Fonds PR-0035 - Rattenbury family fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Rattenbury family fonds

Record type

  • Photographs
  • Textual records

Parallel title

Other title information

Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1879-1982 (Creation)
    Creator
    Rattenbury, Francis Mawson, 1867-1935 (family)

Physical description area

Physical description

ca. 1000 photographs and 0.18 m of textual records

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

Parallel titles of publisher's series

Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Francis Mawson Rattenbury was born in Leeds, England, in 1867. He began training as an architect in 1885 in his uncles' firm Mawson and Mawson. He immigrated to British Columbia in 1892, settling first in Vancouver, then moving to Victoria the next year when he won the competition for the design of the new Parliament Buildings. This coup launched a two-decades-long string of successes which included Government House, court houses, banks, hotels, and residences. He also pursued business careers in inland shipping and land speculation. In 1898 he married Florence Eleanor Nunn (1870-1929) and had two children, Francis Burgoyne and Mary. Rattenbury's fortunes began to flag with the beginning of World War I. After 1914 commissions were infrequent, and his land ventures in central British Columbia were unsuccessful. In 1925 Rattenbury and his wife divorced, and he married Alma Victoria Pakenham. They had one son, John. In 1930 he moved to England with his new family and settled in Bournemouth, where he was effectively retired. On March 23, 1935, Francis Rattenbury was murdered by his wife's paramour George Percy Stoner, which led to one of Britain's most sensational murder trials of the century.

Francis Burgoyne Rattenbury was born in Victoria on January 14, 1899. He married Sarah Kathleen Grogan (1905-1946) on July 10, 1928. They had one son, Edward (Ted) Rattenbury and later divorced.

Mary Rattenbury was born in Victoria on May 11, 1904. She married Eric Audley Burton (1897-1971) on April 2, 1930 and they had one daughter, Susan Audley Burton, born March 1, 1933. The Burtons resided in Victoria for many years before retiring to Duncan, B.C., where Mary lived until her death on October 25, 1982.

Custodial history

Scope and content

Fonds consists of photographic prints (some in albums), negatives, correspondence, legal documents, newspaper clippings, books, and other material relating to the Rattenbury family. Photographs include images of members of the Rattenbury family and their home Iechineel in Oak Bay; Victoria homes and other buildings.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

Language of material

    Script of material

      Location of originals

      Availability of other formats

      Restrictions on access

      Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

      Finding aids

      A file list is available.

      Associated materials

      Related materials

      Accruals

      Alternative identifier(s)

      Alternative identifier

      29

      Standard number

      Standard number

      Access points

      Subject access points

      Place access points

      Genre access points

      Control area

      Description record identifier

      Institution identifier

      Rules or conventions

      Status

      Level of detail

      Dates of creation, revision and deletion

      Language of description

        Script of description

          Sources

          Accession area