Provenance

Various Parties

Purpose/Function

Reference, Research, Information

Arrangement

Arranged by Secondary Values (value of records to users)

Content

The Ratten family were an early pioneer family of the Kew area, arriving from Ireland sometime in the mid-19th century. Richard Ratten, the first of many, was a prominent Kew house builder, responsible for many of the early houses erected in Kew. He and his wife, Fanny, built and lived in the ‘Barrington’ house along Cotham Road where they would have ten children. One of his sons, Fredrick Ratten, would follow his father’s trade before taking part in local government, and serving as the Mayor of Kew in the years of 1914-1916, being known as a generous and philanthropic man. The file includes: A letter addressed to the Kew Historical society from Rosamond Barber, a descendant of the Rattens looking for information regarding her family, and an excerpt from ‘The Birds of Barrington and Beyond’, a book on the history of the Ratten family and other descendants.