A PRE-RAPHAELITE JEWEL:

THE CHAPEL OF HARRIS MANCHESTER COLLEGE OXFORD

Alan J. Middleton

© Harris Manchester College 2006 CONTENTS

Acknowledgements 3

Introduction 4

West window (the chancel end) 5

East window (at the rear of the chapel) 7

Windows in the south wall First window, Justice and Humility 9 Second window, Generosity and Courage 10 Third window, Charity and Mercy 11 Fourth window, Prayer and Inspiration 12 Fifth window, Faith and Prophecy 13

Windows in the north wall The Arlosh windows, The Six Days of Creation 15 The Choir windows, Miriam and David 17

Other work by Morris & Co. in the chapel 18

Furniture and fittings The oak screen 19 The seating 19 Painting of The Last Supper 20 The lighting 21

The organ 21

Appendix: ‘Elargissez Dieu’ 23

Places of reference 23

Notes 24 Acknowledgements I must acknowledge from the outset that the work of A .Charles Sewter, as collected in his book The Stained Glass of William Morris and his Circle – A Catalogue, has been most valuable in providing details of the chapel windows. Then I would like to thank the Principal of Harris Manchester College, the Revd Dr Ralph Waller, for granting me permission to search the archives of the College and to cite some of the biographical details of people connected with the chapel windows. I am grateful to correspondents beyond the College walls who have given assistance and provided supplementary information regarding memorials or donors. Also, I must thank Susan Killoran, Joyce Meakin, and Yvonne Cornish, the staff of the College Library, for allowing me to interrupt their work, for helping me, and for providing space for me to work with access to the archives. Finally, but by no means least, my thanks to Catherine Robinson of the Chapel Society for editing the text, and to the Chaplain, the Revd Peter Hewis, for observant suggestions and encouragement.

Alan J. Middleton Oxford, 2006 Introduction

The architects of the chapel were Messrs. Worthington and Elgood, of Manchester; a copy of the original specification is held in the archives of the College Library.1 The chapel has a lofty roof structure with carved hammer beams. At the dedication of the chapel in October 1893, the choir stalls and panelling of the walls were in place, with lighting along the centre; the windows were of plain glass. Seating for the congregation was provided in the form of individual chairs.

The plain glass windows were replaced by stained glass between 1895 and 1899. The richly carved screen at the entrance and the oak benches in the body of the chapel were given in 1896/7. The organ has undergone at least two major refurbishments, but it has retained many of the original characteristics; it is believed to be the only organ of the Romantic style remaining in Oxford.

Details of the dates, designers, and painters of the windows are included in The Stained Glass of William Morris and his Circle – A Catalogue, by A C Sewter (Yale, 1974), pp 147/8. In the Preface to the Catalogue, Sewter observes:

In describing the locations of windows in churches and chapels, it is always assumed that the building is correctly orientated, with the altar or communion table at the east end.

It so happens that the Harris Manchester College Chapel is built with the chancel and communion table at the WEST end; so the compass points given for the windows in Sewter are opposite to the actual geographical orientation. It should be noted that, in this booklet, all references to orientation in the HMC chapel conform to the geographical compass.

The stained glass windows were all installed by the firm of Morris & Co. of Merton Abbey. The cartoons of the individual lights were designed mostly by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, but some were designed by William Morris himself, or adapted by members of his firm. According to Pevsner’s Buildings of England – Oxfordshire, ‘The whole set of Burne-Jones windows in Manchester College Chapel of 1893-8 is … a pure joy’.

The Manchester College windows were executed in a period very close to the time of death of both artists: William Morris died in 1896, and Burne-Jones in 1898. However, the firm of Morris & Co. carried on until it was finally wound up in 1940. John Henry Dearle, considered to be Morris’s successor in that he was taught by and followed the style of Morris, became Morris & Co.’s principal designer – and ‘Art Director’ of the firm – after William Morris’s death. Sewter gives details of the Morris & Co. reference numbers for the cartoon designs, including the title of the design, and whether by Burne-Jones (BJ) or William Morris (WM) or other Morris & Co. designers. The numbers appearing after the initials give the identity of the particular ‘cartoon’, since each figure or picture might have been produced in more than one version. The relevant information is extracted here from Sewter for the Harris Manchester windows. Many of the records are held at the Huntington Library, California, USA, whose Librarian has kindly sent pictorial copies of Morris & Co. designs for some of the windows. These copies are now in the archives of the HMC Library.

West window (the Chancel end), installed 1895

Upper tier Joseph (WM 435), in deep brownish red. Mary the Mother (BJ 401, Mary Virgin), in blue over white. Jesus Christ (BJ 399, Good Shepherd), in crimson, bearing sheep. Mary Magdalene (WM 171), in deep blue over blue. Peter (BJ 299), in red over deep green.

Lower tier Matthew (BJ 18), in crimson over pink. Mark (BJ 146), in green lined with gold, over patterned white. Paul (BJ 134), in deep blue lined with orange-red. Unnamed, but identified by the text, ‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you’ (1 Cor.3: 16). Luke (BJ 17), in bottle green, over patterned white and gold. John (BJ 19), in red over white.

