Forrest / Rose Wedding Dress

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c. 1859

Overview

This wedding dress was worn at the wedding of Mary Forrest and Samuel Rose on 13 December 1859. It is hand made and composed of strips of plain material interspersed with tartan.

Historical information

Mary Forrest was born in 1837 the daughter of Gavin (widower to Elizabeth McKenzie) and Mary Ogilvie (widow to Lockhart - nee Swan) who arrived on the Trusty on 6 December 1842 from Scotland with her brother James and two siblings from Mary’s first marriage. Gavin Forrest purchased land at Nannup, Quindalup, Blackwood and Vasse and built a large 2-storey limestone home he named Thornhill at Quindalup.

Samuel Rose Snr arrived per Parkfield in March 1841 at Australind from Britain with his wife Mary (nee Hallen) and son Samuel Jnr who was born in 1836. The family established Doungup Park, a farming property close to Minninup Homestead and situated near Capel. In March 1850 his wife died giving birth to their daughter Mary and in the summer of 1855, he married a widow, Emma (nee Delaporte).

On 13 December 1859 Mary Forrest married Samuel Rose Jnr in Busselton wearing the dress now on display at BHS.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-124-2024.19

Contextual Information

This wedding dress was worn at the wedding of Mary Forrest and Samuel Rose on 13 December 1859.

The dress was originally donated to Chiverton House Museum, Northampton Historical Society by Mr Mid and Mrs Golda Gordon as descendants of the Forrest and Rose families on 9 December 1991. The Northampton Historical Society Inc. accession form signed by Mrs Gordon states that ‘It [the wedding dress] was given to me as no one wanted it, and I was told that it was Grandma Touchell’s wedding dress.’ According to the ‘Rose Family Tree’, Mary and Samuel Rose’s fourth daughter Lucy Janet married Thomas Touchell (date unknown). By agreement the artefact was forwarded to Bunbury Historical Society and later presented to B.H.S. on 8 July 2007.

This dress has been known as the "Welsh Wedding Dress" but this appears at odds with the family history of both the Forrest family, who migrated from Scotland; and the Rose family, who came from Britain.

Year

c. 1859

Related Objects

Parent records

ROOM 1.27 General Exhibits

Busselton Historical Society

Organisation Details
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