Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Mary Reidy was born about 1855 in Ireland.
She came to New Zealand in the late 1860’s & she married Charles Banwell, a carter, in 1881.
They had 9 children & when Mary signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Grange St, Dunedin.
In 1899 Mary was convicted of shoplifting, further police inquiries found that she had committed a number of thefts including clothing from washing lines.
Six of their youngest children were “brought up as being children within the meaning of the Industrial Schools Act”. Their parents had been sentenced to 3 months imprisonment leaving the children destitute.
Mary was charged with further thefts & it was said in her defence “it is only since the birth of her last child that she has given way to these thefts. She has felt quite unable to resist the temptation to steal”. ”She has been unable to keep herself free from the insane desire to take what does not belong to her”.
Mary was sentenced to a further 2 years hard labour. Whether she served the full term is unclear as the Police Gazette says “discharged on special remission”.
Charles died in 1916 & Mary died on September 29th 1945, they are buried in the family grave in the Northern Cemetery.
Sources
Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.
Community contributions