At the top of the window is a rose, consisting of a circle surrounded by six angels. The circle depicts the Nativity of Jesus (BJ 285).

This window was the first in the chapel to be designed and installed in stained glass. It is the window that dominates the view as one faces the front. Frederick Nettlefold offered to pay for the stained glass, and Messrs. Morris and Co. were asked to prepare sketch designs for the lights (the individual windows) and to provide an estimate of the cost.

The history of the design shows the influence of Unitarian thought. When the initial design of the window was received, the College Committee requested another design for the figure of Jesus, as an alternative to the one submitted (there is no apparent evidence to indicate the design of the ‘one submitted’). The figure of Jesus approved by the Committee is a replica of Burne-Jones’s Good Shepherd. Also, Mr Nettlefold requested the inclusion of the figure of Joseph in place of John the Baptist. The lower central figure of Paul the apostle is unnamed, but the clue to his identity comes from the inscriptions on the scroll (1 Cor.3: 16) and on the pillar to which he is pointing; it is necessary to get close to the window to see the inscription, ‘IGNOTO DEO’ (To the unknown God (Acts 17:23)), on the pillar. It has been suggested that the absence of a name for the central figure was a deliberate move by the Committee, and that the figure is intended to represent humankind. The window carries the inscription: ‘this window was given by frederick nettlefold and mary catherine his wife in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety four’.

Frederick Nettlefold was a Trustee of the College from 1867. He was a member of the committee of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association for many years, and its President in 1867; he was also onetime President of the National Conference, forerunner to the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches. In his business life he was involved in his father’s ironmongery firm in London and Birmingham. His obituary (The Inquirer, March 8, 1913) records: ‘In 1867 he married Miss Mary Catherine Warren. One of the most marked features of his character was the beauty and depth of his attachment to his wife, and to the home life which centred round her.’

Sewter records that a copy of the original design for this window, prepared by Morris & Co., is held at Wightwick Manor (National Trust), near Wolverhampton, but in fact the design preserved at Wightwick is that of the geographical East window, i.e., the one at the back of the chapel. Sewter’s usage presumably results from the fact that the chapel was not built according to the conventional orientation, with the chancel in the east (as already noted). East window (at the rear of the chapel), installed 1896

Angel with Lute (BJ wb47), in white with blue wings; blue background. Panel below: Annunciation to the shepherds (BJ 463).

Truth (BJ 526) carrying a tall candle; in blue against red background. Panel below: Nativity (BJ 128).

Liberty (BJ 525), bearing red wings, one in each hand. White over blue, deep blue background. Panel below: Christ in the carpenter’s shop (BJ 279)

Religion (BJ 524), in green over white; red background. Panel below: Christ blessing children (BJ 277).

Angel with Lute (BJ wb42), in white and gold with blue wings. Panel below: Mary Magdalene washing Christ’s feet (BJ 462). Circle at top: Teaching the Ignorant (BJ 237) The inscription on the scroll reads: ‘the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth’ (John 4: 23) ‘ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8: 32) The donors are acknowledged at the base with the inscription: ‘this window was presented by john harwood and his wife in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety six’.

The cartoons for the three central lights were designed by Burne-Jones specifically for this window, unlike the other windows in the chapel, which consist of adapted copies of earlier ‘cartoons’, examples of which appear in many other churches and chapels.

The Minutes of the College Committee Meetings2 record that Mr John Harwood had offered to pay for the stained glass for the window at the east end of the chapel. John Harwood, JP, (1838-1924) was a life-long member of the Bank Street Unitarian congregation in Bolton.3 In business he joined his father as a flour merchant, inheriting sole control after his father died. He had interests also in docks, colliery, and railway companies, but he was much more than a captain of industry: he was recorded as sharing in every contemporary religious, social, philanthropic, and political movement for much of his life.4 In 1868 he married Emma Ann Ridings of Bolton.

John Harwood proposed that ‘figures representing Truth, Liberty, and Religion (the College motto) should appear in the three central lights and angels in the two outer lights, with five panels or pictures below illustrative of scenes in the life of Christ’. The Minutes further record that it was ‘Resolved that the subject and design suggested by Mr Harwood be approved with the exception of the first and third panels which were pictures of the Annunciation and the Adoration of the Magi and that in lieu of them the subject of the Angels appearing to the shepherds and Mary washing the feet of Jesus be suggested.’

A coloured sketch of the original design, prepared by Morris & Co., is part of the archive collection at Wightwick Manor (National Trust), near Wolverhampton. A photocopy of the sketch is now held in the archives of HMC Library. The design bears the title, ‘MANCHESTER NEW COLLEGE, OXFORD. East Window’. The College Committee approved the design ‘subject to the omission of the dove in connection with the figure of Religion’.5 The dove is shown on the photocopy in the top left corner of the light; but, in the window as fitted in the chapel, there is simply a plain cloud-like panel with a blue border. Windows in the south wall (to left when facing the chancel)

(Enumerating from the back of the chapel)

First window, installed September 1896

Justice (BJ 441), in a red robe over a pale garment with a faint floral pattern: a soldier bearing a sword in one hand and scales in the other. Inscribed: ‘the judgment of god is according to truth’ (Rom 2: 2).

