Mary Higham (1819–1883) was a merchant in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and a founding member of the

Fremantle Chamber of Commerce The Fremantle Chamber of Commerce is a business and commerce advocacy association in Fremantle, Western Australia. History In 1853 the Western Australian Chamber of Commerce was founded. In 1873 the Chamber of Commerce requested and was grant ...

. She founded ''M. Higham and Sons'', a clothing and furniture emporium.

Life

Higham had lived in Northamptonshire or Oxfordshire before she arrived with her husband John and two children in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

aboard the ''Sabrina'' in 1853 with 300 other passengers. By 1855, she had six children. Their income was from a confectionery and bakery business. Following the death of her husband at the age of 40 in 1858, Higham took over the family business, and with the aid of her teenage son

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

established a substantial enterprise ''M. Higham and Sons'', dealing in a variety of goods such as clothing, furnishing and tents. She ran this emporium in addition to the bakery cum sweet shop that her husband had established. The business was established on the corner of

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

and

Market Street Market Street may refer to: *Market Street, Cambridge, England *Market Street, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia * Market Street, George Town, Penang, Malaysia *Market Street, Manchester, England *Market Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia ...

. The building was replaced around 1890 but it still stands on the same plot and a plaque on the corner of the building records the 1853 date of establishment of the original business. Highams Building corner of High and Market Street in 1933

Highams Building corner of High and Market Street in 1933

Higham was denied access to a number of organisations owing to her gender but this did not prevent her becoming a founding member of the

. Where necessary she would send her son Edward to represent her. In 1870 Edward became a partner in the company and he also set out on a political career. An early success was to become the chairman of the Fremantle Roads Board at a meeting at his mother's house in 1871. This committee was to become important in time and is seen today as the early start of the

City of Cockburn The City of Cockburn ( ) is a local government area in the southern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about south of Fremantle and about south of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of and had a po ...

. (That committee became the ''Cockburn Districts Road Board'' in 1955 and population growth meant that a new town was both demanded and justifiable.) Higham's business thrived and the bakery, confectionery, clothing and furnishing created an emporium. The retail business created profits that allowed diversification into pearling and fishing. In 1875, the business was taking delivery of a 20-metre locally built schooner, ''Brothers'', which they had ordered for pearl fishing. However it was never used for this as it was used for salvage for a year and shortly afterwards it was lost. Higham died in

in 1883 and was buried in

Fremantle Cemetery Fremantle Cemetery is a cemetery located in the eastern part (Palmyra) of Fremantle, Western Australia. Established in 1898, it is known as the final resting place of Bon Scott, several murderers and dozens of other notable Australians. There ...

. The book written to guide visitors around the cemetery include her amongst the other 35 notables recommended for attention by visitors. Higham had passed her business to her son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

in 1881 so the business that was established was unaffected by Mary's death and as Fremantle's economy grew so did the business of tents and clothing. Higham was said to have four children at the time of her death, who were all left a substantial inheritance.

Legacy

The site of the shop on the High Street and Market Street corner was developed and is now the location of listed buildings called the ''Higham's Buildings''. These buildings remained in the Higham family until 1974.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higham, Mary 1819 births 1883 deaths People from Fremantle Australian merchants Burials at Fremantle Cemetery 19th-century Australian businesspeople 19th-century Australian businesswomen