A PRE-RAPHAELITE JEWEL:

THE CHAPEL OFHARRIS 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 wallFirst window, Justice and Humility 9Second window, Generosity and Courage 10Third window, Charity and Mercy 11Fourth window, Prayer and Inspiration 12Fifth window, Faith and Prophecy 13

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

Other work by Morris & Co. in the chapel 18

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

The organ 21

Appendix: ‘Elargissez Dieu’ 23

Places of reference 23

Notes 24

AcknowledgementsI must acknowledge from the outset that the work of A .Charles Sewter, ascollected in his book The Stained Glass of William Morris and his Circle – ACatalogue, has been most valuable in providing details of the chapel windows.Then I would like to thank the Principal of Harris Manchester College, the RevdDr Ralph Waller, for granting me permission to search the archives of theCollege and to cite some of the biographical details of people connected withthe chapel windows. I am grateful to correspondents beyond the College wallswho have given assistance and provided supplementary information regardingmemorials or donors. Also, I must thank Susan Killoran, Joyce Meakin, andYvonne Cornish, the staff of the College Library, for allowing me to interrupttheir work, for helping me, and for providing space for me to work with accessto the archives. Finally, but by no means least, my thanks to CatherineRobinson of the Chapel Society for editing the text, and to the Chaplain, theRevd Peter Hewis, for observant suggestions and encouragement.

Alan J. MiddletonOxford, 2006

Introduction

The architects of the chapel were Messrs. Worthington and Elgood, ofManchester; a copy of the original specification is held in the archives of theCollege Library.1 The chapel has a lofty roof structure with carved hammerbeams. At the dedication of the chapel in October 1893, the choir stalls andpanelling of the walls were in place, with lighting along the centre; the windowswere of plain glass. Seating for the congregation was provided in the form ofindividual chairs.

The plain glass windows were replaced by stained glass between 1895 and1899. The richly carved screen at the entrance and the oak benches in the bodyof the chapel were given in 1896/7. The organ has undergone at least two majorrefurbishments, but it has retained many of the original characteristics; it isbelieved 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 TheStained 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 isalways assumed that the building is correctly orientated, with the altar orcommunion table at the east end.

It so happens that the Harris Manchester College Chapel is built with thechancel and communion table at the WEST end; so the compass points givenfor the windows in Sewter are opposite to the actual geographical orientation. Itshould be noted that, in this booklet, all references to orientation in the HMCchapel conform to the geographical compass.

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

The Manchester College windows were executed in a period very close to thetime of death of both artists: William Morris died in 1896, and Burne-Jones in1898. However, the firm of Morris & Co. carried on until it was finally woundup in 1940. John Henry Dearle, considered to be Morris’s successor in that hewas taught by and followed the style of Morris, became Morris & Co.’sprincipal designer – and ‘Art Director’ of the firm – after William Morris’sdeath.

Sewter gives details of the Morris & Co. reference numbers for the cartoondesigns, including the title of the design, and whether by Burne-Jones (BJ) orWilliam Morris (WM) or other Morris & Co. designers. The numbers appearingafter the initials give the identity of the particular ‘cartoon’, since each figure orpicture might have been produced in more than one version. The relevantinformation 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 forsome of the windows. These copies are now in the archives of the HMCLibrary.

West window (the Chancel end), installed 1895

Upper tierJoseph (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 tierMatthew (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, butidentified by the text, ‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and thespirit 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 sixangels. The circle depicts the Nativity of Jesus (BJ 285).

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

The history of the design shows the influence of Unitarian thought. When theinitial design of the window was received, the College Committee requestedanother 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 ofJoseph in place of John the Baptist. The lower central figure of Paul the apostleis 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 getclose to the window to see the inscription, ‘IGNOTO DEO’ (To the unknownGod (Acts 17:23)), on the pillar. It has been suggested that the absence of aname for the central figure was a deliberate move by the Committee, and thatthe figure is intended to represent humankind. The window carries theinscription: ‘this window was given by frederick nettlefold and mary catherinehis wife in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety four’.

