Barbara Bourne

Her business – one of the most respected of its type in the north of England – specialised in period silver and jewellery, drawing on an interest and experience which had been formed at an early age.

She founded the shop in Stonegate in 1962, a year after marrying Robert Cattle, a former Lord Mayor of York and an ancestor of the city’s famous silversmith of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, also called Robert Cattle.

She sold the business in 1969 to H L Brown, another family concern with a respected reputation for fine jewellery and silver.

Mrs Bourne was born in Thongsbridge, near Holmfirth, the only child of William and Louie Lee. He was in the antiques business and an avid collector of York silver.

When his daughter was still a child, the family moved to Harrogate where she was educated at a local private school. From an early age, she had to help in his shop by cleaning and polishing the silver. They later moved to York where Mr Lee opened a shop in Stonegate.

His personal collection of silver is now part of the wider collection of silver which can be seen at the Treasury, at York Minster Undercroft.

In 1948, she married Ian Dodgson whose family business was as slate merchants, but eventually they set up as jewellers and silversmiths under the name I and B Dodgson at 25 Stonegate.

He died in 1960 and a year later she married Robert Cattle whom she had met through horse racing which was one of her many interests. She made a number of trophies for the racing fraternity, including the Johnnie Walker Ebor Cup in 1967.

Mr Cattle’s building business was active in many parts of York, He even built own bungalow on Tadcaster Road, overlooking the Knavesmire.

He became an alderman of the city and – a year after their marriage – he became Lord Mayor and she was Lady Mayoress.

Her jewellery and silversmiths was eventually renamed Barbara Cattle and when she sold it such was the prestige of the business she allowed her name to continue to be used.

Mr Cattle, who has been described as the love of her life, died suddenly in 1973 and Mrs Cattle then ventured into the fashion business opening the Forge Boutique, in Bishopthorpe, but eventually closed it after a few years and decided to make a fresh start by moving to Exeter. Although she continued with her charitable and cultural interests, especially with Marie Curie and National Trust, she never settled and moved to Bournemouth.

It was while pursuing another of her interests, cruising, that she met and in 1986 married John Bourne a mining engineer from Doncaster. When he retired they moved to York but later separated.

Although in later years Mrs Bourne became very private, she continued to enjoy her many interests, especially the ballet, theatre and music. She also continued her charitable support, including making donations to charities for the armed forces whom she thought were badly treated by recent governments.

Recently, Mrs Bourne had been living in Thornton-le-Dale near Pickering.