Novelist in love

Extracts from letters written by William Hay to his future wife Mary Williams while he was staying in Somerset, England, re-writing his first novel, Stifled laughter.

This small group of letters is contained in the papers of William Hay's biographer, Iain Muecke. The bulk of Hay's papers is held by the Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne.

William Gosse Hay was born at 'Linden' Burnside in 1875, the son of a prosperous Adelaide grocer turned landholder and politician, Alexander Hay, and his second wife Agnes Gosse. Following his education at Scotch College Melbourne, William Hay was prepared for entry to Trinity College Cambridge by the headmaster of St Peter's College, the Rev. Francis Williams. It was during this time, in 1894, that William briefly met Francis Williams' daughter Mary.

Although sent to study law, following his father's death in 1898, William decided to become a writer. While attempting to find a publisher for his first novel, set in convict era Tasmania, he wrote a long letter to Mary Williams, hinting that he had never forgotten the pretty girl to whom he had only spoken a few words, five years earlier. Six weeks later, via ocean steamer, the letter finally arrived in Adelaide and was delivered at the Williams' home, 'Woodspring', at Unley. Mary herself had never forgotten 'Father's big boy', and wrote a reply which was not un-encouraging. For more than a year the correspondence continued, each writing weekly to the other. This growing 'understanding' saw the return of William to Adelaide in July 1901, and their marriage three months later.

The couple settled at 'Tower House' on Beaumont Common, until moving to 'Nangawooka' at Hindmarsh Valley in 1924. The marriage resulted in three sons, as well as William's steady output of five more historical novels, short stories, poems and essays. He also began a novel set in Victor Harbor in the 1890s. The romance of their early letter-writing persisted. William and Mary's eldest grand-daughter (herself a published writer) remembered, "They were absolutely devoted to each other ... but it was very, very private."

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