Frederick Nettlefold was a Trustee of the College from 1867. He was a memberof the committee of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association for manyyears, and its President in 1867; he was also onetime President of the NationalConference, forerunner to the General Assembly of Unitarian and FreeChristian Churches. In his business life he was involved in his father’sironmongery firm in London and Birmingham. His obituary (The Inquirer,March 8, 1913) records: ‘In 1867 he married Miss Mary Catherine Warren. Oneof the most marked features of his character was the beauty and depth of hisattachment 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 byMorris & Co., is held at Wightwick Manor (National Trust), nearWolverhampton, but in fact the design preserved at Wightwick is that of thegeographical East window, i.e., the one at the back of the chapel. Sewter’susage presumably results from the fact that the chapel was not built according tothe 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 worshipthe 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 onethousand eight hundred and ninety six’.

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

The Minutes of the College Committee Meetings2 record that Mr John Harwoodhad offered to pay for the stained glass for the window at the east end of thechapel. John Harwood, JP, (1838-1924) was a life-long member of the BankStreet Unitarian congregation in Bolton.3 In business he joined his father as aflour merchant, inheriting sole control after his father died. He had interests alsoin docks, colliery, and railway companies, but he was much more than a captainof industry: he was recorded as sharing in every contemporary religious, social,philanthropic, and political movement for much of his life.4 In 1868 he marriedEmma 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 thetwo 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 subjectand design suggested by Mr Harwood be approved with the exception of thefirst and third panels which were pictures of the Annunciation and theAdoration of the Magi and that in lieu of them the subject of the Angelsappearing 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 ofthe archive collection at Wightwick Manor (National Trust), nearWolverhampton. A photocopy of the sketch is now held in the archives of HMCLibrary. The design bears the title, ‘MANCHESTER NEW COLLEGE,OXFORD. East Window’. The College Committee approved the design ‘subjectto the omission of the dove in connection with the figure of Religion’.5 Thedove is shown on the photocopy in the top left corner of the light; but, in thewindow as fitted in the chapel, there is simply a plain cloud-like panel with ablue 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 floralpattern: 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 ofdelicately 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 GREGBORN 4TH JULY 1832 DIED 16TH JANUARY 1894

This window was donated by Mrs Greg and her son and daughters.6 Succeedingthe Revd Dr James Martineau, Henry Russell Greg was President of the Collegefrom 1888 until his death in 1894. He was very active in guiding the Collegethrough the crisis of moving to Oxford, and then in the proceedings at theopening 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 theMemorial Hall, Manchester, dedicated by non-sectarian trust to the promotionof 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 alsohead of the firm H. Greg & Co., Reddish Mills.8 He married Emily Gair in1860, and they had one son and six daughters.

Of the donors, Mrs Emily Greg was a devoted member and benefactor of theNorcliffe Chapel, Styal. Their son, Henry Phillips Greg, was a prominent leaderin the cotton-spinning industry; he was chairman of four textile firms anddirector 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, andthey had four daughters and one son; two of the daughters married sons of theRevd Dr L. P. Jacks, one-time Principal of the College: Emily married MauriceJacks, and Katharine married Stopford Jacks.10

Second window, installed September 1896

Generosity (BJ 398), in the person of St Martin, dividing his cloak toshare 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 andspear.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 PRESIDENTOF THE COLLEGE 1860–63 AND WILLIAM MACQUHAE AINSWORTHHIS YOUNGEST SON 1848–1890 STUDENT OF THE COLLEGEAND MINISTER THIS WINDOW IS DEDICATED BY THE SURVIVINGSONS 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’ inlieu of ‘Temperance’, to which David and John Ainsworth agreed.11

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

David Ainsworth, the eldest son, enrolled as a lay student of the College andsubsequently read Law; he was called to the Bar but never practised. A staunchLiberal, in 1880 he was elected as the first Liberal Member of Parliament forWest Cumberland. He was involved in several public and philanthropicinstitutions. One-time President of the British and Foreign UnitarianAssociation, for 16 years he was Treasurer of the College and, from 1896 to1900, was its President. He married Margaret McConnel of Cressbrook in1874.14

