Barton, however, turned out to be mentally unstable and dangerous. In 1839, when Atkinson was five years old, her mother fled with her and her siblings to the Atkinsons' cattle station at Budgong. They spent the next six months in a rough shack in remote country. Later, Atkinson and her mother both said that despite the primitive accommodations, the time they spent there was a welcome refuge. While in the shack, Charlotte told her children stories and taught them to observe and draw native plants, animals, and birds.
Eventually, they were forced to move to Sydney and seek financial support from the Atkinson estate. A six-year court battle ensued with the estate's executors. At the time, mothers were not automatically considered their children's guardians, and Charlotte did not win custody of her children at first. The court used her actions in fleeing from her husband as proof of her unstable nature and her unfitness to keep her children. Eventually Charlotte did win custody of her children. The long legal battle left a mark on Atkinson, who included critical commentary on lawyers in several of her novels.
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