Marie Sybil BYRCH (later QUICKENDEN) (1894-1970s)

Marie Sybil Byrch (1894-1970s) 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.

Marie Byrch was born at Evesham in 1894, the youngest of ten children of Albert William Byrch, a solicitor, and his wife, Constance (née Bremmer).  She grew up at The Elms, Bengeworth.

In 1902, Marie 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.  Soon after the Byrches moved to a sheep station at Motunau near Canterbury.  Marie was educated at a boarding school in Christchurch.

Marie married Robert William Quickenden in 1915.  A letter of 10th January 1916 reveals that her mother did not approve of the marriage and wondered what was to become of them.  But Marie and Robert went on to have two sons and lived until at least the 1960s in Avon, Canterbury.