Address at The Unveiling of John Letts\u27s Statue of George Eliot at The George Eliot Hospital

This is, of course, the second time many of us have attended the unveiling of a statue of George Eliot. The last time was in 1986 and John, I know, will remember what an exciting time that was. Even before the unveiling we had met in Newdegate Square to await her arrival from the foundry. She arrived on the back of a lorry, almost as though she had thumbed a lift up from High Wycombe. When she was unveiled by our President she shone like a new penny. From that day on I have wished that the George Eliot Hospital should also have a statue of the lady. There is a beautiful bust in Cheverel Wing, unveiled earlier by Gabriel Woolf, but not everyone sees that. This one is going to be seen by all who visit the hospital and they will be even more aware of the lady whose name has been given to this splendid hospital. We have had a very warm and close relationship with the hospital for more years than even I know, certainly much longer than my twenty-eight years of office as Fellowship Secretary. We have been asked to suggest names for the many wards and departments in the hospital and this, too, has made local people more aware of George Eliot and her works. We have the annual lecture in the George Eliot Centre, and this year\u27s lecturer, Michael Harris, is with us today

Milly Barton and Emma Gwyther

For many years the tomb of Emma Gwyther in Chilvers Coton Churchyard in Nuneaton was totally obscured by a massive yew tree until it was recently cut back to reveal the sorry state of the tomb beneath it. Badly broken and its lettering difficult to read, it was clearly in great need of some restoration because of its place in the George Eliot story. There seems little doubt that Emma Gwyther was the original of Milly Barton, the hard-working wife of the Rev. Amos Barton in Scenes of Clerical Life. Emma\u27s husband was the Rev. John Gwyther, curate of Chilvers Coton Church 1831-41: since the vicar, the Rev. George Hake, was an absentee vicar for the most of his Vicarate (1831-1838), John and Emma lived in the vicarage. The Gwythers would have been well known to Mary Ann Evans during the years her family worshipped at Chilvers Coton, and keen observation of the curate provided many of the characteristics of Amos Barton. Gwyther officiated at her mother\u27s funeral and the wedding of her sister Chrissey and many of the changes he instigated at Chilvers Coton are echoed in those at \u27Shepperton\u27 Church in Amos Barton\u27s time. At the beginning of 1998 the George Eliot Fellowship commissioned a stonemason to restore Emma Gwyther\u27s table tomb almost opposite the door of the church, and the lettering on the slate memorial tablets revealed a story that is strikingly close to Milly Barton\u27s. The death of Milly\u27s seventh child, born prematurely, is soon followed by the death of Milly herself at the age of thirty-five, no doubt worn out by poverty, hard work and child-bearing

Review of Virago Classics: Brother Jacob

Brother Jacob, like The Lifted Veil, has always been in the shadow of George Eliot\u27s longer and better known fiction, but Beryl Gray\u27s afterword in this Virago edition brings it into the light. She offers interesting suggestions why the story was written after The Mill on the Floss and before Silas Marner, showing that the rhythms of George Eliot\u27s creative life are revealing. Our attention is drawn to those critics who have spoken disparagingly of the story, \u27rather cheerless and austere\u27 (U.C. Knoepflmacher), \u27cynical and coldly sarcastic\u27 (G. S. Haight) and \u27that tedious tale\u27 (W. J. Harvey). Those of us who read it and enjoyed it must agree with Dr. Gray that it deserves better treatment than the twentieth century has so far accorded it. And those who have much enjoyed Gabriel Woolf\u27s reading of that part of the story which he entitles \u27The Corruption of the Grimworth Matrons\u27, either at a recital or on the Fellowship\u27s own 60-minute cassette, may wonder why these and other critics have found so little to appreciate in a story which George Eliot cared about and wanted to be published, even though she described it herself as \u27a trifle\u27. Though her characters may be unpleasant, they are written about exuberantly and, as Dr. Gray reminds us, the story is skillfully organised

