Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Tattersall, Mary

Mary Tattersall was the daughter of Leeds brewer and was one of the paid lady nurses. She had been a district visitor, and then trained for three weeks at Westminster before going to Scutarti. on receiving her first pay, she sent the Westminster 5 pounds with a letter. She wanted to donate some of the first money she ever earned, she said, to the hospital where she received so much kindness as a student. Tattersall's untiring industry, her flinching from no menial employment, 'her truth, judgement, faithfulness, discretion & entire trustworthiness, her temperance in all things, even in flirting & her high religious principles earned Nightingale's respect and esteem. She was  a superb worker. Nevertheless Nightingale did not use her for patient care, but as cook and housekeeper for the female staff of the Scutari General Hospital. Source: Nursing at the Crossroads, Part 1. Nursing Before Nightingale, 1815-1899
By Carol Helmstadter, Judith Godden   

d. 1893 Tattersall  Mary  70Y

Grey River Argus, 20 September 1893, Page 2
DEATH. Tattersall — On the 19th September at the Grey River Hospital, Mary Tattersall, native of Headingley, Leeds, England, and late of Greymouth, aged 70 years.

Evening Post, 2 May 1944, Page 8
DISCOVERY OF GRAVE - LINK WITH CRIMEA
A link between Greymouth and the Crimean War has been established by the discovery of the grave in the Greymouth cemetery of Miss Mary Tattersall, one of the original Florence Nightingale nurses. The daughter of a country clergyman in England, Miss Tattersall went to the Crimea with Florence Nightingale after her fiancé had been killed in action. At the end of her service she came to New Zealand and resided at Greymouth, where for about 30 years she was a professional nurse. In a letter to the matron of the Grey Hospital (Miss N. Moffatt). Mr. William Noy, a former resident of Greymouth, recalled that in 1895 Miss Tattersall was buried at Greymouth. Steps have been taken by the Registered Nurses' Association to restore the grave.
1865 - Miss Mary Tattersall resigned as matron, Timaru Hospital 13 Dec.
Timaru Herald, 26 January 1866, Page 2
PORT OF TIMARU.
SAILED. January 20 — Geelong, p.s., 137 tons, Hart, for Lyttelton, via intermediate ports. Passengers—Miss Beswick and Miss Tattersall.
Lyttelton Times, 22 January 1866, Page 4 Shipping
LYTTELTON. arrived. Jan. 21— Geolong, p.s., 137 tons, Hart, from Dunedin, via intermediate ports. Passengers - Miss Beswick, Miss Tattersall, Mr. Scarborough.

1 comment:

  1. The letter sent to the Westminster Hospital with the five pounds, was actually from Miss Nightingale. See Lynn McDonald's Florence Nightingale: Collected Works vol 14 p.213.

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