Mary Mutton (c1805-1881)

Mary Ann Mutton was born in approximately 1802 in Cornwall, England. Her parents were Robert and Elizabeth Mutton and she was baptised in the parish church at Trewen on 26/12/1802. Her siblings were Robert, Richard and Elizabeth.

Marriage
Mary Ann married Thomas Rundle on the 5th November 1833 in the parish church at Altarnun, Cornwall. Witnesses to the marriage were Robert Mutton (possibly the bride’s brother or father) and a C. Pellow. Both the bride and groom could not write and signed with their mark. Thomas Rundle's parentage is currently unknown, but it is possible that he is the son of John and Ann Rundle and was baptised at St Thomas by Launceston in 1805.

1841 Census
Mary Ann is located with her family in the 1841 census for Cornwall. They are recorded at Lescarnick Red Hill, Altarnun, where husband Thomas was employed as a tinner. Both he and Mary are recorded as aged 35. Children living with the family at the time were Jane (aged 7), Betsy (aged 5), Mary Ann (aged 3) and Richard (aged 10 months). Son John (born in approximately 1839) had died by this time.

Journey to South Australia
In 1847, Thomas decided to move the family to South Australia. They travelled on the ship "Theresa" which left London via Plymouth on 19/1/1847 with Captain Thomas Bacon.

The ship made the whole passage to Adelaide in 104 days. Three small children died during the voyage, and four births took place. The emigrants were from Buckinghamshire, Devon, Cornwall and Ireland. The males included 32 miners, 33 agricultural labourers and farm servants, 5 carpenters, 1 blacksmith, 1 shoemaker and 3 masons or bricklayers. The females included 30 domestic servants and 4 dressmakers.

The newly-arrived expressed their entire satisfaction with the quality and quantity of the provisions, and the water (which was filtered before being taken on board) was good all the way. On arrival and after the muster had taken place, the emigrants gave three cheers for Doctor Gordon. The proposer of the cheer designated Dr Gordon "the conservator of health and the lover of peace". Three cheers followed for the ship.

The ship arrived in Port Adelaide on 3/5/1847. It’s arrival was reported in the South Australian Register newspaper on Wednesday 5/5/1847.

South Australia
Where the family settled when they arrived in South Australia is unknown at this stage. It is possible that it was the Walkerville area, as daughter Mary Ann was married at St Andrew's Church there on 27/3/1853. She was only 15 years old and 4 months pregnant at the time. Eldest daughter Elizabeth had married in January of the same year at Trinity Church in Adelaide.

Thomas’s obituary states that he commenced farming in Adelaide for a Mr Robert Mill, which calling he had followed before leaving Cornwall (this is not supported by the 1841 census, but Thomas could have taken up farming after this time).

The Gold Rush
In 1852, Thomas was attracted to the Victorian Goldfields as a result of the goldrush that had begun there. He, with Mr. Mill and others, went there and achieved reasonable success. They returned to Adelaide with good results. It is likely that they travelled overland as no record of a Thomas Rundle travelling via ship between Adelaide and Melbourne has been located for the years 1851 to 1853. It is unknown how long Mary was left alone with the children in South Australia and how they fended for themselves during that time.

Return to Adelaide
On returning to South Australia, Thomas entered the employment of Mr Charles Farr, a timber merchant located on Grote Street in Adelaide. He was employed as a carter. He continued to work with Mr Farr until 1881.

Support to Daughter
Daughter Mary Ann was deserted by her husband in approximately 1864. Mary and Thomas supported their daughter and her children by taking them into her home and providing support to them. Daughter Mary Ann’s husband was not happy with the arrangement of his wife and children living with her parents, as they would not allow him to see the children. When the matter was taken to court in 1/11/1864, Mary Ann’s husband was ordered to pay a pound a week to Thomas for the upkeep of his daughter and children.

Death of Wife
Mary died on 28th May 1881, aged 76 years. She was recorded as the wife of Thomas Rundle, carter, and her usual residence was Logan Street, Grey Ward. Her cause of death was dysentery, and the informant was a William Waddell, shipman of Adelaide.

Thomas would outlive her by 13 years.

Children

 * colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFfce0" style="color: #000000;" |Children of Thomas and Mary Ann Rundle
 * colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFfce0" style="color: #000000;" |Children of Thomas and Mary Ann Rundle