Annual Report 2004

Our year never gets off to an exciting start because the first event is the Annual General Meeting but the 2004 one was rather different. The business meeting was completed swiftly as there was no change to the Council or to the officers. There was still some concern about the positions of Chairman and Secretary as there were no nominations for either post although it was known that both were eager to be replaced. The meeting was very well attended but this was obviously because we followed the business meeting with a visit from Louis Marks who produced the BBC TV film of Daniel Deronda. His talk about the adaptation was most interesting and we were pleased that, at last, he had been able to come and speak to us. 2004 was the 150th anniversary of the life together of George Eliot and George Henry Lewes and we had decided to celebrate both of them during the year - ever aware of the supreme importance Lewes played in the creation of \u27George Eliot’. In April Gabriel Woolf and Rosalind Shanks made their annual visit to Nuneaton and this year their theme was \u27Feminism Versus Fiction\u27. Again an excellent choice of material beautifully delivered. The fellowship Council is very aware of the amount of work Gabriel does to select the material, to edit it for the programme and to rehearse it with Rosalind before we see the final polished presentation. We held the annual George Eliot Day on 15 May and chose as its theme \u27George Eliot and her Circle\u27 with papers on her Coventry Circle by Ruth Harris, the London Literary Circle by me, the artists she knew by Professor Leonee Ormond, and her friends Barbara Bodichon and Bessie Parkes by Dr Pam Hirsch. It is progressively difficult to find a new theme each year but this one worked very well. We began these special days as a stop-gap in between what we hoped would be more Warwick University Conferences but the stop-gap now has a very successful life of its own as long as we can continue to find a theme. 52 people attended the event and enjoyed the company and the excellent lunch. There was an emphasis on Lewes at the Nuneaton Wreath-laying in June when our special guest was his great-great-granddaughter Mrs. Nada Lyons. Nada is descended from Lewes\u27s youngest son Bertie and it was so nice to have another branch of the Lewes family with us to help us remember and honour him

Annual Report 1994

The year got off to an unusual start. The hyperbole associated with the BBC Television production of Middlemarch suddenly shot George Eliot into the forefront of many people\u27s minds. The beginning of the year is always a very busy time but from January onwards I was inundated with letters and phone calls. For three weeks the Fellowship became a full-time occupation. The BBC in London and in Coventry were in regular contact, admirers of George Eliot had their interest newly aroused, students aimed enquiries at us, local clubs and societies wanted talks and tours of the George Eliot Country, newspapers constantly wanted the Fellowship\u27s views on the TV Middlemarch, the book, George Eliot and the tourism potential of the George Eliot Country; it seemed it would never end. But this added interest enlarged our membership and, for the first time in our 64-year history, our membership went over 500. When we heard that 80,000 copies of the Penguin Middlemarch had been sold we wondered, for an awful moment, what we would do if all these readers decided to join the Fellowship! On 28 January, the Chairman and I together with Ruth and Michael Harris were interviewed at Nuneaton Museum for the BBC TV Late Show shown on 9 February. We spent a long and interesting morning at the museum - for a very few minutes\u27 appearance. The programme just about acknowledged the existence of the Fellowship but showed Michael Harris playing George Eliot\u27s piano with reference to neither the pianist nor the instrument. A number of academics were also included in what became an interesting film. Michael Harris played the piano again on the evening of the Annual General Meeting. The piano had been refurbished and we were hearing it as George Eliot herself would have done 140 years earlier. The AGM was an uneventful one with all the officers and two Council members being re-elected, but the evening finished on a fascinating note when we heard Dolly Jackson speak of her experience of being an \u27extra\u27 in the TV Middlemarch, opening our eyes to the discomforts which fully outweigh the glamour of the job. In the first newsletter of 1994 I asked if anyone would like to start a South of England Branch. Two members responded enthusiastically: Margaret Jennings in Crawley and Elizabeth Gundrey in London. Margaret\u27s South of England Branch was launched on 15 April. Because it covers a vast area, the gathering was not a large one but the enthusiasm of the small nucleus of the branch is undimmed. Margaret Jenning\u27s devotion to George Eliot and her keen work in organizing events to promote her will undoubtedly keep the branch not only afloat but swimming strongly

