a military autocracy was the appropriate the form of governance. Gone were the days when emancipated convicts and small settlers would defer to pastoral king John Macarthur and his fellow ‘exclusives’, and allow that colonial aristocratic body to monopolise most situations of power, prestige and pecuniary advantage. Yet their British overlords appointed the autocratic General Ralph Darling as Governor and he aligned himself with the exclusives effectively supporting their aspirations.
Darling found himself at loggerheads with William Charles Wentworth of Vaucluse. Described by his friends as a man of the people and by his foes as a vulgar ill-bred demagogue, Wentworth piloted the opposition ‘emancipist’ cause. Anxious to claw his way into the political limelight, Wentworth grasped every opportunity to strike at the exclusives and Governor Darling. And into his political sights early in 1829 sashayed Jane New.
Wentworth played a pivotal role in one of Jane New’s legal confrontations, however his primary role lay in the supporting cast. John Stephen Jnr precipitated the scandal. The son of a Supreme Court judge, John came from a family of legal distinction and liberal outlook. He exuded charm and respectability. But he had a dark side, one revealed by his willingness to dip his toe into the social and political whirlpool of an ‘intimate’ association with a convicted felon. He was helping a persecuted damsel in her fight against their cruel Governor, he protested. And the political knife-thrust was a secondary advantage. Yet when the maelstrom eased, Jane New had skipped to freedom leaving John Stephen Jnr enmeshed in the consequences.
Was Jane New merely a pawn in this political game of one-upmanship? Or was she a siren luring men to their destruction?
Reviews
‘Baxter has written a work that captures the reader and holds attention through a complex series of legal tussles. This is largely because of her skill as a narrative historian, her capacity to tell a good story. In fact, this book is an excellent example of how a good story can illuminate the past ... Narrative allows us to depict life as it is being lived ... After reading this book one is left reflecting the extent to which the values and mores of convict Australia have died a natural death with the end of the convict system, and the extent to which it has continued to mould and shape Australia and provide it with important elements of its national identity.’
Associate Professor Gregory Melleuish, Australian Literary Review
‘From the legal theatres of the early 19th century British world comes Carol Baxter’s An Irresistible Temptation: the true story of Jane New and a colonial scandal ... Jane New’s tale is one of theft, seduction, incarceration, escape, corruption and political intrigue. Baxter is able to show how a “wanton woman’s” desire for a piece of cloth eventually led to a constitutional crisis and a governor’s ignominious recall. Along the way she demonstrates how small and interpersonal the global world of the British empire really was ... The story is told in a punchy, accessible style with a fine eye for the complex motivations, both political and personal, of the characters ... The book is most compelling in its more expansive moments when Baxter shows how these events illuminate their time and paints a vivid picture of New’s world.’
Dr Kirsten McKenzie, Sydney Morning Herald
‘Carol Baxter's work, An Irresistible Temptation: the true story of Jane New and a colonial scandal is just that--an irresistible mix of intrigue, scandal, crime, punishment tinged with romance and a dash of social history. What's more, this is not a work of fiction ... This informative and entertaining book sheds light on one of the great scandals of the colonial age. ... [Carol Baxter] has taken Jane New from a footnote in the colony's legal history, to a position of prominence in our colourful colonial past.’
Christine Yeats, Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society
‘The author of this intriguing saga of colonial society, Carol Baxter ... has combined meticulous research in the records with an accessible style. An Irresistible Temptation will appeal to legal students and all who enjoy reading vivid social history.’
The Canberra Times
‘In An Irresistible Temptation, Carol Baxter brings to life a previously unsung survivor of Governor Darling’s autocratic administration ... [Jane New’s] defenders left behind exquisitely articulate speeches, letters and courtroom exchanges for Baxter to quote and confect into a racy narrative.’
Australian Country Style
‘[An Irresistible Temptation’s] appeal lies in its ability to engage and entertain the reader while providing an accurate historical account of early Sydney life ... the writing is lively, dramatic and suspenseful [and] in person, the author is equally vibrant, dynamic and engaging.’
North Shore Times
'Carol Baxter ... has written a fast paced narrative history filled with political intrigue, seduction and drama ... She believes that a gripping story, which engenders strong emotions, needn’t only be the domain of fiction. It’s a belief she ably demonstrates in this compelling and well-researched history.’