Humility (BJ 440), a young woman carrying a lamb and wearing robes of delicately patterned grey and pink with blue undergarment. Inscribed: ‘walk humbly with thy god’ (Mic 6: 8).

On the brass plate below the window:

IN MEMORIAM HENRY RUSSELL GREG BORN 4TH JULY 1832 DIED 16TH JANUARY 1894

This window was donated by Mrs Greg and her son and daughters.6 Succeeding the Revd Dr James Martineau, Henry Russell Greg was President of the College from 1888 until his death in 1894. He was very active in guiding the College through the crisis of moving to Oxford, and then in the proceedings at the opening of the College in its new surroundings in October 1893.7 Regrettably, he died three months later at the relatively early age of 61. He was a Vice- President of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association, and a trustee of the Memorial Hall, Manchester, dedicated by non-sectarian trust to the promotion of education, religion, and philanthropy.

Henry Russell Greg came from a spinning and weaving family in Styal, Cheshire, and was involved in the firm of Messrs S. Greg & Co. He was also head of the firm H. Greg & Co., Reddish Mills.8 He married Emily Gair in 1860, and they had one son and six daughters.

Of the donors, Mrs Emily Greg was a devoted member and benefactor of the Norcliffe Chapel, Styal. Their son, Henry Phillips Greg, was a prominent leader in the cotton-spinning industry; he was chairman of four textile firms and director of another. He was one-time Treasurer of Manchester College, Oxford, and a trustee of The Hibbert Journal.9 He married Jane Dibblee in 1898, and they had four daughters and one son; two of the daughters married sons of the Revd Dr L. P. Jacks, one-time Principal of the College: Emily married Maurice Jacks, and Katharine married Stopford Jacks.10 Second window, installed September 1896

Generosity (BJ 398), in the person of St Martin, dividing his cloak to share with a beggar. Inscribed: ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20: 35).

Courage (BJ 397), portrayed as a soldier, St George, with shield and spear. Inscribed: ‘be strong and of good courage fear not’ (Deut 31: 6).

On the brass plate below the window:

TO THE MEMORY OF THOMAS AINSWORTH 1804-1881 PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE 1860–63 AND WILLIAM MACQUHAE AINSWORTH HIS YOUNGEST SON 1848–1890 STUDENT OF THE COLLEGE AND MINISTER THIS WINDOW IS DEDICATED BY THE SURVIVING SONS DAVID AINSWORTH AND JOHN STIRLING AINSWORTH 1896

The subjects originally proposed by the Ainsworth brothers were ‘Courage’ and ‘Temperance’, but the sub-committee recommended the subject ‘Generosity’ in lieu of ‘Temperance’, to which David and John Ainsworth agreed.11

Thomas Ainsworth lived at Cleator, Cumberland, and, as noted in the inscription, was President of the College from 1860 to 1863. He gave a scholarship to the College.12 The memorial includes the Revd William MacQuhae Ainsworth, Minister of the Effra Road Chapel, Brixton, who disappeared while on a journey in the Middle East in 1891. His brother John travelled to the area in the hope of finding William, or to establish what had happened, but he had to return without success.13

David Ainsworth, the eldest son, enrolled as a lay student of the College and subsequently read Law; he was called to the Bar but never practised. A staunch Liberal, in 1880 he was elected as the first Liberal Member of Parliament for West Cumberland. He was involved in several public and philanthropic institutions. One-time President of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association, for 16 years he was Treasurer of the College and, from 1896 to 1900, was its President. He married Margaret McConnel of Cressbrook in 1874.14

Sir John was the second son, and, like his brother, enrolled as a lay student of the College. He became a prominent ironmaster and a recognised authority on mercantile affairs, also active in banking and railways. He married Margaret Macredie in 1879. In 1903 he won the parliamentary seat for Argyllshire, which he retained until 1918. He was made a baronet in 1917.15 Third window, installed September 1896

Charity (BJ 222) portrayed as the Good Samaritan, a bearded man in a red cloak and the victim dressed in white. Inscribed: ‘thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’ (Rom 13: 9).

Mercy (BJ 223) in the person of Dorcas, dressed in blue, offering a garment to a destitute widow. Inscribed: ‘i caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy’ (Job 29: 13).

On the brass plate below the window:

THIS WINDOW WAS GIVEN BY FRANCIS TAYLOR OF BOLTON 1895

Francis Taylor, JP, also known as Frank,16 was a member of the family firm of cotton-spinners, Charles Taylor, Bros. He gave liberally to Bank Street Chapel in Bolton and later, when Unity Church was opened, he was one of the principal benefactors. He was interested in the education of the young and was one of the original promoters of the Bolton branch of the National Education League. He was a member of the Microscopical Society and a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society, to which for twenty years he contributed daily readings from his own garden. He was Secretary of the Bolton Liberal Association, a member of the Bolton Temperance Association, and a Trustee of Manchester College. He was made a County magistrate in 1894. In 1869, he married Sarah Curtis, who died childless 1889; six years later he married Mary Heyworth, and they had two children.17 Fourth window, installed September 1896

Prayer (BJ wb32) in the person of St Valentine, wearing a dark blue patterned garment under a light blue shoulder covering and an elaborately patterned white undergarment. Inscribed: ‘i sought the lord and he heard me’ (Ps 34: 4).

