Mary Wakefield's Quaker Descent
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AKEFIEL A BY ROSA NEWMARCH. b P I TO ALL SINGERS AND WORKERS IN 'KENDAL : ATKINSONAND POLLITT, THE MUSICALCOMPETITION FESTIVALS, PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS. 1912. PAST,PRESENT, AND TO COME. U l b CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE .. ... ... ... ... .. 7 CHAPTER I. MARY WAKEFIELD'S QUAKER DESCENT. HER " For if her soul PARENT§. BIRTH.CHILDHOOD. SEDGWICK. Hath entered others, though imperfectly, SCHOQLDAYSATBRIGHTON. ... The circle widens as the world spins round,- ... ... 9 Her soul works on while she sleeps 'neath the grass." II. EARLYFRIENDSHIPS. STUDY IN LONDON. THE TOWER-ROOM. MY FIKST MEETING WITH MARY '' Music is possessed of a strange power to those who love WAKEFIELD. ... her;an elevating, somewhat awing influence gathersround ... ... ... ... 21 her ; the love of a lifetime is not good enough for her, the enthusiasm of a life's work is a very small tribute to her." III. VISITSTO ROME. THESALA'DANTE. THE GRIEGS. Mary Wakefield. HERARTISTIC AND SOCIALSUCCESSES. COM- POSITIONS. ... ... ... ... ... IV. MARY WAKEFIELDAS A LECTURER. ... ... V. FRIENDSHIPWITH RUSKIN. ... ... ... vr. MISCELLANEOUSWRITINGS. ... ... ... VII. THEORIGIN OF THE MUSICALCOMPETITION FESTIVALS : 1885-1900. ... ... ... 79 vm. THE DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE OP THE MOVEMENT 94 IX. NUTWOOD.THE LAST YEARS. ... ... ... I08 APPENDIX-LIST OP MUSICPERFORMED AT THE WESTMOR- LAND FESTIVAL : 1885-1912 ... ... ... I21 l LIST OF ILLUSTRAI-IONS. ... ...Frontispiece MARY WAKEFIELD ... ... ... FACING PAGE ... ... 14 MARY WAKEFIELD, AGED TWO YEARS ...*** m.. ... ... ... 18 STARTING FOR BRIGHTON ... c-’ ..L .I. ... ... , I .. 22 SEDGWICK . a. I.. .., 30 *.a ... ’ IN THE “ TOWER OF SONG ” It only remainsfor me to thank thsose who helped me to compile this volume. TQ MaryWakefield’s sisters I am grateful for the confidence reposed in me, and for the free- dom of judgment theyhave allowed me to exercisein the ... ... ... II2 course of my work. My acknowledgments are also due tu TH.E WOOD-GARDEN, NUTWOOD Lady Bective,Mrs. Gurney (Miss Dolly Blomfield), Miss ... ,., ... ... 116 Alice deNatorp, Miss Marion Terry, Mrs. Rough (Miss IN THE GROUNDS, NUTWOOD MaribelSedgwick), Miss Stella Hamilton, and Mr. George Rathbone for their kind and sympathetic help. To thislist should be added thename of Signor Randegger who, not long before his death in November, 191J, took an active interest in the preparation of this book. London, February, 1912. MARY WAKEFIELD A MEMOIR. CHAPTER I. MARY WAKEFIELD’S QUAKER DESCENT. HER PARENTS. BIRTH. CHILDHOOD. SEDGWICK. SCHOOLDAYS AT BRIGHTON. No biography of MaryWakefield that dealt only with her musical talents and achievements could give a complete and just impression of her remarkable personality. Although her gifts as a musicianwere of so highan order that we need hardly hesitate to say that the light of genius touched, Sf it did not wholly irradiatethem, yet her character was even moreremarkable. It was impossible to knowher in- timatelywithout gathering the impression thather person- ality was greater than anything that circumstances actually allowed her to accomplish. There isno doubt in the minds of those who remember her singing at its best, and who are also compztent to judge of it, that had she elected to follow at all costs the impulse of herearly years, and devote her whole life tomusic, shemight have become one of the leadingsingers of the day. The force of social convention hindered her, however,from becoming known to posterity in companywith those who stand in the first raakamong professionalvocalists. The memorial she built for herself in the world of music is perhaps less brilliant,but it rests on a surerfoundation than that of thesinger’s fame. Her truly democratic and nobly educative work in connection with theinauguration of Competition Musical Festivals in rural districts, was, in part,the suggestion of herartistic tem- perament; but stilE more the outcome of certain characteris- tic qualities. Heruntiring energy, mental and physical, herinfectious enthusiasm for her art;her tact andsym- pathy, which enabled her to weld together all sorts and con- ditions of people for the fulfilment of a great purpose; her large views of life; her genuine sense of humour, that saved IO IT John Wakefield, one of six children, was a warm supporter herfrom the mistakes so frequentlyperpetrated by those of the cause of the Friends, and a successful manager of the whohave a mission,spiritual or zesthetic-these werethe Bank. Born in 1794, he was educated at Glasgow University, qualities that enabledher tofound a movementwhich has and eventually married Miss MacArthur, a native of that city. rapidly become a force to be reckoned with in our national He died in 1866, at