The Local Citizen
‘[An Irresistible Temptation] is commended to all fellow historians and genealogists as an exemplary and compelling narrative and a competent, professionally exacting historical study.’
Evan Best, Descent: The Journal of the Society of Australian Genealogists
‘An Irresistible Temptation by Carol Baxter is packed with all the elements of a great story – lust, scandal, crime and deceit. What makes this book all the more alluring is that it is a true tale of Australia’s colonial past. Be prepared to be blown away. Baxter has done an excellent job in portraying Australia’s colonial past with accuracy and sincerity. Her research appears impeccable and she brings to life the characters of colonial Sydney. Very enjoyable ... It is a lesson in history, the stupidity of men, human behaviour and legal developments all at once.’
Kellie from Warner, Brisbane, Allen & Unwin’s Reading Group
Orders
Click here if you wish to order a book or check out prices and packages.
In 1829 at the Supreme Court in Sydney, the bewitching Jane New was sentenced to death. Her crime: shoplifting a bolt of printed French silk. But was she guilty? Many had their doubts.
Although a legal technicality soon quashed Jane's sentence, the autocratic Governor Ralph Darling refused to set her free. Like bees to the honey pot, the gentlemen of Sydney swarmed to Jane's defence including barrister and political agitator William Charles Wentworth and Supreme Court Registrar John Stephen Jr, who were both vigorous and manipulative in their appeals to set her free.
An Irresistible Temptation is set against the backdrop of a particularly divisive period in colonial New South Wales. Not only did the scandal titillate Sydney and its legal and political ramifications push the colony to the brink of a constitutional crisis, but it contributed to the savagery of Governor Darling's public vilification and bestowed upon Jane New a place in the annals of Australian colonial history.
Compelling and fast-paced, An Irresistible Temptation is a meticulously researched history that takes us from the court docks of industrialising England, to Tasmania's raw penal settlement, the rough-house world of Sydney's Rocks and eventually back to the rarefied atmosphere of Britain' House of Commons.
Prologue
Sydney, 6 January 1829
A menacing courtroom. A judge donning the dreaded black cap. A prisoner cowed. To all appearances it was just another day in the penal settlement of New South Wales. In truth, it was the beginning of the Jane New affair.
Sydney was a town of 15000 souls squatting on the banks of Port Jackson when the spotlight blazed upon Jane New. In the forty years since the First Fleet ejected its cargo of crime into the pristine bushland lining Sydney Cove, a remarkable transformation had occurred. Sydney was no longer such a feared place that British prisoners facing the noose chose execution over the offer of transportation to Botany Bay. Indeed, a traveller observed that nearly all of the recent transportees had been volunteers, delighted to be sent there.
While convict transports continued to offload these British outcasts, they were outnumbered by trading vessels – barques, brigs, schooners, cutters – carrying luxuries unimagined by the early settlers who, tattered and barefoot, had almost starved to death. Whalers regularly scuttled into Sydney harbour reeking of savage death on the high seas, with sailors so desperate for dry land and convivial company that mutiny threatened. Passenger ships materialised in increasing numbers, ferrying the free immigrants who would soon swamp the colony. British and Russian warships and scientific expeditions swanned into harbour. By 1829 Sydney was a regular port of call on the international shipping routes.
As the penal settlement opened its arms to the outside world, the population balance shifted and Sydney society evolved. Gone were the days when convicts outnumbered free people four to one, when a military autocracy was the appropriate the form of governance. Gone were the days when emancipated convicts and small settlers would defer to pastoral king John Macarthur and his fellow ‘exclusives’, and allow that colonial aristocratic body to monopolise most situations of power, prestige and pecuniary advantage. Yet their British overlords appointed the autocratic General Ralph Darling as Governor and he aligned himself with the exclusives effectively supporting their aspirations.
Darling found himself at loggerheads with William Charles Wentworth of Vaucluse. Described by his friends as a man of the people and by his foes as a vulgar ill-bred demagogue, Wentworth piloted the opposition ‘emancipist’ cause. Anxious to claw his way into the political limelight, Wentworth grasped every opportunity to strike at the exclusives and Governor Darling. And into his political sights early in 1829 sashayed Jane New.
