Mary Sim Ritchie in the Garden of Cairnbank House

Category

Library Item

Item no

27887

Title

Mary Sim Ritchie (nee Hill) in the Garden of Cairnbank House

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

1935

Type

Photograph

Leone "Leo" Levi Ritchie (1871 - 1958) married Mary Sim Hill (1871 - 1948) at Waterloo Hotel in Edinburgh on 23 August 1897. The couple lived on 25 Dalgetty Street in Edinburgh until around 1902, when the family moved to 77 MacDonald Street. In 1915/1916, the family moved to South Morton Street, but relocated again to Cairnbank House in 1922, which would remain the family home until Leo's death in 1958. The couple had three daughters: Catherine "Cassie" Richardson, who married David Watt, Annie "Nannie" Rose, who married George Scotland (the manager of a coffee plantation in Coorg/Nilgiri Hills in South India) and Agnes Barclay Rose, who married William Hunter.

Mary's husband, Leone "Leo" Levi Ritchie, head of Ritchie and Son Clockmakers, was indecisive and quiet by nature and often leaned on his wife for her help and opinions. Mary had a notoriously strong will, which resulted in her initial attempts to "organise" David and Cassie's marriage, but David held firm and successfully argued for the couple's marital independence. David's stand, however, did not cause tension between his Mother-in-Law, Mary and him, as Mary respected people who stood up for themselves. Mary is remembered by her family as a lover of auction sales.

Image from the David Ritchie Watt Family Album.

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Related subjects

Homes > Residential buildings > Houses

Landscape > Landscape architectural facilities > Gardens

People > Adults > Women

Places > Edinburgh areas > Portobello

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Rooms and spaces > Furniture > Chairs

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