Inspiration (BJ wb28) in the person of St Theresa, wearing a green cloak with red lining, a dove on her shoulder symbolising the Holy Spirit, and white patterned undergarment. Inscribed: ‘the spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit’ (Rom 8: 16).

Both lights have a deep red background.

On the brass plate below the window:

IN MEMORY OF RALPH HARRISON BORN 1748 DIED 1810 MINISTER OF CROSS STREET CHAPEL MANCHESTER 1771–1810 AND PROFESSOR OF CLASSICS IN THE MANCHESTER ACADEMY 1786–1789

Professor Harrison, son of the Revd W. Harrison, attended Warrington Academy with the intention of studying for the Christian ministry. Upon completion of the course, he took shared pastoral charge of a congregation at Shrewsbury, and in 1771 became pastor at Cross Street Chapel, Manchester. In 1774 he began a school for the education of youth. The Revd Dr Thomas Barnes joined him as co-pastor at Cross Street in 1780. In 1786, Harrison and Barnes, with the influential help of another Warrington graduate, Thomas Percival, promoted the establishment of the Manchester Academy. Harrison and Barnes constituted the founding faculty of the Academy.18

Ralph Harrison had a musical bent and composed hymn tunes, two of which are used by various denominations, including Methodists and Baptists. Perhaps the most well known is ‘Warrington’, written for Manchester Academy in recognition of its Warrington roots.

The College Annual Report for Session 1895-96 records that the windows were paid for by four great-grandsons of Ralph Harrison. The minutes of the College Committee record that the subjects originally chosen by the Harrison brothers were ‘Faith’ and ‘Hope’; but after discussion with the committee, agreement was reached on the subjects described above.19

Information is available in the obituary columns of The Inquirer regarding John Thomas Harrison20 and Frederick Angier Harrison,21 but of the other two brothers information is minimal. John Thomas was the second son of the Revd Dr Harrison, who served congregations first at Chowbent and then at Effra Road, Brixton; and Frederick Angier was the fifth son.

John had an international reputation as a successful ship-owner, trading with the ports of Antwerp and Normandy. His services were recognised by the French Government, which created him Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. He was also awarded the Order of Leopold of Belgium, and the Emperor of Austria awarded him the Order of Francis Joseph. He held the offices of President of the (Unitarian) Provincial Assembly of London and South East Counties 1901/2, Treasurer 1902/8, and President of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association 1908/10. He was skilled as an organist and was active in the foundation of the Guildhall School of Music. In 1866 he married Elizabeth Hammond, fourth daughter of John Wallace Hammond, chief engineer of the Great Western Railway under I K Brunel. Frederick was not so prominent in business as his brother, but is recorded as having been quite successful. He is reputed to have spent some time employed as a private inquiry agent.

Fifth window, installed September 1897

Faith (BJ 143) is portrayed as Enoch holding the hand of God. Enoch is wearing a patterned white undergarment and a red outer shawl. Inscribed: ‘ the lord’s hand is not shortened that he cannot save’ (Isa 59: 1).

Prophecy (BJ 144) is pictured as Elijah, to whom ravens are bringing food. The two ravens are rather obscure: one is almost invisible unless sunlight is shining through the glass. Burne-Jones’s original cartoon shows the two ravens quite clearly. A good example is found at Brampton Church near Carlisle. Elijah is depicted in a white undergarment decorated with flowers and foliage, a green shawl and fawn waistband. Inscribed: ‘the lord said unto me behold i put my words in thy mouth’ (Isa 51:16).

On the brass plate below the window:

IN MEMORY OF WILLIAM PHILIP PRICE OF TIBBERTON COURT GLOUCESTERSHIRE BORN 1817 DIED 1891

The two lights of the fifth window were originally planned as ‘Faith’ and ‘Hope’. There is no apparent record of the reason for changing to ‘Faith’ and ‘Prophecy’. William Price was active in politics, commerce, industry, religion, and music. He was Liberal MP for Gloucester for 21 years. In industry and commerce he was a one-time chairman of Midland Railway Co., a director of the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal Co., and a founder member of the Gloucester Chamber of Commerce. His obituary in The Inquirer (11 April 1891, p233) sums up his religious work:

In religion he was a Unitarian, and his services to liberal theology were untiring. He was a Hibbert Trustee, and an ex-President of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association. He consistently extended his support to all movements calculated to benefit the people morally and spiritually.

William Price married, in 1837, Frances Anne Chadborn, of Gloucester, and both Mr and Mrs Price took an active interest in the promotion of special musical recitals at Gloucester Cathedral. Mr Price had a connection with Manchester College, Oxford, as the Annual Report of January 1892 records in an oblique compliment:

In the studies which it is the special feature of our College to foster, Mr William Philip Price was deeply interested and shared with a proficiency rare indeed amongst Laymen.

