The Mystery of Finniss Street (1883)
| Type of event | Accident |
| Street name | Finniss Street
|
| Date occurred or began | 1883
|
Gawler is also home to one of South Australia's weirdest "accidental" mysteries:
the case of Margaret Nicholls.
In 1883, a local shoemaker named Thomas Hutchins saw smoke pouring from a cottage. Inside, he found the remains of Mrs. Nicholls. While her body was almost entirely consumed by fire, the cotton sheets on the bed right next to her were completely untouched.
At the time, the town buzzed with theories of Spontaneous Human Combustion. Local gossip (spurred by the era's temperance movements) suggested she had "ignited" because she drank too much gin. It was later revealed she likely fell onto a candle while wrapped in heavy woollen clothes, but for decades, Gawler was known as the site of a "supernatural" event.
Click here to read the Bunyip's report (6 Jul 1883) on the inquest.[1]
Where on Finniss Street?
A few weeks earlier Mrs Nicholls, a 64 year old widow, had rented one of Mrs Mary Broderick's cottages on Finniss Street. The Broderick family owned part allotment 71 on Finniss Street (visible on c1870 Town Plan), upon which stood their residence and three smaller cottages that they rented out. The contemporary address of this site is 41 & 43 Finniss Street.[2][3] It is likely the Broderick residence was the heritage cottage still present at 41 Finniss Street (known as Mrs Broderick's Tuckshop in the 1950s) and the rental cottages stood on the block 43 Finniss Street, upon which a heritage-style cottage was built in the 1980s. The heritage-style cottage was at one time the residence of Margaret Cheffirs and at the time of building, strict guidelines were imposed "to ensure it harmonised with the overall ambience of the area."[4]
Who was Margaret Nicholls?
Born about 1819 Margaret Machlan (alternatively spelled McGlinn) married Henry Nicholls in 1843 in Victoria. They had a son Robert Nicholls, born in 1853 in North Rhine, SA (old name for the Keyneton area). Following her unfortunate death on 30 June 1883, Margaret was buried at the Willaston Cemetery (Plot 29 M 1).
References
- ↑ "Inquest - Death by Burning" (Bunyip 6 Jul 1883) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/97291534
- ↑ Gawler Environment & Heritage Association Inc (2004) Gawler Historical Rates Assessment Database Gawler Historical Rates Assessment Database Project
- ↑ Certificates of Title 131/208, 4146/607 & 4290/314
- ↑ https://www.flickr.com/photos/gawler_history/48840053673
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