Mary's father, John Duncan Macathur
Mary's mother, Anne Elizabeth
Jean Macathur, Mary's sister
Jean and husband, Herbert Westley
Macarthur family home in Ayr
Glasgow Girls' High School
High School classroom
Queen's letter to Mary on mother's death (p1)
Queen's letter to Mary on mother's death (p2)
Envelope addressed to Mary's mother
Letter to Mary from Queen, on father's death (p1)
Letter to Mary from Queen on father's death (p2)
Mary Reid Macarthur was born in Glasgow on the 13th August 1880. She was the eldest daughter of John Duncan Macarthur and his wife Anne Elizabeth. They had six children, but only three daughters survived.
The Macarthur family was quite wealthy. John Macarthur owned a drapery business with several branches in Scotland. The family photographs you see here, were provided by one of Mary's relatives, Mrs. Erica M. Westley, from Vancouver in Canada. Her husband is the grandson of Mary's sister, Jean.
Mary spent her first few years in Glasgow and Kilmacolm. She attended Langside Academy with her sister, Jean. Her other sister, Christian Stephanie, was educated privately. In September 1891 all three sisters went to Garnethill Public School. When they first started it was a mixed school, catering for boys and girls. Only in 1894 did it become purely a girls' school. It had a reputation for excellence, and in 1899 the School Board raised it to the status of Higher Class School, under the name "The Glasgow High School for Girls". Mary had left some time before then.
In 1895 the family moved to Ayr. Mary would have been about 15 years old. The following year she went to Germany to carry on her education. When she returned she was able to speak fluent German and French. At the time we know that she accepted her family's political opinions. Her father was a Conservative, and opposed to trade unions. Mary was an active member of the Primrose League, a branch of the Conservative Party. This was in stark contrast to the life she chose for herself later.
Mary's mother died in 1915. Her father carried around an envelope addressed to his wife for nearly a year until he also died in 1916. You can see the envelope here, with notes made on it by one of the girls. Also included are two letters from the Queen to Mary on the death of her parents. Mary had built a close working friendship with Queen Mary from 1914, when they were both involved with the Central Committee for Women's Training and Employment in the First World War.
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| Reference: | 642 |
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| Archive Ref: | N/A |
| Updated: | Fri 27 Apr 2007 - 0 |
| Interpretation written by | Barbara Harris |
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