The donor of the window was Mrs Margaret Price, daughter of Mr and Mrs R N Philips, and wife of Major W E Price, son of Mr William Philip Price, to whom the window is dedicated. Windows in the north wall (to right when facing chancel)

The Arlosh windows, ‘The Six Days of Creation’, installed January 1896

These windows are a reproduction of Burne-Jones’s series of the Days of Creation. The designs were first executed in 1870 for the parish church at Middleton Cheney, Northamptonshire, where the colours of the Six Days are in gold and grey. John Dearle of Morris & Co. enlarged the designs and introduced the beautiful colours that are so apparent in the College chapel windows. Each successive window light represents the daily progress in the Creation Story of the Book of Genesis, the number of angels indicating the number of the day; the last light includes the Day of Rest, represented by an angel sitting and playing upon a stringed instrument.

First day (BJ 120): division of night and day. Inscribed: ‘his heart broken parents give these three windows to this chapel in memory of their only child’.

Second day (BJ 121): creation of heaven. Inscribed: ‘whose short life was made beautiful by the influence of love and truth in perfect freedom’.

Third day (BJ 122): creation of the land, sea and plants. Inscribed: ‘he prayeth well who loveth well both man and bird and beast’.

Fourth day (BJ 123): creation of the sun, moon, and stars. Inscribed: ‘he prayeth best who loveth best all things both great and small / for the dear lord who loveth us he made and loveth all’.

Fifth day (BJ 124): creation of animals, fish, and birds. Inscribed: ‘godfrey william liddell arlosh of woodside in cumberland and brasenose college oxford’.

Sixth and seventh days (BJ 125): creation of humankind. Inscribed: ‘born 9 march 1870 died 1 july 1890 buried in the graveyard of holywell hard by’.

The words of lights 3 and 4 are a verse from Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

The donors were Mr and Mrs Arlosh of Woodside, Cumberland. James Arlosh was educated with the intention of taking holy orders in the Anglican Church. After he graduated MA at Durham, he had one or two brief curacies, after which he was for nine years the incumbent of Ponsonby, Cumberland. His views were broad and liberal, and he found at length that he shared his grandfather’s Unitarianism, and that it was his duty to resign his position in the Church of England.

James Arlosh married Miss Isobella Benn in 1859 and they had one child, Godfrey, who, in due season, went up to Brasenose College, Oxford. It was the tragic accidental death of Godfrey, while horse riding on Port Meadow, Oxford, that caused Mr and Mrs Arlosh to remove from Cumberland to Oxford, coincidentally at a time when Manchester New College had just hired rooms in High Street, Oxford, after removal from London.

They at once began to attend the College services in the room in High Street, and on the erection of the present buildings, to which they liberally contributed, they, in memory of their son, presented the College with those much-admired windows in the chapel from designs by Sir E Burne-Jones, which so fitly and beautifully typify the six days of Creation.22

Mr Arlosh became a Trustee of the College in 1894 and was a member of Committee from 1896 to 1899. He and his wife moved back to Cumberland in 1899 and linked up with the Unitarian church in Carlisle, and Mr Arlosh occasionally conducted services at the chapel. The resident minister, Revd Charles Travers, and Mr Arlosh shared a common interest in education and Liberal politics.

In a strange turn of fate, Mr Arlosh died while visiting a colleague in Oxford in July 1904. It was fitting, therefore, that a memorial service should be held in the chapel of Manchester College. Afterwards the funeral procession passed along Holywell Street to Holywell Church (St Cross), where he was buried beside his son. Mrs Arlosh died later in the same month and is buried in the same grave as her husband.

The inscription, ‘élargissez dieu’ (discussed more fully in the Appendix, but here roughly translated as ‘Set God free’, or ‘Open your mind to expand your concept of the Divine’), is repeated at the top of each light; it was reputedly a favourite motto of James Losh, the grandfather of James Arlosh.23 The Choir windows The two small windows opposite the organ in the north wall (to the right when facing the chancel) are appropriately musical in theme. The depth of colour is not so striking as in the other windows. The Morris company by this time (1898/9) had lost William Morris, who died in 1896, and Sir Edward Burne- Jones, who died in 1898. Perhaps the new Art Director, John Dearle, preferred the softer colours.

Counting from the left when facing the windows:

First window, installed September 1899

Miriam (BJ 385) Burne-Jones’ design depicting Miriam with cymbals. Inscribed: ‘sing unto the lord’, (Ex.15: 20, and Isa.12: 5).

On a small plate attached to the panelling above the organ console:

THE MIRIAM WINDOW WAS GIVEN BY J.EDWIN ODGERS 1900

A copy of the original design by Morris & Co. is held in the archives of the HMC library. In a letter to the Committee of the College in 1891, Dr Odgers had declared his intention to donate a window of stained glass in memory of the Revd Richard Frankland, who founded the first Academy for the education of Nonconformist Ministers, at Rathmell, in 1670.24

John Edwin Odgers went to London in 1859 and trained for the Unitarian ministry at University College and Manchester New College. He married Miss Lily Hill in 1869, and they raised a family of four sons and three daughters. After leaving London he held several pastorates. His last was at Altrincham, from 1882 to 1894, where he combined with his ministry some duties at the Manchester Domestic Mission. Then, in 1894, Edwin Odgers moved to Oxford upon appointment to the post of Hibbert Lecturer in Ecclesiastical History at Manchester College, Oxford. At the turn of the century Tufts College, Massachusetts, conferred on him the degree of D.D. From 1913 the slow approach of blindness restricted his activity, and his last years involved a gradual decline until 3 August 1925, when he passed away.25 A memorial plaque is attached to the rear wall of the chapel. His wife, Lily, predeceased him by a year and a half.26

Second window, installed September 1899 David (BJ wb76) Burne-Jones’ design depicting David playing a small harp. Inscribed: ‘let us exalt his name together’ (Ps.34: 3).

