Mary Anne Rattray

Background

Mary Anne was the daughter of Robert Rattray and Mary Christie who married on 4 July 1840 at Tibbermore, Perthshire, Scotland. Mary Christie, Mary Anne's mother, was born in 1812. The couple arrived in Australia in November 1853 with their small daughter Mary Anne.

Mary Anne's father Robert Rattray later became the sexton of the Ballaarat Old Cemetery.

Robert and David Rattray both emigrated and were the sons of David Rattray and Helen Grant.

Goldfields Involvement, 1854

Robert Rattray, the older brother of David Rattray reportedly had a store at Eureka and Mary Anne was in the stockade with her mother who put her up the chimney in case of stray bullets.

Post 1854 Experiences

Mary Anne's father, Robert Rattray, was residing at Ballarat when he signed the Benden Hassell Petition in 1855.

A special meeting was held on 26 April 1859 to receive and examine applications and testimonials for the office of sexton at the Ballarat Cemetery. Robert Rattray was declared the position. He undertook duties at the Old and New Cemeteries until 1870, when in December of that year a proposal was made to divide the duties of sexton between Robert and his son William. Robert Rattray was appointed to the sole control the Old Cemetery while William took over the control and supervision of the New Cemetery. Each of the received a salary of sixteen pounds, thirteen shillings and four pence per month. Robert Rattray who had occupied the position of sexton for nearly 30 years, resigned in November 1888. He died on 21 September 1894. William Rattray then took over the running of both cemeteries, until he died on 23 April 1914 bringing to a close the Rattray's association with the cemetery.

Obituary

• Mary Ann Rattray

DEATH.

On the 6th of April, at Ballarat, Mary Ann Rattray, youngest daughter of Mr Robert Rattray, Ballarat Cemetery, from the effect of severe burns received on the same day.<ref>Ballarat Star, 7 Apr 1863.</ref>

It was in April 1863 that this terrible tragedy struck the family. It was reported in The Star newspaper: The Chinese kept up their festival at the Cemetery on Monday which had been commenced with much pomp and circumstance on Sunday. The daughter of Mr Rattray, the sexton, an interesting girl of about twelve years of age, impelled by curiosity, ventured too near the scene, and by some mischance got her clothing ignited by fireworks exploded by the celebrants. Unfortunately the child was not within reach or call of her friends, and the seven or eight Chinese present, appalled at the catastrophe, at once fled from the spot without affording the slightest assistance. The poor child, as was afterwards discovered, threw herself on the ground, and endeavoured to extinguish the flames. But so fierce and unmanageable were they that they ignited and burned even the young grass about her. With astonishing pertinacity in her efforts to quench the flames, she got up again and threw herself down in two other places, some distance apart. In all of these, the grass was almost instantly dried up and consumed. When assistance arrived, it was found that every portion of the girl’s clothing had been consumed, which did not closely embrace her person. She was conveyed to her parent’s residence, and as speedily as possible provided with medical aid, but we regret to say that the injuries inflicted were so severe that death followed not many hours afterwards. The occurrence happened at mid-day, and the Chinese in their trepidation left baskets, shovels, and all behind them. The funeral was held on Wednesday 8th April, the friends of Mr Robert Rattray being invited ‘to follow the remains of his late daughter Mary Ann to the place of interment’. The resultant inquest was held by Dr Clendinning at the Cornubian Hotel, Ballarat. Alexander Young, a brickmaker deposed that he was working outside the cemetery fence about half past eleven o’clock am when he heard his wife cry out that there was a child on fire. On looking round, he saw the deceased within the cemetery, lying down on one of the gravelled paths. He said ‘I jumped the fence, and I immediately endeavoured to put out the flames with my shirt, but almost the whole of her clothes had been burned by the time I first reached her. There was a Chinaman then with her trying to put out flames with the bough or branch of a tree. I put him aside, as I thought he was rather increasing the flames, and I threw my shirt on the deceased, but it also caught fire. Then the men came up, but all her loose clothes were entirely burned off. The deceased was then carried to her father’s house. I do not know how her clothes caught fire, but my wife told me that they caught fire in the Chinese portion of the Cemetery.

