Born in New Plymouth in 1845, Richmond was the daughter of Robert Reid Parris and his wife, Mary Whitmore, who had arrived in New Zealand in November 1842.
[1][2] Raised as an Anglican with a liberal interpretation of doctrine, she read widely and was active in musical pastimes as a young woman.
[1] In 1886, Richmond became the first woman elected as a member of the Taranaki Education Board, and she was prominent in seeking the abolition of corporal punishment of girls.
[6] Richmond became president of the Wellington branch of the Theosophical Society after moving to that city in 1900, and served in that capacity for three years, giving over 60 public lectures.
In about 1912, Richmond moved to Havelock North to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Rachel and Bernard Crompton-Smith, and she led an anthroposophical study group, which included Mabel Hodge, at their home.