Wentworth played a pivotal role in one of Jane New’s legal confrontations, however his primary role lay in the supporting cast. John Stephen Jnr precipitated the scandal. The son of a Supreme Court judge, John came from a family of legal distinction and liberal outlook. He exuded charm and respectability. But he had a dark side, one revealed by his willingness to dip his toe into the social and political whirlpool of an ‘intimate’ association with a convicted felon. He was helping a persecuted damsel in her fight against their cruel Governor, he protested. And the political knife-thrust was a secondary advantage. Yet when the maelstrom eased, Jane New had skipped to freedom leaving John Stephen Jnr enmeshed in the consequences.
Was Jane New merely a pawn in this political game of one-upmanship? Or was she a siren luring men to their destruction?
Reviews
‘Baxter has written a work that captures the reader and holds attention through a complex series of legal tussles. This is largely because of her skill as a narrative historian, her capacity to tell a good story. In fact, this book is an excellent example of how a good story can illuminate the past ... Narrative allows us to depict life as it is being lived ... After reading this book one is left reflecting the extent to which the values and mores of convict Australia have died a natural death with the end of the convict system, and the extent to which it has continued to mould and shape Australia and provide it with important elements of its national identity.’
Associate Professor Gregory Melleuish, Australian Literary Review
‘From the legal theatres of the early 19th century British world comes Carol Baxter’s An Irresistible Temptation: the true story of Jane New and a colonial scandal ... Jane New’s tale is one of theft, seduction, incarceration, escape, corruption and political intrigue. Baxter is able to show how a “wanton woman’s” desire for a piece of cloth eventually led to a constitutional crisis and a governor’s ignominious recall. Along the way she demonstrates how small and interpersonal the global world of the British empire really was ... The story is told in a punchy, accessible style with a fine eye for the complex motivations, both political and personal, of the characters ... The book is most compelling in its more expansive moments when Baxter shows how these events illuminate their time and paints a vivid picture of New’s world.’
Dr Kirsten McKenzie, Sydney Morning Herald
‘Carol Baxter's work, An Irresistible Temptation: the true story of Jane New and a colonial scandal is just that--an irresistible mix of intrigue, scandal, crime, punishment tinged with romance and a dash of social history. What's more, this is not a work of fiction ... This informative and entertaining book sheds light on one of the great scandals of the colonial age. ... [Carol Baxter] has taken Jane New from a footnote in the colony's legal history, to a position of prominence in our colourful colonial past.’
Christine Yeats, Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society
‘The author of this intriguing saga of colonial society, Carol Baxter ... has combined meticulous research in the records with an accessible style. An Irresistible Temptation will appeal to legal students and all who enjoy reading vivid social history.’
The Canberra Times
‘In An Irresistible Temptation, Carol Baxter brings to life a previously unsung survivor of Governor Darling’s autocratic administration ... [Jane New’s] defenders left behind exquisitely articulate speeches, letters and courtroom exchanges for Baxter to quote and confect into a racy narrative.’
Australian Country Style
‘[An Irresistible Temptation’s] appeal lies in its ability to engage and entertain the reader while providing an accurate historical account of early Sydney life ... the writing is lively, dramatic and suspenseful [and] in person, the author is equally vibrant, dynamic and engaging.’
North Shore Times
'Carol Baxter ... has written a fast paced narrative history filled with political intrigue, seduction and drama ... She believes that a gripping story, which engenders strong emotions, needn’t only be the domain of fiction. It’s a belief she ably demonstrates in this compelling and well-researched history.’
The Local Citizen
‘[An Irresistible Temptation] is commended to all fellow historians and genealogists as an exemplary and compelling narrative and a competent, professionally exacting historical study.’
Evan Best, Descent: The Journal of the Society of Australian Genealogists
‘An Irresistible Temptation by Carol Baxter is packed with all the elements of a great story – lust, scandal, crime and deceit. What makes this book all the more alluring is that it is a true tale of Australia’s colonial past. Be prepared to be blown away. Baxter has done an excellent job in portraying Australia’s colonial past with accuracy and sincerity. Her research appears impeccable and she brings to life the characters of colonial Sydney. Very enjoyable ... It is a lesson in history, the stupidity of men, human behaviour and legal developments all at once.’
Kellie from Warner, Brisbane, Allen & Unwin’s Reading Group
Orders
Click here if you wish to order a book or check out prices and packages.