On a small plate attached to the panelling under the canopy:

THE DAVID WINDOW WAS GIVEN BY FORMER STUDENTS 1900

The design is unusual, in that David is shown apparently wearing chain-mail socks. A copy of the original design by Morris & Co. is held in the archives of the HMC library. A list of contributors, 119 names in total, can be found in the minutes of the College Committee.27

Other work by Morris & Co. in the chapel

1. The organ pipes were painted by Morris & Co. (not by William Morris himself, as sometimes reported, since Morris had died before the work was commissioned). The style is that of John Dearle, Art Director of the firm.

2. A design in Gesso-work (plaster of Paris) was commissioned for the area now occupied by the painting of ‘The Last Supper’ over the communion table. The College Committee did not wish to proceed with the installation of the Gesso panel, but a copy of the design by Morris & Co. is held in the archives of the College library; the original artwork is held by the Huntington Library, California.

3. The Minutes of the College Committee, June 28, 1895, make reference to a curtain (added ostensibly to improve the acoustics of the chapel):

Resolved that Messrs Morris & Co’s a/c for the curtain in the chapel be paid and that Mr Wragg’s a/c for a brass rod and fixing same be also paid.

The curtain was removed when the carved screen was installed at the entrance to the chapel in 1897. There is no apparent record of what happened to the curtain.

The furniture and fittings The choir stalls and panelling of the walls were there from the first when the Chapel was dedicated (1893), with plain glass in the windows and lighting along the centre. The richly carved screen at the entrance and the oak benches in the body of the Chapel were given later.

The oak screen The oak screen, presented by Arthur Greg and constructed by the firm of Earps and Hobbs of Manchester, was installed in the chapel in 1896.28 The remarkable detailed carving may easily be missed when one enters the awe-inspiring chapel. The top of the screen is in the form of a canopy, and even the under-side features some clever pattern-work, normally hidden from view unless one has a convenient artificial light. The elaborate inanimate carving changes at the springing of the arch, where two doves of peace face each other. The central cross above the arch would probably not be considered an appropriate feature if the screen was made in the present day. One of Arthur Greg’s proposals was that the history of the College should be recorded on the screen; this has been done by including coloured shields showing the arms of the towns and cities where the College was successively located. The screen has three sections on either side of the arch, each bearing carved words in turn:

Warrington mdcclvii – mdcclxxxvi (1757–1786) Manchester mdcclxxxvi – mdccciii (1786–1803) York mdccciii – mdcccxl (1803–1840) Manchester mdcccxl – mdcccliii (1840–1853) London mdcccliii – mdccclxxxix (1853 –1889) Oxford mdccclxxxix (1889)

Arthur Greg requested that a brass plate should record the screen as a memorial to his brother, Henry Russell Greg (1832–94), and that it should be placed on the rear wall to be visible as one looks through the arch of the screen. His request was not fulfilled to the letter: the memorial plate is attached to the side wall, not the rear wall, with the inscription:

The Oak Screen in this Chapel was erected in the year mdcccxcvi in memory of Henry Russell Greg President of this College mdccclxxxviii – mdcccxciv The gift of his brother Arthur Greg.

The seating The oak pews were another gift of Arthur Greg as a memorial of the 60th year of the reign of Queen Victoria.29 The wording is carved on the first pew-end: The oak benches in the chapel were presented by Arthur Greg as a memorial of the sixtieth year of the reign of Victoria R & I AD mdcccxcvii

The ends of the other pews, made by the firm of Pearson and Brown of Eccles, have carvings of various animals and plants mentioned in The Bible.

Arthur Greg was a resident of Eagley, Bolton, where he had been a District Councillor. In his business life, he was head of a firm of thread manufacturers. He took a keen interest in the College and was a vice-president at the time of his death in 1899.30

Painting of The Last Supper Several proposals were made for decorating the area above the Communion Table. It was finally agreed by the College committee that a painting of ‘The Last Supper’ should be commissioned. It is reported in the Minutes of the College Committee in 1900 that permission had been obtained from the National Gallery to allow Miss Nevinson to make a copy from the copy of this work by Marco d’Oggionno that was in the Diploma Gallery.31A plaque in the vestibule of the chapel bears the following words:

In fulfilment of the wish of the late Herbert Bramley of Sheffield to aid in adorning the College Chapel the copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” placed in the Chapel was presented by his widow. The copy was made by Miss E S Nevinson

Herbert Bramley, named in the memorial, died in 1897 at the early age of 55 years, having been a prominent citizen of Sheffield. He was partner in the family firm of Solicitors, and when he was appointed to the office of Town Clerk, his son, Edward Bramley, took his place in the firm. It is recorded in The Inquirer that he was an active Unitarian, and ‘... his physical, mental, and material resources were all freely spent in the cause of Unitarianism’. He was President of the Yorkshire Unitarian Union and President of the Unitarian Home Missionary College, Manchester.32 He also maintained an interest in Manchester College, Oxford, as a Trustee. His sons, Edward and Henry, paid for the illumination of the painting in 1947.33 The artist, Miss E S Nevinson, is recorded in The Dictionary of British Artists 1880–1940, as having exhibited between 1889 and 1896, with nine items shown at the Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham, and seven items at the Royal Hibernian Academy.34 In spite of many searches, no biographical details have been found.