Sir John was the second son, and, like his brother, enrolled as a lay student ofthe College. He became a prominent ironmaster and a recognised authority onmercantile affairs, also active in banking and railways. He married MargaretMacredie in 1879. In 1903 he won the parliamentary seat for Argyllshire, whichhe 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 ared 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 agarment 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 BYFRANCIS TAYLOR OF BOLTON 1895

Francis Taylor, JP, also known as Frank,16 was a member of the family firm ofcotton-spinners, Charles Taylor, Bros. He gave liberally to Bank Street Chapelin Bolton and later, when Unity Church was opened, he was one of the principalbenefactors. He was interested in the education of the young and was one of theoriginal promoters of the Bolton branch of the National Education League. Hewas a member of the Microscopical Society and a Fellow of the RoyalMeteorological Society, to which for twenty years he contributed daily readingsfrom his own garden. He was Secretary of the Bolton Liberal Association, amember of the Bolton Temperance Association, and a Trustee of ManchesterCollege. He was made a County magistrate in 1894. In 1869, he married SarahCurtis, who died childless 1889; six years later he married Mary Heyworth, andthey had two children.17

Fourth window, installed September 1896

Prayer (BJ wb32) in the person of St Valentine, wearing a dark bluepatterned garment under a light blue shoulder covering and an elaboratelypatterned 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 cloakwith red lining, a dove on her shoulder symbolising the Holy Spirit, andwhite 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 HARRISONBORN 1748 DIED 1810 MINISTER OF CROSS STREETCHAPEL MANCHESTER 1771–1810 AND PROFESSOR OFCLASSICS IN THE MANCHESTER ACADEMY 1786–1789

Professor Harrison, son of the Revd W. Harrison, attended WarringtonAcademy with the intention of studying for the Christian ministry. Uponcompletion of the course, he took shared pastoral charge of a congregation atShrewsbury, and in 1771 became pastor at Cross Street Chapel, Manchester. In1774 he began a school for the education of youth. The Revd Dr ThomasBarnes joined him as co-pastor at Cross Street in 1780. In 1786, Harrison andBarnes, with the influential help of another Warrington graduate, ThomasPercival, promoted the establishment of the Manchester Academy. Harrison andBarnes constituted the founding faculty of the Academy.18

Ralph Harrison had a musical bent and composed hymn tunes, two of which areused by various denominations, including Methodists and Baptists. Perhaps themost well known is ‘Warrington’, written for Manchester Academy inrecognition of its Warrington roots.

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

Information is available in the obituary columns of The Inquirer regarding JohnThomas Harrison20 and Frederick Angier Harrison,21 but of the other twobrothers information is minimal. John Thomas was the second son of the Revd

Dr Harrison, who served congregations first at Chowbent and then at EffraRoad, Brixton; and Frederick Angier was the fifth son.

John had an international reputation as a successful ship-owner, trading with theports of Antwerp and Normandy. His services were recognised by the FrenchGovernment, which created him Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. He wasalso awarded the Order of Leopold of Belgium, and the Emperor of Austriaawarded 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 UnitarianAssociation 1908/10. He was skilled as an organist and was active in thefoundation of the Guildhall School of Music. In 1866 he married ElizabethHammond, fourth daughter of John Wallace Hammond, chief engineer of theGreat Western Railway under I K Brunel. Frederick was not so prominent inbusiness as his brother, but is recorded as having been quite successful. He isreputed 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 iswearing 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 bringingfood. The two ravens are rather obscure: one is almost invisible unlesssunlight is shining through the glass. Burne-Jones’s original cartoonshows the two ravens quite clearly. A good example is found at BramptonChurch near Carlisle. Elijah is depicted in a white undergarmentdecorated 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 OFTIBBERTON COURT GLOUCESTERSHIREBORN 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 hewas a one-time chairman of Midland Railway Co., a director of the Gloucesterand Berkeley Canal Co., and a founder member of the Gloucester Chamber ofCommerce. His obituary in The Inquirer (11 April 1891, p233) sums up hisreligious work:

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

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

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

The donor of the window was Mrs Margaret Price, daughter of Mr and Mrs R NPhilips, and wife of Major W E Price, son of Mr William Philip Price, to whomthe window is dedicated.

