In 1856, three-hundred and one householders residing in St Kilda, but in the section that was part of the City of Melbourne, signed a petition to have that area severed from the City of Melbourne and added to the Municipality of St Kilda. The petition was officially called the St Kilda Municipality: Petition for alteration of boundaries. The St Kilda Municipality had been created in April 1855 and the petitioners were successful and the first election to the newly enlarged municipality took place in March 1857. (1)
Ann Grant was born to Hugh Hutchison and his wife, Sarah McAllister, in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ireland, around 1809-1810. She arrived in Melbourne on the Genghis Khan, on July 1, 1853 with her 18 year-old daughter Mary, also born in County Armagh. She was a widow, and I have no information about her late husband James. The shipping record shows Ann's occupation was a Matron and Mary a servant and that they were both engaged at the Melbourne Hospital - Ann at a salary of £30 and Mary at £13. (3)
At some time Ann moves to St Kilda, and she appears in the 1857 St Kilda Rate books where she is renting a property in Fitzroy Street from Richard Daldy, described as wood, 2 rooms. In 1859 Ann's property was described as wood, 3 rooms + coal yard and in 1861 as 3 rooms, shop, wood + shingle. Richard Daldy is still the owner of the property, and I believe despite the description, they are the same property. (4)
The next year, still in Fitzroy Street, Ann's new landlord was Mr Bullivant and her premises were described as shop + 2 rooms, wood. In 1864, for the first time her occupation is listed as fruiterer. In 1870, it appears that she has moved to another shop in Fitzroy Street as it is described as 5 rooms, brick and is owned by the Stewart Brothers. In good news, in 1872, Ann had purchased her own property, described as shop, 3 rooms, wood, in Fitzroy Street. (5)
Not for the first time however, the information in the Rate books doesn't quite correspond with the information in the Sands and McDougall Directories (6) as both the 1870 and 1875 Directories place the Grant fruit shop two doors down from Edward O'Donnell's grocery shop, but I can't explain this discrepancy and it doesn't alter the story or diminish the credit that Ann should receive for working hard in her own fruit shop business and buying her own property. Her neighbour, Edward O'Donnell, was a St Kilda councillor for 44 years and a member of many committees such as the Albert Park Committee and the St Kilda Foreshore Committee and a Trustee of the St Kilda Cemetery. (7)
Ann Grant died on February 14, 1873, at Fitzroy Street, of chronic hepatitis and asthma at the age of 64 and is buried in the Presbyterian section of the St Kilda Cemetery. (8)
Her daughter Mary took over the fruit shop. She married John Irvine Beck on August 14, 1876 in New South Wales and they operated the fruit shop until around 1885. Mary died at 74 Wilson Street in South Yarra and on November 20, 1891 aged 54. Mary did not have children and she was buried in the same grave as her mother at St Kilda. (9)
One mystery remains - there is a third person in the grave, 74 year-old Jane Wall, who died on February 20, 1910 in George Street, East Melbourne. She was single, born in Bristol in England, the daughter of John Wall and his wife and Ann Rawlings. Jane left an estate of £650 to Lilla Vowels, who was, as noted in her will, residing with me at Simpson Street, East Melbourne. The executor of her will was Edward O'Donnell of Fitzroy Street, who, as we know, had a shop just down from Ann and Mary's fruit shop; he also had a mortgage over the property of £600 and this was transferred to Lilla. (10) In those times, as single women would find it hard to obtain finance from a bank, Jane had to make a private arrangement, and clearly Edward was in the position to lend her the money. Jane was around the same age as Mary, and I presume they were friends and they may have both worked together in the fruit shop and hence Jane met Mr O'Donnell.
The other woman who signed the petition was Miss Robertson. I believe this is Ellen Robertson, who is listed in the 1857 Rate books as renting a house described as wood, 4 rooms, from Thomas James in Fitzroy Street. She was at the address in 1860, but does not appear in the 1861 Rate books. (11) I have no other information about her.
However, Ann Grant and Ellen Robertson have their place in the history of St Kilda through signing the petition to alter the boundaries of the Municipality of St Kilda.
Acknowledgment - Thank you to my research colleague, Isaac Hermann, for alerting me to this petition and to the women who signed it.
Footnotes(1) St Kilda Municipality: Petition for alteration of boundaries - Victoria Government Gazette, No. 143, November 7, 1856 - https://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1856/V/general/143.pdf; Barrett, Bernard The Civic Frontier: the origin of local communities and local government in Victoria (Melbourne University Press, 1979)
(2) Read more about Florence Gardiner here - Hobart Mercury, April 27, 1915, see here.