The lighting The original lighting in the chapel was by six electroliers (electrical chandeliers), hanging centrally along the chapel, each electrolier having six lights; a photograph included in the record of the opening proceedings shows the elaborate lighting and the windows with plain glass.35 The lighting was changed in 1899 to one row on each side of the chapel, because the original central electroliers partially obscured the new west window; the new lighting was a gift from Mr Charles W Jones, Treasurer to the College at that time.36 The lighting was further improved during the long vacation of 1957. Spotlights and softer lights to illuminate the organ pipes have been added more recently. The organ

Mrs George Buckton, of Oxford and formerly of Leeds, paid for the original organ, which was constructed by the firm of Gray and Davison; it had pedals and two manuals with tracker action. Initially it was pumped by hand; in 1902 Mrs Buckton gave a further sum to provide hydraulic machinery for blowing the organ. The original console was immediately under the organ and visible through the open-railed woodwork. According to legend, the front pipes were painted personally by William Morris, but this could not have been so, since Morris died (1896) before the work was commissioned (1897). The style is that of John Henry Dearle, the Art Director of Morris & Co. who succeeded Morris.

The organ was renovated and largely rebuilt by the firm Nicholson of Worcester in 1930, to the specification of Harold Spicer, College Organist and Choirmaster. The original tracker action was changed to tubular pneumatic, and a Choir Organ and manual added. The front pipes were moved forward to be in line with the wall of the chapel. Photographs of the chapel prior to 1930 show the front pipes set back into the arch of the organ chamber. Mrs Carpenter offered to bear the whole cost of the renovation in memory of her husband, Dr J Estlin Carpenter, one-time Principal of the College. A further refurbishment was done in 1959, during which two of the original stops were replaced. In 1968 an humidifier for the organ was added; this was replaced in 2006.

A major overhaul of the organ was commissioned by Principal Short in 1973. The action, formerly tubular pneumatic, was converted to electro-pneumatic, a change which made it possible to move the console from its original position immediately under the organ screen to the other side of the chancel, taking the place of two choir stalls; the numerous connecting cables passed under the rostrum to the organ chamber. This new position improved the organist’s view of proceedings in the chapel. Two changes to the stops were implemented as part of the revision, making a fine organ even better. It is now valued by musicians as the only remaining organ of the Romantic style in Oxford. 37

The front pipes are in the original colours as painted by J. H. Dearle. The following inscription appears on a brass plate attached to the organ screen.

THIS ORGAN WAS GIVEN TO MANCHESTER COLLEGE CHAPEL OCTOBER 1893 BY MRS GEORGE BUCKTON IN MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND. ------IT WAS REBUILT AND ENLARGED OCTOBER 1930 BY THEIR DAUGHTER ALICE IN MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND JOSEPH ESTLIN CARPENTER WHOSE LOVE AND WORSHIP FOUND UTTERANCE HERE.

Specification of the present organ

Great Swell Choir Pedal Bourdon 16 Open diapason 8 Viol di gamba 8 Contrabass 32 Open diapason I 8 Salicional 8 Rohr flute 8 Opendiapason 16 Open diapason II 8 Lieblich gedacht 8 (c) Nazard 2 2/3 Bourdon 16 Claribel flute 8 Voix celeste 8 (d) Tierce 1 3/5 Echo bass 16 (a) Quintaton 8 (b) Koppel flute 4 Dulciana 8 Octave 8 Harmonic flute 4 Gemshorn 4 Hohl flute 4 Flute 8 Principal 4 Fifteenth 2 Viola 4 Contrafagotto 16 Twelfth 2 2/3 Mixture 3 ranks Clarinet 8 Ophicleide 16 Fifteenth 2 Oboe 8 Tuba minor 8 Tuba 8 Tuba minor 8 Contrafagotto 16 Tremulant 7 couplers 6 couplers Trumpet 8 6 couplers 5 pistons to Swell 5 pistons Clarion 4 5 pistons 5 pistons to Pedal Tremulant 3reversible pistons 3 couplers 5 pistons

(a) added 1959 (b) added 1959 (c) added 1973 in place of in place of Dolce 8 in place of Viol d’orchestre 8 Lieblich bourdon 16 (d) added 1973 in place of Viol celeste 8 Appendix: ‘Elargissez Dieu’

This phrase, repeated several times in the six Creation windows, is a quotation from Denis Diderot’s Pensées philosophiques XXVI of 1746 (volume 1 in the Oeuvres Complètes, p 138).

On nous parle trop tôt de Dieu; autre défaut : on n’insiste pas assez sur sa présence. Les hommes ont banni la Divinité d’entre eux; ils l’ont reléguée dans un sanctuaire; les murs d’un temple bornent sa vue; elle n’existe point au-delà. Insensés que vous êtes; détruisez ces enceintes qui rétrécissent vos idées; élargissez Dieu; voyez-le partout où il est, ou dites qu’il n’est point.