Robert Rattray stated that the deceased was his daughter, aged ten years and was born in Perthshire. He said that she went occasionally to see the Chinese performing one of their annual festivals over the graves of their countrymen. ‘They burn a great quantity of paper, fuses, and other combustibles around the grave. Whilst the deceased was down there her clothes somehow caught fire. The deceased girl did not tell me exactly how it happened. On Yesterday, about noon, I was working outside my house, and I heard some fearful crying or shrieks. I ran towards the place, and first saw three men standing with smoke arising from among them. On arriving at the place I saw a sort of bag burning, which I tore off, and immediately saw the body of my daughter, whom I only recognized by her voice when she said to me, ‘Is that you father?’ She was then carried home, and I attended upon her until her death, and sent for a doctor. She never recovered from the shock, and died about five o’clock pm. Dr Hobson saw her before her death.’

Helen Young, who resided in Lexton Street, just outside the fence of the cemetery, recalled that she was standing at her own front door. ‘I saw a little girl running from the Chinamen’s burial ground with the clothes on her back all on fire, I could see no lower than her waist owing to the fence. She was running away up towards the gravel path. I thought first that the child had one of the Chinamen’s paper ornaments on her back. I saw one Chinaman running after her, as I thought, to get his paper ornament from the child, but when I heard the child screech I then knew that it was her clothes that were on fire. I then sang out and gave the alarm to my husband and to a drayman that was passing at the time. They immediately came over the fence to the child’s assistance. There was only one Chinaman running after the child. He had a bush, I think, in his hands.’ Susanna Cowan deposed that the deceased informed her that she had gone to see the Chinamen at their burial ground, and had sat down after they had gone to another place. The deceased’s clothes caught fire but witness did not know how.

The doctor, Richard Jones Hobson found Mary Ann in a state of great collapse, pulseless, and the action of the heart intermittent. The deceased never rallied and died about half past five o’clock pm on the same day. He then graphically detailed the extent of her injuries.

As a result her death was deemed to have been caused by shock to her nervous system from most extensive and severe burns arising from her clothes having accidentally caught fire in the Chinese burial ground. The verdict was accompanied by a comment, ‘We find that the attention of the authorities should be directed to the careless way in which the Chinese make use of fire within the precincts of the Cemetery.’

Regarding her burial the Ballarat Star reported, ‘The body of the late Miss M. A. Rattray, whose luckless fate we recorded in Tuesday’s issue, was consigned to the tomb, in the Ballarat Cemetery, on Wednesday. The coffin was conveyed from the sexton’s house by six little girls attired in white, and the funeral service, performed by the Rev. Mr Henderson, was witnessed by great numbers of little school girls all neatly attired, and who appeared much affected by the melancholy occasion. The adult relatives and friends of the deceased (aged 10 years), were not present in large numbers.’

In August 1863 application on behalf of the Chinese residents of the district was made requesting permission to erect brick buildings 6 feet square at base and 9 feet high for the purpose of burning their papers and wax lights, instead of making open fires as heretofore. One building to be erected in the present cemetery and one in the New Cemetery but the decision was deferred whilst the Secretary wrote to the Melbourne & Castlemaine Cemeteries enquiring as to their regulations regarding Chinese Funeral Ceremonies. Subsequently the Chinese were permitted to erect a building of dressed stone 6 feet square open at the top with one iron door and if required the same was to be enclosed with an iron rail.

Robert Rattray, the husband of Mary and father of the burnt child, had occupied the position of sexton of the Ballaarat Old Cemetery for nearly 30 years when he resigned in November 1888. He died on 21 September 1894. Mary had prececeased her husband dying on 13 April 1887 aged 75. They were buried with their daughter Mary Ann at the Ballaarat Old Cemetery. The trustees decided to offer the position of sexton of both cemeteries to Robert and Mary’s son William Rattray at a salary of 5 guineas per week. William Rattray the son, died on 23 April 1914 bringing to a close the Rattray’s valued association with the cemetery.

See also

David Rattray

Benden Sherritt Hassell Compensation Case

Further Reading

Wickham, Dorothy, Shot in the Dark: Being the Petition for the Compensation Case of Benden S. Hassell, Ballarat Heritage Services, 1998.

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