theage of seventy-one.Like the pre- fice. - vious John Wakefield,, he had a family of six children, four Mary Wakefield’s musical gifts seem to havebeen almost of whom survived : WilliamHenry, Mary Wakefield’s spontaneous,for there is no record of anymember of her father ; andthree daughters who may be occasionally family having been extraordinarily endowed in this respect; referred to in these pages, Mrs. Cropper, Mrs. Weston and but her characterwas largely an inheritance from many Mrs. Iceightley. generations ìn whom courage,business capacityand liber- Another remarkable member of the family, though only alitywere leading qualities. Forthis reason it is necessary by marriage,.Mrs. PriscillaWakefield, the founder of the to preface this memoir of my friend with some account of her FrugalityBanks, which werethe origin of the modern forbears, especially of those who came of Quaker stock. Savings Bank, must be mentioned before we pass on to later It is saidthat for at least six generations the Wake- j generations ; not only becauseMary Wakefield cherished fields have beenestablished in Westmorland. An old thetraditions relating to this clear-sightedand benevolent Quaker family , they were constantly id+cntifi.edwith the long woman, of whom she often spoke to me in later years, being andstubborn struggles for liberty of faithand conscience perhapsa little consciously influenced by herexample, but which had been carried on in this district since the days when also because she herself intended at some future time to com- GeorgeFox started hisministry at Swarthmoor,near pile some memorial of this interesting personality. Ulverston ; holding his first meeting of Friends at the house \ PriscillaWakefield, the eldest daughter ofDanieII Bell of JudgeFell in 1652. TheseWakefields, however much and Catharine Barclay, and granddaughter of Robert Barclay theirindividual characters and tempers differed incertain who wrotethe famous Apology f0.r the Quakers, was born respects, were all. known for their strong commonsense, their i at Tottenham, on January 31st, 175I. She married Edward helpfulgenerosity, and loyal attachment totheir native Ivakefield,merchant, of London,the son of youngera county.They combined with their business asbankers and brother of Roger VVakefield. manufacturersthe occupations of landownerson a large A history of the Savings Bank system would be out of scale. Party politicsseem to havehad no attractionfor place in these pages. It will be sufficient to say that in the them,and in spite of theweight they carriedin their own first instance Priscilla Wakefield, convinced that many of the district, none of them seems to have been ambitious of writ- labouring classes and domestic servants were ready to make ing M.P. after his name. In the improvement of agriculture, some provision for sickness and old age did they but know andin all benevolent and educational schemes, the Wake- where toglace it withoutdanger or inconvenience,deter- fields werealways tothe front. They were not all equally mined to do somethingpractical, if limitedin scope, to strict adherents t.o the tenets of the Friends ; but Quakerism remedy awant which led tothriftlessness and pauperism. was the bed-rockon which their convictions were founded, Shebegan, in rag$, by being herself thebank, the trustee and an active principle in theirdaily lives. Perhaps for the and receiver of the money paid in. Lateron, Mrs. Wake- purposes of this memoir it is unnecessary to trace back the field becoming uneasy because the deposits had swelled into history of the family beyond Roger \Vakefield, born in 1706, some hundreds of pounds,presently resolved to divide her thefather of the firstJohn Wakefield, who carne intothe responsibilities,and formed a committee of ladies, herself worldin 1738. MaryWakefield’s great-grandfather, John acting as secretarv. Wakefield II., of Sedgwick,was the founder of thebank PriscillaWacefield wasnot entirely occupied with the which bore their name from 1788 until 1893, when it was ac- scheme I have just described in outline. In spite of physical quired by the Bank of Liverpool, Ltd., from Mr. Jacob Wake- disabilities,her range of interestswas wide and her pen field and his partners. Her grandfather, the third successive I2 I3 Mary’s father was a typical Wakefield, a man of quick active. Shewas the aunt of thefamous Mrs. Elizabeth decision andprompt action ; straightforward in speechand Fryand the intimate Eriend of Mrs.Barbauld. Among her in dealing ; undismayed by responsibilityand unfailingly frequentvisitors at Tottenham were the Rev. Dr. Bell, the hospitable.Although an excellentbusiness man, he found originator of NationalSchools, and Joseph Lancaster, in time for active open-air pursuits, and was known as a fine whosesystem of mutual educationshe took apractical in- swimmerand skater, a first-rate whipand a fearlessrider