Macdonaldtown's Renaming and the Makin 'Baby Farmer' Case: A Historical Examination

An urban legend in Sydney suggests that the inner-city suburb of Macdonaldtown was renamed due to its association with a criminal case involving a couple known as the 'Macdonaldtown baby farmers.' This narrative posits that a negative local reputation led to the suburb's integration into Erskineville. Today, the physical remnants of Macdonaldtown are limited to an obscure train station and a few scattered plaques within Erskineville.

The Makin Case and Infant Remains

In the early 1890s, the case of Sarah and John Makin garnered national attention in Australia. The couple was involved in 'baby farming,' a practice where individuals provided care for infants in exchange for payment, leading to subsequent deaths of the children. The discovery of their activities began in October 1892 at their Burren Street residence in Macdonaldtown. Workers excavating to connect a pipe uncovered human remains, leading to a broader investigation that ultimately located the remains of 15 infants within the property's yard.

Following a criminal trial, John Makin was executed by hanging on August 16, 1893, in Darlinghurst. Sarah Makin's death sentence was commuted; she was released from prison in 1911 and subsequently died in 1918 at the age of 72.

Suburb Renaming: Scandal or Bureaucracy?

The Act to formally rename Macdonaldtown to Erskineville was passed by the NSW parliament in March 1893, approximately five months after the infant remains were discovered. This timing has often been cited as evidence supporting the theory that the Makin case directly prompted the renaming.

However, historical records, including contemporary newspaper archives, indicate that the Macdonaldtown Council had proposed a name change prior to the discovery of the infant bodies. A notice published in the Evening News stated that changing the name was expected to increase property values by at least five percent. City of Sydney historian Laila Ellmoos has stated that the alleged connection between the Makin case and the suburb's renaming constitutes an unsubstantiated link, suggesting the theory is a