Catherine Robinson offers the following translation:

People are too ready to talk about God, but they fail to put enough emphasis on his presence. People have banished the Divine from their lives; they have consigned God to a sanctuary; the walls of a temple hide him from view; [for them] he has no existence beyond those walls. Come to your senses! Destroy these restrictions which cramp your ideas; set God free [broaden your understanding of God]; see him everywhere, where indeed he is, or say that he does not exist at all.

Places of reference

Kelmscott Manor, Kelmscott, Lechlade, Gloucestershire. Tel: 01367 252486

William Morris Gallery, Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Walthamstow, London E17 Tel: 0208 527 3782; www.lbwf.gov.uk/wmg Deputy Keeper: Peter Cormack FSA

Wightwick Manor, National Trust, Wightwick Bank, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV6 8EE Property Manager: Miss T A Clement

William Morris Society, Hon. Sec., Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6 9TA

The Huntington Library & Art Collections, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, California 91108, USA www.huntington.org Contact: Anne Mallek Notes

1 MCO History oddments. Box 2, No. 23, Specification for the Building of Manchester New College, Oxford. Worthington and Elgood, Architects, March 1891.NB. The Opening Ceremony is published in Manchester College Oxford. Proceedings and Addresses on the occasion of the Opening of the College Buildings and Dedication of the Chapel, October 18-19, 1893 (London. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1894). A note on p140 records that ‘by resolution of the Trustees, 23 June 1893, the name of the College was changed from Manchester New College to Manchester College.’ (Evidence of the former name still shows in the monogram, ‘MNC’, above the old kitchen gate in Savile Road.) 2 MCO Committee minutes Aug 27, 1894; Sept 24, 1894. 3 G M Ramsden, A Responsible Society: The Life and Times of the Congregation of Bank Street Chapel, Bolton, Lancs. (G M Ramsden, Slinfold, 1985), p123. 4 The Inquirer April 12, 1924, p243. 5 MCO Committee minutes Mar 16, 1896. 6 Manchester College, Committee Minutes, Book O, p133, Nov 26, 1894. 7 Manchester College Oxford. Proceedings and Addresses on the occasion of the Opening of the College Buildings and Dedication of the Chapel, October 18-19, 1893. (London. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1894). 8 From obituary, The Inquirer, January 20, 1894, p42. 9 From obituary, The Inquirer, June 13, 1936, p296. 10 Mrs Kitty Gore (née Jacks), granddaughter of Dr L P Jacks, kindly provided details of the family tree. 11 MCO Committee minutes April 22, 1895. 12 From obituary, The Inquirer, July 2, 1881, p451. 13 The Inquirer, June 13, 1891, p385 and June 27, 1891, p410. 14 From obituary, The Inquirer, March 3, 1906, p133. 15 From obituary, The Inquirer, June 2, 1923. 16 G M Ramsden, A Responsible Society: The Life and Times of the Congregation of Bank Street Chapel, Bolton, Lancs. (G M Ramsden, Slinfold, 1985), p123. 17 From obituary, The Inquirer, August 9, 1902, p505. 18 From obituary, The Monthly Repository, No LX, Vol V, December 1810, with supplementary information from Mr Colin Harrison of Utah and a paper by Mr David Harrison, From Rathmell to Manchester College: The Harrison Connection (HMC Library archives, 2003). 19 Manchester College, Committee Minutes, Book O, Nov 26, 1894, and April 22, 1895. 20 From obituary, The Inquirer, 1912, July 6, p457; July 13, p475. 21 From obituary, The Inquirer, 1906, June 16, p405. 22 From obituary, The Inquirer, July 16, 1904. 23 Jennifer Sherwood and Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1975) p233. 24 MNC Annual Report for Session 1891/92, p12, and MNC Annual Report for Session 1898/99, p16. 25 Obituary report, The Inquirer, August 15, 1925, p515. 26 Obituary report, The Inquirer, March 29, 1924, p212. 27 Manchester College, Committee Minutes, Appdx 3, Mar 20, 1899, p244. 28 The Christian Life and Unitarian Herald, Oct 23, 1897, p518. 29 Appdx. 3 to committee minutes, p166. 30 From obituary, The Inquirer, May 20, 1899, p310. 31 Minutes of College Committee, Feb 19, 1900. 32 From obituary, The Inquirer, Sept 18, 1897, pp605/6. 33 John McLachlan, The Wine of Life: A Testament to Vital Encounter (John McLachlan, 1991), p88. 34 The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940: an Antique Collectors' Club Research Project listing 41,000 artists. Compiled by J. Johnson and A. Greutzner. Published by the Antique Collectors' Club Ltd. Reprinted 1980. 35 Manchester College Oxford. Proceedings and Addresses on the occasion of the Opening of the College Buildings and Dedication of the Chapel, October 18-19, 1893 (London. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1894), facing p11. 36 MNC Annual Report for Session 1899/1900, p20. 37 The Romantic style was revived by two of the great organ builders of the nineteenth century, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll of France and Henry (Father) Willis of England.