Windows in the north wall (to right when facing chancel)

The Arlosh windows, ‘The Six Days of Creation’, installed January1896

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

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

Second day (BJ 121): creation of heaven.Inscribed: ‘whose short life was made beautiful by the influence of loveand 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 andsmall / 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 andbrasenose college oxford’.

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

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

The donors were Mr and Mrs Arlosh of Woodside, Cumberland. James Arloshwas 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 werebroad and liberal, and he found at length that he shared his grandfather’sUnitarianism, and that it was his duty to resign his position in the Church ofEngland.

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 thetragic 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 inHigh Street, Oxford, after removal from London.

They at once began to attend the College services in the room in HighStreet, and on the erection of the present buildings, to which theyliberally contributed, they, in memory of their son, presented the Collegewith those much-admired windows in the chapel from designs by Sir EBurne-Jones, which so fitly and beautifully typify the six days ofCreation.22

Mr Arlosh became a Trustee of the College in 1894 and was a member ofCommittee from 1896 to 1899. He and his wife moved back to Cumberland in1899 and linked up with the Unitarian church in Carlisle, and Mr Arloshoccasionally conducted services at the chapel. The resident minister, RevdCharles Travers, and Mr Arlosh shared a common interest in education andLiberal politics.

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

The inscription, ‘élargissez dieu’ (discussed more fully in the Appendix, buthere roughly translated as ‘Set God free’, or ‘Open your mind to expand yourconcept of the Divine’), is repeated at the top of each light; it was reputedly afavourite motto of James Losh, the grandfather of James Arlosh.23

The Choir windowsThe two small windows opposite the organ in the north wall (to the right whenfacing the chancel) are appropriately musical in theme. The depth of colour isnot 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, preferredthe 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:

THEMIRIAM WINDOW

WAS GIVEN BYJ.EDWIN ODGERS

1900

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

John Edwin Odgers went to London in 1859 and trained for the Unitarianministry at University College and Manchester New College. He married MissLily 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 theManchester Domestic Mission. Then, in 1894, Edwin Odgers moved to Oxfordupon appointment to the post of Hibbert Lecturer in Ecclesiastical History atManchester College, Oxford. At the turn of the century Tufts College,Massachusetts, conferred on him the degree of D.D. From 1913 the slowapproach of blindness restricted his activity, and his last years involved agradual decline until 3 August 1925, when he passed away.25 A memorialplaque is attached to the rear wall of the chapel. His wife, Lily, predeceased himby a year and a half.26

Second window, installed September 1899

David (BJ wb76) Burne-Jones’ design depicting David playing a smallharp.Inscribed: ‘let us exalt his name together’ (Ps.34: 3).

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

THEDAVID WINDOWWAS GIVEN BY

FORMER STUDENTS1900

The design is unusual, in that David is shown apparently wearing chain-mailsocks. A copy of the original design by Morris & Co. is held in the archives ofthe HMC library. A list of contributors, 119 names in total, can be found in theminutes 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 Morrishimself, as sometimes reported, since Morris had died before the work wascommissioned). 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 nowoccupied by the painting of ‘The Last Supper’ over the communion table. TheCollege Committee did not wish to proceed with the installation of the Gessopanel, but a copy of the design by Morris & Co. is held in the archives of theCollege library; the original artwork is held by the Huntington Library,California.

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

Resolved that Messrs Morris & Co’s a/c for the curtain in the chapel bepaid 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 entranceto the chapel in 1897. There is no apparent record of what happened to thecurtain.

