Fanny Finch - Bibliography

Frances "Fanny" Finch (born Frances Combe, London, 1815 – died Australia, 15 October 1863) was an English immigrant to Australia who arrived in South Australia in 1837. She married the following year, before moving to Victoria in the early 1850s. She soon became a successful restaurateur in Castlemaine during the gold rush period. In 1856, 52 years before women's suffrage was achieved in Victoria, Finch and another unnamed woman used their status as ratepayers to cast votes during municipal elections. She has been cited as Australia's first identified female voter. Her vote were later disallowed and the law was amended to explicitly exclude women from voting. The following is a brief listing of news items, webpages and other published material relating to her life and times.

Fanny Finch's voting paper, Castlemaine, 1856.

Australian Feminist Fanny Finch finally being recognised, Feminist Newswire [blog], 30 January 2020.

Cosoleto, Tara, Fanny Finch, one of Australia's first female voters, honoured with Castlemaine memorial, Bendigo Advertiser, 8 November 2019.

Dalton, Tyrone, Sex worker, single mum, business woman, and feminist: Fanny Finch remembered as ahead of her time, ABC Central Victoria, 30 March 2020.

Edwards, Maree, Memorial for Fanny Finch, Australia's first female voter [Media release], State Member for West Victoria, 8 November 2019.

Fanny Finch, Wikipedia. Available URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Finch.

Fanny Finch - the girl who voted [podcast], Fierce Girls - Stories for Kids, ABC / Apple Podcasts, 29 November 2019, duration: 14.23 minutes. 

Fanny Finch's Case, Mount Alexander Mail, 7 December 1855.

Finding Fanny Finch, The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine, 8 August 2019. Notices of an historical and musical presentation on the life of Fanny Finch.

Fanny Finch's restaurant, Castlemaine, circa 1858.

Frances (Combe) Finch (abt. 1815 - 1863), WikiTREE, 9 March 2015. Updated 21 January 2020.

Kernebone, Elspeth, Castlemaine's Fanny Finch honoured with memorial on burial site, Bendigo Advertiser, 22 January 2020.

Sinclair, Kacey. "Hidden women of history: one of Australia's first known female voter, the famous Mrs Fanny Finch", The Conversation, 14 March 2019. Reproduced by ABC News plus pictures.

Theobald, Marjorie, Mrs Fanny Finch: Chewton's first business woman?, Chewton Chat, June 2014, 26–28.

Two Women Voted, Argus, Melbourne, 24 January 1856. Report on Castlemaine municipal election.

Williams, Gabrielle, Honoring a Victorian trailblazer for women and girls [Media release], Minister for Women, Parliament of Victoria, 22 January 2020.

Last updated: 3 August 2020

Michael Organ