Harriet Maria Ritchie

Harriet Maria Simpson (née Overton, and later Ritchie, 1821 or 1822 – 30 September 1907) was a New Zealand hospital matron, servants’ home matron and dressmaker.

In 1864, Simpson was appointed matron of the Christchurch Female Home. The Home had been established by the visiting Maria Rye and the Female Middle Class Emigration Society, which aimed to recruit women in England to go to the colonies as governesses, arrange their passages and find them positions on arrival. However, there was concern for the ongoing well-being of these women as they had no family in the colonies. She died on 30 September 1907.