The furniture and fittings

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

The oak screenThe oak screen, presented by Arthur Greg and constructed by the firm of Earpsand Hobbs of Manchester, was installed in the chapel in 1896.28 The remarkabledetailed carving may easily be missed when one enters the awe-inspiringchapel. The top of the screen is in the form of a canopy, and even the under-sidefeatures some clever pattern-work, normally hidden from view unless one has aconvenient artificial light. The elaborate inanimate carving changes at thespringing of the arch, where two doves of peace face each other. The centralcross above the arch would probably not be considered an appropriate feature ifthe screen was made in the present day. One of Arthur Greg’s proposals wasthat the history of the College should be recorded on the screen; this has beendone by including coloured shields showing the arms of the towns and citieswhere the College was successively located. The screen has three sections oneither 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 memorialto his brother, Henry Russell Greg (1832–94), and that it should be placed onthe rear wall to be visible as one looks through the arch of the screen. Hisrequest was not fulfilled to the letter: the memorial plate is attached to the sidewall, not the rear wall, with the inscription:

The Oak Screenin this Chapel was erected

in the year mdcccxcviin memory of

Henry Russell GregPresident of this College

mdccclxxxviii – mdcccxcivThe gift of his brother

Arthur Greg.

The seatingThe oak pews were another gift of Arthur Greg as a memorial of the 60th yearof the reign of Queen Victoria.29 The wording is carved on the first pew-end:

The oak benchesin the chapel

were presented byArthur Greg

as a memorialof the sixtieth year

of the reign ofVictoria R & IAD 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 DistrictCouncillor. 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 hisdeath in 1899.30

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

In fulfilment of the wish ofthe late Herbert Bramley

of Sheffield to aid in adorningthe College Chapel the copyof Leonardo da Vinci’s “LastSupper” placed in the Chapel

was presented by his widow. Thecopy was made by Miss E S Nevinson

Herbert Bramley, named in the memorial, died in 1897 at the early age of 55years, having been a prominent citizen of Sheffield. He was partner in thefamily firm of Solicitors, and when he was appointed to the office of TownClerk, his son, Edward Bramley, took his place in the firm. It is recorded in TheInquirer that he was an active Unitarian, and ‘... his physical, mental, andmaterial resources were all freely spent in the cause of Unitarianism’. He wasPresident of the Yorkshire Unitarian Union and President of the UnitarianHome Missionary College, Manchester.32 He also maintained an interest inManchester College, Oxford, as a Trustee. His sons, Edward and Henry, paidfor the illumination of the painting in 1947.33

The artist, Miss E S Nevinson, is recorded in The Dictionary of British Artists1880–1940, as having exhibited between 1889 and 1896, with nine items shownat the Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham, and seven items at the RoyalHibernian Academy.34 In spite of many searches, no biographical details havebeen found.

The lightingThe original lighting in the chapel was by six electroliers (electricalchandeliers), hanging centrally along the chapel, each electrolier having sixlights; a photograph included in the record of the opening proceedings showsthe elaborate lighting and the windows with plain glass.35 The lighting waschanged in 1899 to one row on each side of the chapel, because the originalcentral electroliers partially obscured the new west window; the new lightingwas a gift from Mr Charles W Jones, Treasurer to the College at that time.36 Thelighting was further improved during the long vacation of 1957. Spotlights andsofter 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 originalorgan, which was constructed by the firm of Gray and Davison; it had pedalsand two manuals with tracker action. Initially it was pumped by hand; in 1902Mrs Buckton gave a further sum to provide hydraulic machinery for blowing theorgan. The original console was immediately under the organ and visiblethrough the open-railed woodwork. According to legend, the front pipes werepainted personally by William Morris, but this could not have been so, sinceMorris died (1896) before the work was commissioned (1897). The style is thatof John Henry Dearle, the Art Director of Morris & Co. who succeeded Morris.

The organ was renovated and largely rebuilt by the firm Nicholson of Worcesterin 1930, to the specification of Harold Spicer, College Organist andChoirmaster. The original tracker action was changed to tubular pneumatic, anda Choir Organ and manual added. The front pipes were moved forward to be inline with the wall of the chapel. Photographs of the chapel prior to 1930 showthe front pipes set back into the arch of the organ chamber. Mrs Carpenteroffered to bear the whole cost of the renovation in memory of her husband, Dr JEstlin Carpenter, one-time Principal of the College. A further refurbishment wasdone in 1959, during which two of the original stops were replaced. In 1968 anhumidifier 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, achange which made it possible to move the console from its original positionimmediately under the organ screen to the other side of the chancel, taking theplace of two choir stalls; the numerous connecting cables passed under therostrum to the organ chamber. This new position improved the organist’s view

of proceedings in the chapel. Two changes to the stops were implemented aspart of the revision, making a fine organ even better. It is now valued bymusicians 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. Thefollowing inscription appears on a brass plate attached to the organ screen.

