Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Amy King was born in Faringdon, Berkshire, England in 1845 – the daughter of George King, an agricultural labourer, and Elizabeth Sheard.
Amy married James Mattingly/Mattingley, an agricultural labourer and widower with two children, in 1863. Amy and James had seven children, including twin daughters, before 1874 when the family emigrated to Otagon on the Sussex.
Another 10 children were born in New Zealand, including another set of twins who died in infancy in 1879; their next daughter also died early in 1880.
The family lived in South Dunedin. In 1908 Amy and James were struggling, they received 10 shillings a week from an old age pension and paid 7 shillings and 6 pence in rent.
James had applied to the Benevolent Trustees for relief but they declined his application as he had so many children living, whose duty it was to support him. In desparation they went to court and charged two of their sons with failing to contribute to their support. James was described as “a decrepit old man”, aged 75 who was nearly blind. Their sons proved to the Magistrate that they were unable to contribute to their father’s support as they had large families of their own. James was advised by the Magistrate to re-apply to the Benevolent Institute and the court would back his case.
Amy died on 2 December 1917 and James died in 1919. They are buried together in the Andersons Bay Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Free BDM https://www.freebmd.org.uk
GRO England https://www.gro.gov.uk
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
