Elizabeth Mary (Brittan) Rolleston (1845 - 1940)

Born 30 Mar 1845 in Castleton, Dorset, England, United Kingdom

Wife of William Rolleston M.H.R. — married 24 May 1865 in Avonside, Christchurch, New Zealand

Descendants

Died 4 Jun 1940 at age 95 in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Mary (Brittan) Rolleston migrated from England to New Zealand.

Biography

Elizabeth was born in 1845.^[1] She was the daughter of Dr Joseph Brittan and Elizabeth Mary Chandler.

She was christened on 29 April 1845 at Castleton, Dorset^[2].

Her mother died in 1849.

In the England and Wales Census, 1851 she was living with her widowed father Joseph (aged 45), three brothers Joseph (14), Arthur (8), Francis (4), and five other individuals at Castleton, Sherborne, Dorset, England. She was aged 6.

His father remarried.

Elizabeth emigrated from England to New Zealand with her father, stepmother and siblings. They travelled on the ship William Hyde. They left Deal, Kent on 21 October 1851 and arrived at Lyttelton, Canterbury on 5 February 1852. Also on the ship was her aunt and two cousins.

She lived with her family at Linwood House, which was a homestead built for her father^[3]. Mary was likely first educated privately at the home of her aunt. In 1854, a private School for Young Ladies was opened on Oxford Terrace, which she attended until she was 16. After the family moved to Linwood House in 1857, Mary continued at that school as a boarder.

Tragically her18 year old brother Arthur drowned in the Avon river on 1 January 1862.

At the age of 19 she and 34 year old William Rolleston became engaged. They were subsequently married on 24 May 1865 at Avonside Trinity Church in Avonside, Christchurch, a union which was initially opposed by her father and stepmother, as William was thought too old for her. Her husband was a New Zealand Politician.

Soon after their wedding, they moved to Wellington, in the North Island.

They went on to have four daughters and five sons:

1. Rosamond Mary (b. 1866, d. 1949)
2. Arthur (b. 1867, d. 1918)
3. William (b. 1869, d. 1962)
4. George Hector Fitzgerald (b. 1871, d. 1911)
5. Francis Joseph (b. 1873, d. 1946)
6. Dorothy Josephine (b. 1875, d. 1907)
7. John Christopher (b. 1877, d. 1975)
8. Margaret (b. 1881, d. 1914)
9. Helen (b. 1889, d. 1963)

Her father Joseph died in 1867. Late in 1868, the Rollestons moved back to Christchurch to live at the family homestead, Linwood House. This arrangement made for cramped conditions living with her stepmother Sophia, her brothers Joseph Jr. and Frank, along with the Rollestons' two children, plus servants. Apparently there had always been tension between her husband William Rolleston and her brother Frank Brittan. The Rollestons paid rent, which helped her stepmother Sophia service the mortgage.

Mary was a New Zealand homemaker, political hostess and community leader. They hosted many important social and political functions at Linwood House.

Her husband William died in 1903.

In the 1935 NZ Electoral Rolls Elizabeth was recorded at 13 Glandovey Road, Riccarton, Christchurch, a widow.

Elizabeth passed away in 1940 at the age of 95 and was buried at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity (Avonside Anglican Cemetery), Avonside, Christchurch^[4].

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26GH-HYS : 1 October 2014), Elizabeth Mary Brittan, 1845; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Sherborne, Dorset, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
2. ↑ "England, Dorset, Parish Registers, 1538-2001", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VCR8-LT9 : 14 May 2020), Elizabeth Mary Brittan, 1845.
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linwood_House
4. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/158148548/elizabeth-mary-rolleston), memorial page for Elizabeth Mary Brittan Rolleston (30 Mar 1845–4 Jun 1940), Find a Grave Memorial ID 158148548, citing Avonside Anglican Cemetery, Avonside, Christchurch City, Canterbury, New Zealand ; Maintained by Southern Man (contributor 48043025)

• Wikipedia: Mary Rolleston
• Wikidata: Item Q12067475
• NZ BDM Marriage Records Online: Registration No: 1865/7651 | Bride's Given Name(s): Elizabeth Mary | Bride's Family Name: Brittan | Groom's Given Name(s): William | Groom's Family Name: Rolleston | https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/Search
• NZ BDM Death Records Online: Registration No: 1940/25565 | Family Name: Rolleston | Given Name(s): Elizabeth Mary | Age at Death: 95Y | https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/Search