Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1862-1927 (Creation)
- Creator
- Bate, Mark, 1837-1927
Physical description area
Physical description
30 cm of textual records;3 photographs;3 maps
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Mark Bate was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England on December 11, 1837. In 1856, he left England on the barque "Princess Royal" with his aunt Maria Robinson, his sister Elizabeth Bate and his cousin Cornelius Bryant. The group traveled from Victoria to Nanaimo on the "Recovery", arriving in 1857. Bate was employed as a clerk for the Hudson's Bay Company and later as accountant and cashier. The Hudson's Bay Company sold their interests to the Vancouver Coal Mining and Land Company in 1862; Bate assumed the position of Manager for the new company in 1869. He held this post until 1884 when he became Office Manager and Samuel Robins became the Superintendent. In 1886, Bate was appointed the Government Agent for the District of Nanaimo, remaining in this post until he retired in 1913. Bate was very active in community affairs. In 1875, he was elected Nanaimo's first mayor and served an additional 15 1-year terms (1876-1879, 1881-1886, 1888-1889, 1898-1900). In 1873, he became Nanaimo's first Justice of the Peace. In 1875, he was appointed by Marine and Fisheries Canada to the Pilotage Authority for British Columbia and in 1879, he was appointed to the separate Pilotage Authority for the Port of Nanaimo. He was the first Chairman of the Board of Education in 1865, president of the Nanaimo Literary Institute for many years, president and conductor of the Nanaimo Brass Band, government appointee to the Hospital Board and a member of numerous organizations including Ashlar Lodge, No. 3., Ancient Order of Foresters, Oddfellows, Arch of the Druids, American Legion of Honour and Master Workman of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In 1865, Bate began publishing, with partners, a newspaper called the "Gazette." The business folded after six months. In later years, Bate returned to writing and published numerous articles on Nanaimo history in the local paper. Bate married Sarah Ann Cartwright in 1859 and had five sons and five daughters. Sarah died in 1897. In 1901, Bate married Hannah Harrison, whom he had met on an extended visit to England. Hannah died in 1919. In 1927, Bate travelled to Birmingham, England and died there. His remains were returned to Nanaimo in 1927 for burial in the public cemetery.
Custodial history
The records were donated by Bate's great-great grandson Darren Marshall. The records were stored in the basement of Marshall's mother's house until her death then donated to the Nanaimo Community Archives.
Scope and content
Fonds consists of the personal, professional and political papers of Mark Bate. Also included are the estate records of individuals for whom Bate served as executor including Maria Snow (Robinson), E. Pimbury, J. Webb, and T.E. Peck. Fonds is arranged in four series: 1) Personal papers; 2) Estate papers; 3) Professional papers; and 4) Political papers.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Series descriptions and file lists available. Online Finding Aid
Associated materials
Accruals
Alpha-numeric designations
BCAUL control number: NCAI-136
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Bate (family) (Subject)
- Robinson, Maria (Subject)
- Pimbury, E. (Subject)
- Webb, J. (Subject)
- Peck, T.E. (Subject)
- Hudson's Bay Company (Subject)
- Vancouver Coal Mining and Land Company (Subject)
- Nanaimo Pilotage Authority (Subject)
- Nanaimo (B.C.). Mayor (Subject)