Sarah Wentworth

Sarah Wentworth (; 1 January 1805 – 14 July 1880) was an Australian proprietor and businesswoman who brought the first breach of promise suit in Australia. During the proceedings, she was represented by barrister and statesman William Wentworth, her future husband.

Life Sarah Cox's parents, blacksmith Francis Cox and Frances Morton, were ex-convicts who had completed their sentences by the time of her birth. They had not married, as Cox had a family in England. They lived on Sydney Cove.

By the time of Payne's marriage proposal, Sarah Cox was living at the home of a Mrs. Foster, a milliner for whom she worked as an apprentice. At some point later, she worked at a butcher's shop set up by partner William Wentworth.

Breach of promise suit In 1825, Cox brought a breach of promise lawsuit against Captain John Payne, who had withdrawn his marriage proposal. Hers was the first breach of promise case to be tried in Australia. She was represented by Wentworth, newly a barrister. Payne, who vowed to Cox "that his eyes might drop out of his head if he did not fulfil his promise of marriage," cheated on her with a wealthier widow by the name of Mrs. Leverton, following which Cox sent him a volley of invective-filled letters. Payne was found guilty and ordered to pay £100 in damages.

Relationship with William Wentworth

As early as 1831, following the death of Sarah's father, Francis Cox, William intended to have land consecrated and to build a family vault at Vaucluse. This did not eventuate in his lifetime but William had informed his family that he wished to be buried near a rocky outcrop on the hill above Parsley Bay. The site was visible from the front verandah of the house and overlooked both the harbour and the estate. 21-22 Fitzwilliam Wentworth (1833–1915) married Mary Jane Hill, daughter of George Hill William Charles Wentworth III (1871–1949) married Florence Denise Griffiths, daughter of George Neville Griffiths William Charles Wentworth IV (1907–2003) (known as Bill Wentworth, Liberal member of Parliament 1949–77, inaugural Minister in charge of Aboriginal Affairs under the Prime Minister) Diana Wentworth Wentworth married Mungo Ballardie MacCallum (1913–99) Mungo Wentworth MacCallum (1941–2020) Sarah Eleanor Wentworth (1835–1857) Eliza Sophia Wentworth (1838–1898) Isabella Christiana (Christina) Wentworth (1840–1856) Laura Wentworth (1842–1887) married Henry William Keays-Young in 1872. Edith Wentworth (1845–1891) married Rev. Sir Charles Gordon-Cumming-Dunbar, 9th Baronet in 1872. D'Arcy Bland Wentworth (1848–1922).

Legacy In a 2008 article for The Sydney Morning Herald referring to the 1825 lawsuit, academic Alecia Simmons described Sarah Cox (as she was then known) as "a fiercely independent 18-year-old". She was nineteen at the time.

A biography was written about Sarah Wentworth by Carol Listen in 1988. Contemplating the book, academic Grace Carroll writes:Although William Charles Wentworth continues to be heralded as a significant figure in Australian history, Sarah's story has not been forgotten. Liston's 1988 biography, Sarah Wentworth: Mistress of Vaucluse, made a significant contribution to revealing Sarah's prominent position in her family and home, suggesting that she may well have been the strong and refined woman represented in Simonetti's bust. As a result, visitors to Vaucluse House today learn of the woman who played a vital role in establishing the House and the Wentworth family legacy. Her story brings to life the lot of a colonial woman whose experiences were both extraordinary, yet representative of that of many 'currency lasses.' A brass plaque commemorating her was installed in the Wentworth Mausoleum in 2015.