Biography
MARY IRVINE BIRCH
Burial register ID: | 603 |
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Surname: | BIRCH |
First name: | MARY |
Middle names: | IRVINE |
Gender: | Female |
Age: | 50 Years |
Cause of death: | Unknown |
Burial type: | |
Date of death: | 09-Jan-1880 |
Date of burial: | 10-Jan-1880 |
Block: | 60 | |
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Plot: | 2 | |
Inscription: |
ERECTED Note: The date of death information recorded on the Birch headstone for Mary Irvine Birch is incorrect. The date of death should read 9th January 1880, not the 9th of May 1880. |
Mary Irvine Birch was the wife of Thomas Birch, who was Mayor of Dunedin from 1868 – 1870, and amongst other activities he was the owner of a successful building business, and president of the Caledonian Society for three years. In the early hours of the 6th January 1880 tragedy struck the Birches at their home by Water of the Leith. Thomas Birch was woken in the early hours of the morning by the screams of his wife who had fallen asleep while reading in bed. When he got to her room he found the bed in flames. He managed to get his wife out of the bed and with the help of a servant girl managed to quell the flames, preventing further damage to the house. Mrs Birch was, however, severely burned and died in great agony some 3 days later. The cause of the accident was thought to be a reading candle that had overturned and set alight to the bedclothes. Thomas Birch had been in declining health for some time but his health worsened with the sad and untimely death of his wife. He had decided on a change of scene and was aboard the Penguin on his way to Auckland when he quite suddenly died. |
Surname | First names | Age | Date of death | Date of burial |
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BIRCH | MARY IRVINE | 50 Years | 09-Jan-1880 | 10-Jan-1880 |
BIRCH | THOMAS | 55 Years | 12-Mar-1880 | 21-Mar-1880 |
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