THIS ORGAN WAS GIVEN TO MANCHESTER COLLEGE CHAPELOCTOBER 1893

BY MRS GEORGE BUCKTON IN MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND.-------------------------------

IT WAS REBUILT AND ENLARGED OCTOBER 1930 BY THEIR DAUGHTER ALICEIN MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND JOSEPH ESTLIN CARPENTER

WHOSE LOVE AND WORSHIP FOUND UTTERANCE HERE.

Specification of the present organ

Great Swell Choir PedalBourdon 16 Open diapason 8 Viol di gamba 8 Contrabass 32Open diapason I 8 Salicional 8 Rohr flute 8 Opendiapason 16Open diapason II 8 Lieblich gedacht 8 (c) Nazard 2 2/3 Bourdon 16Claribel flute 8 Voix celeste 8 (d) Tierce 1 3/5 Echo bass 16(a) Quintaton 8 (b) Koppel flute 4 Dulciana 8 Octave 8Harmonic flute 4 Gemshorn 4 Hohl flute 4 Flute 8Principal 4 Fifteenth 2 Viola 4 Contrafagotto 16Twelfth 2 2/3 Mixture 3 ranks Clarinet 8 Ophicleide 16Fifteenth 2 Oboe 8 Tuba minor 8 Tuba 8Tuba minor 8 Contrafagotto 16 Tremulant 7 couplers6 couplers Trumpet 8 6 couplers 5 pistons to Swell5 pistons Clarion 4 5 pistons 5 pistons to Pedal

Tremulant 3reversible pistons3 couplers5 pistons

(a) added 1959 (b) added 1959 (c) added 1973 in place ofin place of Dolce 8 in place of Viol d’orchestre 8

Lieblich bourdon 16(d) added 1973 in place ofViol celeste 8

Appendix: ‘Elargissez Dieu’

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

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

Catherine Robinson offers the following translation:

People are too ready to talk about God, but they fail to put enoughemphasis on his presence. People have banished the Divine from theirlives; they have consigned God to a sanctuary; the walls of a temple hidehim from view; [for them] he has no existence beyond those walls. Cometo your senses! Destroy these restrictions which cramp your ideas; setGod 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 E17Tel: 0208 527 3782; www.lbwf.gov.uk/wmgDeputy Keeper: Peter Cormack FSA

Wightwick Manor, National Trust, Wightwick Bank, Wolverhampton,West Midlands WV6 8EEProperty 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, USAwww.huntington.orgContact: Anne Mallek <mallek@usc.edu>

Notes1 MCO History oddments. Box 2, No. 23, Specification for the Building ofManchester New College, Oxford. Worthington and Elgood, Architects, March1891.NB. The Opening Ceremony is published in Manchester College Oxford.Proceedings and Addresses on the occasion of the Opening of the College Buildingsand Dedication of the Chapel, October 18-19, 1893 (London. Longmans, Green, andCo., 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 ManchesterCollege.’ (Evidence of the former name still shows in the monogram, ‘MNC’, abovethe 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 ofBank 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 theOpening 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 detailsof 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 ofBank 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, withsupplementary information from Mr Colin Harrison of Utah and a paper by Mr DavidHarrison, From Rathmell to Manchester College: The Harrison Connection (HMCLibrary 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 forSession 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 (JohnMcLachlan, 1991), p88.34 The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940: an Antique Collectors' Club ResearchProject listing 41,000 artists. Compiled by J. Johnson and A. Greutzner. Published bythe Antique Collectors' Club Ltd. Reprinted 1980.35 Manchester College Oxford. Proceedings and Addresses on the occasion of theOpening 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 thenineteenth century, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll of France and Henry (Father) Willis ofEngland.