George Eliot Unveiled

The excitement associated with the unveiling of John Letts\u27 beautiful statue of George Eliot began for the four officers two days before the ceremony. On March 20th she travelled from the bronze casters in High Wycombe, somewhat ungracefully, on the back of a lorry! The plinth, all clean and bright, was ready and waiting, as was a very large crane, hired from Coventry, and causing a traffic warden slight concern as it was parked on double yellow lines; but, happily, she joined in the spirit of the day, and no parking ticket was issued. The press were there from the local papers, a film cameraman was in an upstairs window in Newdegate Square, and an assortment of bemused Nuneatonians looked on, wondering what was to happen. When the lorry arrived and they saw a strange figure, shrouded and covered from the waist upwards, they were still a bit bemused. \u27It looks Iike the elephant man\u27, one was heard to say! The crane swung into action, yellow nylon straps were placed around George Eliot\u27s waist and under her arms (what indignity for a dignified Victorian lady!) and she was lifted slowly into the air and gently towards the plinth for a trial run. A few problems were solved and she rose again so that could place beneath her skirt a stainless steel box, a sort of \u27time capsule\u27, containing those items relating to the Fellowship, the sculptor and the town which might be of interest to anyone who finds it in centuries to come, if and when the statue ever has to be moved. This done, she was lowered finally and tightly screwed down. The covering remained and hoardings were placed around the entire thing so that no-one could anticipate the Great Day to come. Even a security guard was mounted for the following two nights. No-one was to be allowed a sneak preview

Commemorative Occasions in 2002

The George Eliot Memorial Garden in Nuneaton reached its half century in May 2002. In 1930 several literary men, amongst them George Bernard Shaw, were asked if Nuneaton should erect a memorial to George Eliot. Most of them expressed astonishment that one was not already in existence. They may have been even more amazed to discover that it would be another twenty-two years before one appeared, for it was not until 1952 that the George Eliot Memorial Garden was established. The Newdegate family at Arbury Hall was one step ahead of Nuneaton as an obelisk had already been erected by Sir Francis Newdegate near to George Eliot\u27s birthplace at South Farm on the Arbury estate. The family kindly gave the obelisk to stand in the new garden in 1952 as a permanent memorial. The first plans for the garden were discussed in 1947 when a compulsory purchase order was issued to buy land in Church Street upon which \u27Dempster House\u27 (\u27Janet\u27s Repentance \u27) had stood until it was destroyed in an air raid on 17 May 1941. These negotiations clearly took time for it was not until the beginning of 1951 that an appeal for funds was made by the Mayor, Alderman W. R. Chamberlain and the Fellowship\u27s President, The Hon. Mrs. L. C. S. FitzRoy Newdegate. The total cost was expected to be about £8,000 and the Borough Council had already made what was described as a \u27handsome contribution’. Members of the small George Eliot Fellowship contributed almost £600, this having a much higher value than present day inflated figures. A competition was opened to members of the Institute of Landscape Architects and was won by Miss Mary Braendle, a joint designer with Mr. Ronald Sims. The appeal was very successful with donations coming from far afield by George Eliot admirers. The Government of Israel gave three almond trees from Jerusalem and these were planted near to the riverside. Altogether about 200 trees and shrubs were planted, many having been given by local associations and individuals

