Bate, Mary Harriet (1855 - 1951)

Miss Bate was born in Sydney, N.S.W., on 1 October 1855 and died at Kyogle, N.S.W., on 29 December 1951.

Daughter of Henry Jefferson Bate, who lived for many years on a dairying property at Tilba Tilba, she collected plant specimens for F. Mueller (q.v.) between the Tilba coast and Mt Dromedary, N.S.W., during the period 1881-84. On 6 September 1886 she married John Vincent Griffiths, a storekeeper at Bombala. In 1921 the Griffiths moved with their son to a Jersey stud farm near Kyogle, remaining there for the rest of their lives. Mary’s later interests were gardening and fine needlework.

Collector of a syntype (but not the lectotype) of Eucalyptus bosistoana F. Muell. (1895).

Source: Hall, N. (1978) Botanists of the Eucalypts. CSIRO, Melbourne.

Family dairy at Tilba Tilba. Married John Vincent Griffiths (storekeeper at Tilba Tilba) Sept. 1886. Collected specimens for Mueller between Tilba Tilba & Mt Dromedary incl. Bermagui R., NSW, 1881-86. Won medal forcollection of pressed ferns & seaweeds at the 1892 Exhibition.

Specimens (many numbered) at MEL, also G, NSW (1).

Commemorated in Myoporum.

Source: George, A.S. (2009) Australian Botanist's Companion, Four Gables Press, WA. [consult for source references]

BATE, MARY HARRIET (LATER MRS GRIFFITHS), 1 October 1855 - 29 December 1951.

Born in Sydney, one of nine children, to Henry Jefferson Bate (1816-1892), and Elizabeth Kendall née Mossop (c.1816-1910). In 1869, the family selected the property 'Mountain View' near Tilba Tilba.

Mary collected MEL specimens (including fungi, algae and mosses) at Bermagui River, Mount Dromedary, and Tilba Tilba, 1881-1886.

She collected types of Myoporum bateae F.Muell. (1882), Bryum bateae Müll.Hal. (1898), named for her, Trametes heteromalla Cooke (1882), Sargassum laevigatum J.Agardh (1889), Bryum viridulum Müll.Hal. (1898) and Eucalyptus bosistoana F.Muell. (1895).

Jacob Agardh identified Mary's algal specimens for her, Mordecai Cooke identified fungal specimens, and Carl Müller identified her mosses. There are also Mary Bate specimens at G and NSW. In 1886,

Mary married John Vincent Griffiths (d.1940), a storekeeper at Bombala, and they had five children.

Mary died at Kyogle in 1951 at the age of 96.

Five letters survive from Mueller to Mary, and three letters from Mary to Mueller.

Source: Maroske, Sara and Vaughan, Alison (2014) 'Ferdinand Mueller's female plant collectors: a biographical register', Muelleria Vol.32 [consult for source references]
Portrait Photo: from Appendix 1, Maroske, Sara and Vaughan, Alison (2014) 'Ferdinand Mueller's female plant collectors: a biographical register', Muelleria Vol.32

Collecting localities for 'Bate, M.H.' from AVH (2023)

Data from 376 specimens