Winifred BYRCH (1888-1955)

Winifred Byrch (1888-1955), known as Winnie, was the daughter of a prominent Evesham solicitor who was friendly with the Sladden family.  When the Byrch family emigrated to New Zealand at the beginning of the 20th century, the two families kept in contact.  May Sladden stayed for a few days with the Byrches on a visit to New Zealand in 1906 and wrote about it in her diary.

Winnie Byrch was born at Evesham in 1888, the seventh of ten children of Albert William Byrch, a solicitor, and his wife, Constance (née Bremmer).  She grew up at The Elms, Bengeworth.

In 1902, Winnie emigrated with her family to the South Island of New Zealand.  They lived firstly at a sheep station at Mount Brown near Amberley, which was where May visited them in February 1906.  She had just left boarding school in Christchurch when May visited.  Soon after the Byrches moved to a sheep station at Motunau near Canterbury.

Winnie never married.  She died on 22nd February 1955, aged 67, and was buried at Linwood, Christchurch.