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

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

Annual Report 1996

When our year began with the Annual General Meeting we had the opportunity to accept our new Constitution. This enabled us to apply for and receive Charitable Status which we hope will be a useful situation for us in the future. At the meeting we were afraid that we were to lose a wonderful treasurer with no sign of a replacement but John Bunn agreed to stay on until the end of September while our search continued. Before that deadline Sally-Ann Pye offered her services and she has worked well and efficiently with us since, proving a helpful and enthusiastic member of Council. The retiring members of the Council were re-elected and · David Adams was co-opted for the year. After the meeting slides associated with George Eliot places and events were shown. The Fellowship has been extremely fortunate to be one of the legatees of the estate of the late Daphne Carrick, a life member of many years. Other legatees receiving a similar amount are the Bronte Society, the Gaskell Society, the National Trust, the Friends of Norwich Cathedral and, we believe, the Dickens Fellowship. The estate has to be finally settled but we have received, so far, the magnificent sum of £35,000. When the Chairman and I joined the Fellowship in 1965 the funds were never out of double figures - now we are well into five figures. What a golden opportunity this gives us to promote George Eliot even more. We wrote and asked the views of our President and Vice-Presidents on how the income from the investment of this large sum should be used and we had some most interesting replies, all of which were carefully considered. We hope to keep most of the legacy invested and only use the income so that there will always be a substantial sum to fall back upon for any major project. The winner of the George Eliot Prize was announced in February. Phyllis Weliver received a cheque for £50 and two years\u27 membership of the Fellowship as well as guaranteed publication of her paper in the 1996 George Eliot Review. Several members attended the AGM of the Alliance of Literary Societies in April. This was hosted by The Housman Society to mark the centenary of the publication of A Shropshire Lad and we heard some most interesting and professional talks about organizing their attractive Housman Festival. The ALS President, Gabriel Woolf, read from the series of poems and the Chairman of the Housman Society declared he had never heard them read better

A Most Remarkable Cat

Because George Eliot is buried in London\u27s Highgate Cemetery the Fellowship is a member of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery who care for this vast burial area. We receive a regular newsletter from the Friends which recently reported that Domino, the cemetery cat, liked to accompany visitors. On one occasion some time ago Domino accompanied a party to the huge Karl Marx memorial in the Western Cemetery. One of the party expressed a wish to see the grave of George Eliot if it was not too far away. Domino turned and led them straight to the grave which is very close to Karl Marx. Some time later the Friends newsletter reported that Domino was not at all well and an appointment had been made for a visit to the vet. On the day Domino was nowhere to be found so someone phoned the vet with an apology and made a second appointment. On that day Domino was missing again. An embarrassing phone call was made to the vet, apologizing again for the absence of Domino. The vet assured the caller not to worry; Domino himself had kept the appointment, walking to the vet\u27s practice over busy roads. We are assured that both stories are quite true

Review of A Community of Interest- the Story of the George Eliot Fellowship 1930-2000

On November 22nd 1930 an inaugural supper for the George Eliot Fellowship was held at the Newdegate Arms in Nuneaton, at which Sir Francis Newdegate GCMG of Arbury Hall presided. He told the assembled company that it was high time that those who lived Nuneaton should pay every honour they could to George Eliot. He went on to say \u27I cannot myself speak of her writings as an expert, but I do know that she has done a great deal for the neighbourhood in the way she has reproduced Warwickshire as it was 100 years ago and has preserved the characters of many people who lived in the neighbourhood at the time\u27. Sir Francis ended by saying he hoped the Fellowship would prove successful. In A Community of Interest - an update of an earlier book published in 1980 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary - Kathleen Adams charts the course of the Fellowship from 1930-2000. She tells us that its Founder, A. F. Cross, a Leicestershire man by birth, had been on the editorial staff of the Nuneaton Advertiser from 1895, and in 1905 had acquired the Nuneaton Chronicle - the oldest established local paper. It took him twenty-five years of hard struggle to overcome the apathy of George Eliot\u27s home town and for his campaign for some sort of memorial to bear fruit. His words written in the Chronicle a week after that inaugural supper, reporting that \u27The George Eliot Fellowship will probably develop into an organisation known throughout the world-wide realm of art and literature\u27, have proved prophetic. From those early beginnings in 1930, the Fellowship has seen many ups and downs. The membership has fluctuated, as have the finances, which by 1939 were in the red. The Fellowship was re-formed in October 1947 after a break of eight years when the Second World War intervened. In 1950 there were less than fifty members with a total of £4 in the kitty - but the lowest ebb was in 1967 with twenty-one members and five life members

To Pray or Not to Pray

No-one who has read George Eliot\u27s novels can be unaware of her interest in the clergy as characters for her fiction - Amos Barton, Mr. Gilfil, Mr. Tryan, Mr. Irwine, Rufus Lyon - or of her knowledge of various expressions of faith - Evangelical, Methodist, Independent, through to ..Judaism in her final novel, Daniel Deronda. She writes of the clergy with a minimum of caricature, some criticism, but she is never without compassion. Reading her letters confirms this interest as well as her Iife-Iong search for knowledge of the subject and, because her quest is so well documented, her views and her doubts appear to lay her wide open both to her admirers and her critics. Many of her admirers belong to the George Eliot Fellowship her critics often do not. But critics, both inside and outside the membership, have made their views known about what they see as an indulgence by the Fellowship in religious practice - from Grace before the Birthday Luncheon to the placing of a memorial in a church. We were soundly scolded for putting a plaque in Chilvers Coton Church (her \u27Shepperton\u27 Church in Scenes of Clerical Life) and for being associated with the one in Holy Trinity, Coventry. The memorial stone in Vestminster Abbey caused a storm of protest, not least in The Guardian. We know that we have members who stay away from our Wreath-laying Ceremonies because of their religious content - not because of their own religious feelings but what they believe to be George Eliot\u27s. At the Nuneaton ceremony we have usually celebrated George Eliot with assistance from the clergy and choir of her baptismal church of Chilvers Coton. At Westminster Abbey the presence of the clergy and some form of religious service is unavoidable. If the nation\u27s national literary shrine were to be somewhere other than Westminster Abbey, our celebration would be, doubtless, without benefit of clergy - like George Eliot\u27s union with G.H. Lewes! We have tried to answer each protest as it has arisen and hope that our answers have been convincing. The latest criticism arose in the New Humanist, whose editor, Jim Herrick, attended the Celebration Luncheon after the unveiling of the George Eliot statue in Nuneaton last March. He wrote, \u27Less appropriately, the lunch began with grace. ... Although George Eliot was far from being a radical free-thinker, grace at a celebration in her honour is surely a betrayal of the principles of a woman who suffered considerably in order to remain true to her agnosticism.\u27 My dictionary includes in the meaning of \u27agnostic\u27: one who accepts knowledge of material phenomena only. This alone can hardly relate to George Eliot, but there is neither time nor space to go more deeply into meanings here