Mary Ann Earnshaw (b 1851, Ossett, Yorkshire) was nine when the family moved to Christchurch NZ.  There are no details about her early years but presumably she lived with her parents in Christchurch up until her marriage on the 19^th of May 1873, just after father Jonathan got released from prison, to James RITCHIE (b 1842 in Alexandria Dunbartonshire Scotland) at Jonathan’s house in Addington.  Her sister Agnes Earnshaw of Addington and Frank Schneider of Selwyn, later to be Mary Ann Earnshaw’s husband, were the witnesses.

James was the fifth child of Duncan and Cathrine (nee NEIL) Ritchie and early in his life the family moved to Yorkshire where James’s younger brother Alexander was born. The family was paper makers and sorters. Neighbors in Morton Yorkshire were the AMBLER family and James’s oldest sister Cathrine (b1831)  married Daniel Ambler in 1852 in Keighley Yorkshire.  They had seven children several of whom were born in Wakefield in the late 1850’s to early 1860’s which is about the time when the Earnshaw family were also there. The fourth of their seven children was Daniel Ritchie Ambler (b 1862) who was to follow James out to NZ in later years.

James Ritchie worked as a farm hand when he arrived in NZ in 1859 on the Sevilla from Glasgow, Scotland. He arrived in Dunedin and traveled to Waimate where he worked on farms as a labourer prior to purchasing land and settling in the Mt Peel area.

After their marriage, Mary and James settled on James’s farm at Arundel, Mt Peel Forest, Rangitata.

They had children:  Francis Herbert Edward (Frank) born 1874, Thomas Ellis born 1877, Margaret Lindsay (Madge) born 1879, Elizabeth Earnshaw (Bessie), born 1881, Katherine Ambler (Kitty) born, 1883 (her name can be seen spelt two ways: with either a C or K), Wilfred Neil 1885 who died soon after birth, Jonathan Neil (Jack) 1886, and Grace Winifred 1888; All were born in Geraldine. Jim’s farm was a 400 acre block of the old Cracroft farm.

 Jim’s son Frank and nephew Daniel Ritchie AMBLER (b 1862, Wakefield) who had come out from Yorkshire, planted miles of gorse hedges around the property, apparently a noted feature in the district.

Daniel  Ambler married                  and had a son James Thomas, born 17.12.1893.

Daniel married Sarah Beatrice BUTLER (   - 27.7.1965 Arundel) in 1905 and they had a daughter Catherine Ritchie Ambler (b 16.7.1907- Oct 2000). Catherine never married. Daniel died in 1951 aged 89. Daniel had a brother David Ritchie AMBLER also in NZ; he married a Mary Anderson   SCROGGIE (1882-1903, buried Geraldine) in 1893

Jim died young at the age of 56 on May 8^th 1898, and was buried in the Church of the Holy Innocents Cemetery at Mt Peel (Plot 22).  Executors of his estate included William Ellis Earnshaw, Mary Anne’s younger brother who was at that time a saddler/ blacksmith in Christchurch.  At the time of James’s death, only Frank and Thomas were over 21; Margaret was 20, Elizabeth 18, Catherine 16, Jack 13 and Grace 11; Wilfred had died at the age of 1 month.

The executors of James’s will proposed to sell off 94 acres (rural sections 30336 and 27484, Scotsburn, Orari Survey District) which were being leased out and with the proceeds they were to settle outstanding debts, purchase 399 acres of land leased from the Crown by James (section 350 Block IV Rangitata Survey District and with the balance upgrade the farm building and fences.  The sale was settled at five pounds per acre and the purchase made (and new mortgage raised) and improvements carried out. The running of the farm was taken over by sons Frank and Jack with ownership remaining with their mother. Dan Ambler also purchased a block in the area.

The Sheep Owners returns of 1900 show the farm had 116 sheep and in 1901 100 sheep. Mary Ann passed away on the 10^th of February 1919 at the age of 67; she too is buried at Mt Peel in plot 44. Of her children only Thomas, Margaret and Grace ever married.

Local history tells us that the 7 children were all avid readers and lovers of music; Mary Ann was especially musical and had an old gramophone on which she delighted in playing orchestral music which could be heard across the valley of the Rangitata.  Frank and Jack remained bachelors and were regarded as big hearted men full of humour, especially Jack who was something of a comedian.

Schooling: Frank attended Scotsburn School 1880-1888; Thomas (known as Ellis) was at the school 1882-1892; Katherine (Kitty) attended in 1883 for one year. Margaret (Madge) was there in 1888 for a year and went from there to live in Christchurch. Elizabeth (Bessie) was first educated Scotsburn 1888-1889 then briefly at Tinwald and then changed back to Scotsburn in 1890 through to 1897.  Grace attended Scotsburn School from 1895-December 1898 and is also reported as being a foundation pupil of Hinds-Side School relocated in 1904. Jonathan (Jack) attended Scotsburn School 1891-1898.

Mary Ann Ritchie (Aunt Polly) in her later years at Arundel

The family continued to run the farm even after Mary Anna’s death in 1919 and in the Temuka electoral rolls of that year the property shows as being run by Elizabeth Earnshaw Ritchie, spinster, and Francis (Frank)  Herbert Edward Ritchie, unmarried farm labourer.

 Elizabeth spent time living at Tolaga Bay north of Gisborne with her uncle John but passed away unmarried and quite young aged only 42, in 1923; she is buried in plot 51 at Mt Peel. Katherine also died young, aged 45, in 1928 and is in plot 58 at Mt Peel. Jack also never married and spent his life running a farm at Carew in South Canterbury. He died aged 65 in 1951.

Mt Peel Church in Canterbury where many of the Ritchie family are buried

Thomas Ellis Ritchie left the family farm and married Johanna Watson of Lyttleton in 1903; the couple settled on a farm in the Springston, and later they had a poultry farm in the Tai Tapu area.  Thomas and Johanna had a son James Ellis Ritchie in 1916; James served in the NZ Infantry in World War II and died in service aged just 30 in July  1945. These Ritchies are all buried in Springston Cemetery. Thomas passed away in 1932 and wife Johanna moved some time after James’s death to Sydney, Australia where she died. Her body was brought to NZ and she is also buried in the Springston Cemetery. 

Margaret (Madge) Ritchie married David COOKE (b 1868 Dunedin – d 1955 Ward, Marlborough) in Inglewood, Taranaki in 1903. The couple had children Maxwell Lutton in Inglewood in 1904, Hedley Terrence Earnshaw in 1906 at Christchurch,      The couple moved to Ward in Marlborough where they farmed. Margaret died in 1926 and is buried in Ward; David lived on until 1951.

Grace Ritchie married Mark FLETCHER in 1927. Mark who was from Auckland had previously (1909) been married to Margaret KEW who had passed away in Streamlands near Puhoi north of Auckland in 1923; presumably Mark had farmed in that area. Grace passed away aged 52, in 1940 in Takanini, South Auckland. Mark evidently retired to Auckland where he died in 1963.

Katherine (Kitty) Richie in January 1923