Mary Pellatt, Lady Pellatt (; April 16, 1857 – April 15, 1924) was a Canadian philanthropist who served as the first Chief Commissioner of the

Girl Guides of Canada Girl Guides of Canada (GGC; french: Guides du Canada) is the national Guiding association of Canada. Guiding in Canada started on September 7, 1910, and GGC was among the founding members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (W ...

. She was awarded the

Silver Fish Award The Silver Fish Award is the highest adult award in Girlguiding. It is awarded for outstanding service to Girlguiding combined with service to world Guiding. The award has changed greatly since it first appeared in 1911, initially being awarde ...

in 1922.

Biography

She was born on April 16, 1857, in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

(now

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

). She was educated at

Bishop Strachan School The Bishop Strachan School (BSS; Strachan pronounced "Strawn") is an Anglican day and boarding school for girls in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school has approximately 900 students, including 80 boarding students, ranging from Junior Kindergart ...

, an Anglican all-girls school in Toronto. On June 15, 1882, she married

Henry Pellatt Major general, Major-General Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, CVO (January 6, 1859 – March 8, 1939) was a Canadian financier and soldier. He is notable for his role in bringing hydro-electricity to Toronto for the ...

, who was knighted in 1905 by King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

. They had one son, Reginald, who was born in 1885.

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Reginald Pellatt (1885–1967) was a

stockbroker A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks an ...

who married but had no children. She was named the first Chief Commissioner of the Dominion of Canada Girl Guides on July 24, 1912. As early as 1913, she invited Guides to view her palatial home,

Casa Loma Casa Loma (improper Spanish for "Hill House") is a Gothic Revival castle-style mansion and garden in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is now a historic house museum and landmark. It was constructed from 1911 to 1914 as a residence for fi ...

. Guides became frequent visitors to the house and its grounds. Casa Loma now features a Girl Guide display and is also a tourist attraction. In addition, Lady Pellatt planned trips for the Guides to her country home, Mary Lake Farm, in

King, Ontario King (2021 population 27,333) is a township in York Region north of Toronto, within the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. The rolling hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine are the most prominent visible geographical feature of King. The Holland ...

. She resigned her position in 1921 because of ill health. In 1922, Lady Pellatt was presented with the Silver Fish Award. She died suddenly of heart failure on April 15, 1924, at her home in Toronto. The Girl Guides formed a

Guard of Honour A guard of honour ( GB), also honor guard ( US), also ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitaries, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, ...

for her

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

at St. James' Cathedral in Toronto. She was buried in her Girl Guide uniform in King, Ontario, but has memorial along side Henry Pellatt at Forest Lawn Mausoleum in Toronto.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pellatt, Mary 1858 births 1924 deaths Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting Scouting and Guiding in Canada Recipients of the Silver Fish Award

Biography

See also

References