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Lady Mary Fitzroy & Charles Chester MastersPrint Page 
An obelisk commemorates the accidental death of Lady Fitzroy ,wife of Governor Fitzroy, and Charles Masters, his aide-de-camp. The obelisk was unveiled on Centenary Day (Australia Day) 1888 at the site of the tree where the tragedy occured.
On the morning of December 7, 1847, the governor was driving them from the then Government House when the horses bolted. The carriage tipped, throwing Lady Mary and Lieutenant Masters headlong into one of the oak trees which formed an avenue that had been planted in Governor Macquarie`s time. Lady Mary died almost instantly; Lieutenant Masters some hours later. The governor was unhurt but was heartbroken. The funeral was one of the biggest Parramatta had ever seen, with hundreds attending.
Just inside the main entrance to Parramatta Park is an obelisk which marks the spot where Lady Mary Fitzroy, wife of Sir Charles Fitzroy, former Governor of New South Wales, received fatal injuries in a driving accident on December 7,1847. The Governor and Lady Fitzroy, accompanied by Lieut. Charles Masters, were setting out to attend a wedding in Sydney, when the four horses attached to their carriage became frightened and dashed wildly down the hill from Government House. The carriage struck a stump, throwing the occupants violently out. The Governor escaped practically unhurt, but Lady Mary and Lieut. Masters wore so seriously injured that they died the same day. The maddened horses careered along George-street as far as Church-street, where they crashed into a building which stood on the site now occupied by Tattersall's Hotel. As a result of the tragic happening, a gloom was cast over the whole Colony. Subsequently Governor Fitzroy had an entrance made to the Domain (the Park) at Macquarie-street, and he used this instead of the George-street one. The obelisk was unveiled on Centenary Day, 1888.
Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW),
26 October 1933.
Location
| Address: | George and O`Connell Streets, Parramatta Park, Parramatta, 2150 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.812856 Long: 151.000108 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Government - Colonial |
| Actual Event STart Date: | 07-December-1847 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 07-December-1847 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Thursday 26th January, 1888 |
|---|
This Obelisk
Is Erected
To The Memory Of
LADY MARY FITZROY
The Wife Of
Sir Charles Fitzroy,
The Then Governor
Of The Colony.
And CHARLES CHESTER
MASTERS A.D.C.
Lieut H.M. 58th Regt.
Who Were Accidently
Killed Being Thrown
From Their Carriage
Against This Tree
On The 7th Decr. 1847.
