| AdminHistory | Reverend Alfred Gatty (1813 - 1903)
Born in London, 1813. Vicar of Ecclesfield 1839 - 1903. Regular lecturer at the Sheffield Literary and Philosophical and published numerous works. Father of Juliana Horatia Gatty (later Ewing).
Margaret Gatty (1809 - 1873)
Margaret Gatty [née Scott], writer on natural history and children's writer, was born on 3 June 1809 in Burnham, Essex, the second daughter of the Revd Alexander John Scott and his wife, Mary Frances Ryder. Her father, a linguist and scholar, had been chaplain to Horatio Nelson. Margaret and her sister Horatia were educated in their father's library and they learned several languages, sketched avidly, and wrote for a family literary club.
In 1837 the Scotts began an acquaintance with a local curate and antiquarian, Alfred Gatty (1813 - 1903), whom Margaret married on 8 Jul 1839. They moved to Ecclesfield, Sheffield where they spent the rest of their lives. Margaret and Alfred Gatty had 10 children in total: Margaret Scott (b.1840), Juliana Horatia (b.1841), Reginald Alfred (b.1844), Horatia Katharine Frances (b.1846), Alfred Scott (b.1847), Undine Marcia (b.1848), Stephen Herbert (b.1849) and Charles Tindal (b.1851). Also Alfred Alexander (b.1843) and Horatio Nelson (b.1855) - both died in infancy.
After spending a winter in Hastings in 1848, Margaret began her lifelong passion for the collection and classification of seaweeds. She corresponded with a network of scientific friends, including W. H. Harvey of Trinity College, Dublin, George Johnston of Berwick upon Tweed, George Busk and Robert Brown. In 1863, she published a History of British Seaweeds, a guide for serious amateurs. Margaret Gatty also wrote tales for young people. Among her books are: Parables from Nature, Worlds not Realised, Proverbs Illustrated, and Aunt Judy's Magazine, a family publication written by various members of the Gatty family. She also wrote The Book of Emblems and The Book of Sundials (both published in 1872).
Margaret Gatty suffered from intermittent muscular paralysis. She died at the vicarage in Ecclesfield on 4 Oct 1873. She was buried in Ecclesfield churchyard and was commemorated by a memorial window in the church there.
Juliana Horatia Ewing (1841 - 1885):
Juliana Horatia Ewing was a well known children's writer of Ecclesfield. Her story 'The Brownies' gave their name to the junior Girl Guides. She was known as Aunt Judy and featured in her mothers works: Aunt Judy's Tales (1859), Aunt Judy's Letters (1862), and Aunt Judy's Magazine (1866–82). Most of Juliana's work appeared first in Aunt Judy's Magazine.
Juliana was the daughter of the Reverend Alfred Gatty, scholar, editor, and vicar of the parish of St Mary's, Ecclesfield for 63 years. She was born at Ecclesfied in 1841. Following her mother Margaret into the world of letters, Juliana became a well loved children's author, being best remembered now for Jackanapes, Lob Lie-by-the-Fire, A Flat Iron for a Farthing and The Story of a Short Life.
Following her marriage in 1867 Ewing lived at Fredericton in New Brunswick, Canada until 1869. Her letters home bring Fredericton society to life, from her household chores, to canoeing parties and sleigh rides. They then lived at Aldershot and later Devon. Her husband, Major Alexander Ewing, had numerous postings in addition to Fredericton, for example, Malta and Sri Lanka, though Juliana did not accompany him due to her health. She died at Bath in 1885. |
| RelatedMaterial | Sheffield Archives:
Records of the Gatty family, 19th - 20th cent. (MD602-603; MD1623; MD1748-49; MD1782-83; MD2103; MD2122-2126; MD2194-95; MD2687-89; MD3474; MD3614; MD6872; MD7998; HAS/8)
Joan and Mel Jones, The Remarkable Gatty family of Ecclesfield, 2003 (BIOG/GAT) (also at Sheffield Local Studies Library: B.GATT)
Sheffield Local Studies Library:
Mel and Joan Jones, Picture Perfect, 2018 (B.GATT S) - this is book based on the records contained in the Gatty collection at Sheffield Archives (X561)
Mrs Alfred Gatty, The book of Sun-dials, 1872 (828)
Mrs Alfred Gatty, Parables From Nature, 1892-1894, 1892 (Central Library Store: 828.GATT)
Melvyn Jones, 'A remarkable literary and artistic family: the Gattys of Ecclesfield' in Melvyn Jones, South Yorkshire Yesterday: Glimpses of the Past, 2003 (942.74 S)
Jones, Mel, The story of a nomadic wife : the life and times of Ecclesfield-born children's writer, Juliana Horatia Ewing, during her enforced separation from her soldier-husband, 1879-1883, as told in her letters and diaries (Green Tree, 2007) (B.EWIN S)
Chris Morley, 'Ecclesfield's literary connection' in M. Jones (ed), Aspects of Sheffield: Discovering Local History, Volume 2, 1999 (942.74 S)
Eden, H. K. F., Juliana Horatia Ewing and Her Books (SPCK, 1896) (B.EW54 SST)
Blom, Margaret Howard, Canada Home: Juliana Horatia Ewing's Fredericton Letters, 1867-1869 (University of British Columbia, 1983) (Central Library Store: B.EWIN)
Material held elsewhere:
Microscope and combined zoophyte collection, Sheffield Museums (SHEFM: E1909.1-463)
Papers of Margaret Scott Gatty 1822 - c.1989 including: 4 albums of mounted marine botanical specimens, family correspondence, photograph and 20th century manuscript biographical material relating to Margaret Scott Gatty, University of St Andrews, Scotland
Letters of Margaret Gatty, Alfred Gatty, Horatia K. F. Gatty (Eden) and Juliana Horatia Gatty (Ewing) to George Bell (publisher), Archives and Manuscripts Department of the Library, University of Reading. |
| CustodialHistory | This collection was formerly in the possession of Persephone Marion Ward (1916 - 2011), granddaughter of Undine Gatty and Walter Ward. The papers were passed to Christie's, London and temporarily allocated to Sheffield Archives in 2012. The collection was accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to Sheffield Archives in 2014. |