Makers: Mary Irvine and Jill Stanley

Panel number: 372

Petition sheet number: 444

Person honouring: Mary Hamshar

Relationship to makers: Great-great-great-aunt

Mary Barben was baptised in Lancashire, England in May 1834, the youngest daughter of Susannah Field and her husband Thomas Barben. The family sailed to Wellington, New Zealand on the London, arriving in December 1840.

Mary was a dressmaker and always used a crutch, being lame since birth. To be near her sister, Sarah, she moved to The Spit, Napier around 1855. (Sarah and James McKain were one of the first European settler families in Napier.) 

Mary married James Hamshar in Napier in 1858. While farming at Wairoaiti, they visited Sarah at Petane (now Eskdale), travelling on a quiet old bullock with a broken horn – called Stumpy. Later at Waihua, they farmed sheep and grew maize, potatoes, and pumpkins. Their only child, Alice Bertha was born in 1858.

In 1868 James became ferryman at the Waihua River; Mary is said to have helped run the ferry. They both spoke te reo Māori. In July 1869 Mary and Bertha hid in the bush for several days to escape from Te Kooti. 

Bertha died of pneumonia aged 14 in 1873. Mary had a strong Christian faith and her beloved prayer book and New Testament remain with family today. She was at the Western Spit [Westshore now] when she signed the petition in 1893. 

Mary died on 21 October 1901, at Petane, aged 67 years and was buried in Eskdale cemetery. 

Panel materials: The panel background was a remnant. This, plus the Māori design fabric, was from my own fabric stash. Antique laces, edging (possibly Holland blind edging), and buttons were from our mother and grandmother’s collection. The blue embroidered lady was cut from our grandmother’s handkerchief (she was born around 1893). All embroidery threads were from our grandmother’s collection. The miniature crutch was made from skewers. The pot was from my collection of miniatures. The owl fabric was donated by my sister-in-law. White background fabric (for ironing and embroidering onto) was from our mother’s old embroidered pillowcase. I purchased the wooden scissors and the Union Jack button.