Going, Going, Gone.......... But Where? A slightly sad look at a house sale

During the last decade Antique and Collectors\u27 Fairs have flourished in Britain and are a very popular way for many of the population to spend a pleasant afternoon browsing amongst the items for sale. Forty years ago, when I began collecting - in a very modest way - antique shops were way out of my bracket and it was in junk shops that I picked up what I now regard as bargains. In those days few people seemed to be collecting pretty pieces of china or old pieces of brass and the prices were low. Junk shops, particularly in the poorer parts of towns, proliferated and, although they were clearly in the market with second-hand furniture for those setting up home not long after the second World War, there was always the odd shelf at the back of the shop with the pretty china and ornaments and brassware I craved, after so many years of austerity. All of these items were within reach of a pocket without too much money in it - unlike today, when frequently \u27junk\u27 is sold at something like \u27antique\u27 prices. How any collector\u27s mouth would water if shown a sale catalogue, a copy of which came into my possession some years ago. And how they would positively drool over the contents and prices, particularly if they were George Eliot devotees. For the catalogue contains: CONTENTS OF THE RESIDENCE comprising DECORATIVE FURNITURE the Library of about 1200 Vols of Books being Portions of the Libraries of George Eliot and G.H. Lewes Silver and plated articles, Water-colour drawings and miscellanies By Direction of the Executors of the Will of Gertrude, widow of Charles Lee Lewes, being part of the Property of George Eliot, bequeathed by her to Mr. Lewes, also a Portion of the Library of his father, George Henry Lewes. The sale was held at Gertrude\u27s home, 14, Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park, on Tuesday 15th May 1923. Whoever had bought my copy of the Sale Catalogue had been helpful enough to record the prices paid for many of the items at the auction and one\u27s feelings on reading these are a mixture of envy for those who got so much for so little, and sadness that the possessions of George Eliot were so little valued at that time. For the prices, even by 1923 standards, now seem ridiculously and pathetically low. These prices I have changed into their decimal equivalent for ease of comparison with late 20th century values. George Eliot\u27s own copy of Jubal was sold for £1.10, as was her copy of Young\u27s Night Thoughts with pencilled notes in her own hand. Three of Barbara Bodichon\u27 s paintings (George Eliot\u27s) went for £ 1.28 for the set, six by Octavia Hill for 9Op. A pair of brass candlesticks (and all of the items mentioned from now on belonged to George Eliot) 55p; a copper bed warmer 65p; a brass-mounted tea caddy was added to a leather papeterie case and a marble ewer and stand to make a lot which fetched 45p. An engraved glass claret jug together with a set of three engraved spirit decanters and six other pieces fetched 55p. 15p purchased a bamboo hanging etegere and a plaster corner bracket, but if you could stretch to £1.10 you could become the proud owner of a pair of French bronze vases and covers with female figure surmounts, together with another smaller one. A plaster female bust, another of a Roman lady and three others could be had for 30p

Annual Report 2002

2002 was, as always, a busy year, and the one in which we published our Pitkin Guide to George Eliot. This was something of a milestone for us as Pitkin Guides are so well known around the UK and it seemed right that George Eliot should be included in the vast number of Pitkin titles. We held our Annual General Meeting on 15 March and re-elected, with great pleasure, our President, Jonathan Ouvry, for another three-year term. Jonathan is so supportive of everything we do. We had been again without a treasurer until Jill Bridgewater agreed to replace Sophie Pavier and we were delighted to confirm her election. Jill has been an excellent Treasurer - very efficient and so pleasant to work with. After the business meeting the Secretary and John Burton gave a talk about their work on the Pitkin Guide. On 17 February there was a service in Astley (\u27Knebley\u27) Church at which the Chairman, on behalf of the Fellowship, handed over to the church a fine hand-made oak. bookcase in memory of our late Patron, the third Viscount Daventry, who had died two years earlier. Mr. Adams spoke about the close association between the Fellowship and Arbury and how pleased we are to have the late Lord Daventry\u27s daughter-in-law, the present Viscountess Daventry, as our new Patron. In April Gabriel Woolf and Rosalind Shanks gave their annual programme of readings in the Council Chamber at Nuneaton Town Hall. After thirty-two years of these programmes we wonder how\u27 Gabriel can find a new theme but he had devised a delightful presentation about animals entitled \u27Reigning Cats and Dogs\u27 and this was received with great pleasure by a large audience. We regretted that a second performance was not possible in 2002 - the first time for some years because we had found it difficult and expensive to mount two, but it did mean a much larger audience in Nuneaton than in past years. The George Eliot Day on 18 May on \u27Aspects of George Eliot\u27 (rather than on one or more of the novels) was a great success although we were presented with a huge problem a few days before when Professor Rosemary Ashton was unavoidably prevented from coming to present her paper on George Eliot and the Westminster Review. Shortly after hearing this news I had a phone call from Gabriel Woolf. When I told him about this problem he immediately said he would come and help out with readings from the Westminster Review. This he did most successfully; not only readings but he gave us the background to George Eliot\u27s work with the periodical. What a very good friend he is to us! We also had papers on music, poetry, and George Eliot\u27s friends, together with good company and excellent food