RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: stagsman on Wednesday 03 August 05 22:49 BST (UK)
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Can anyone help with the date of the dress in this painting? She is known as 'Lady Margaret Wade' and we know of two versions that have been handed down within the extended family, but we have no Wades in the tree so far!
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Looks very "Pride and Prejudice" to me - early 1800's
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It's about 1815.
Nell
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This is referred to as Empire Style - 1800 to 1815. [The Emperor being Bonaparte]. The distinguishing characteristic is the very high "waistline" - right under the bodice. ::)
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Thanks everyone for your comments. Early 1800's ties in with our thinking as well but unfortunately that only confuses things when it comes to working out who Lady Margaret Wade might be, so here is the second part of the challenge.
The two paintings were passed down the female line of the Harrison family who were tenant farmers in Middle Handley, near Staveley in Derbyshire, part of the Chatsworth Estate of the Duke of Devonshire. George Harrison married Hannah Barker in 1826 in Dronfield and the first of many children was born in Dronfield in 1827. The earliest link of the Harrison family with Handley is the birth of the seventh child in 1839 and we have maps from the Chatsworth Estate dated 1842 showing George Harrison farming land close to the church in Middle Handley. Intriguingly the property on the land around that time is known as "Wade's Homestead". However having checked Staveley parish records the only Wades recorded in the village were in the late 1600's and early 1700's up to 1733.
So who could Margaret Wade be? The only candidate that we can find in our tree is George Harrison's mother. George was born in 1808, the second of four children born between 1806 and 1811 in Greenhills, Norton, Derbyshire to James Harrison and Millicent. There is no record of the marriage in the Norton registers, so no way of finding Millicent's maiden name but it presumably took place around 1805, making it right for 'Margaret'.
James and Millicent were both still young when the 4th child was born (late 20's) but there is no death record in Norton for either of them, so did they move away and if so where to? Did they have any more children and was Millicent really Margaret Wade? If not then who was Margaret Wade and why did the Harrison's have 2 copies of her painting?
I feel only a dedicated RootsChatter will be able to help solve the mystery. All contributions gratefully accepted.
Ian
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If she was a "Lady" would Burke's Peerage help?
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It appears that a Mrs Roberts may have written under the name Margaret Wade, c. 1806
http://www.british-fiction.cf.ac.uk/TitleDetails.asp?title=1806A057&browse=y
Any clue?
Regards CP
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When I was at college aprox 15 years ago (EEEK) I did a project about fashion through the ages and I went to visit a museum in Miles Platting, Manchester, that was purely dedicated to clothes through the ages. I'm sorry but I've no idea if it is still there but worth a shot to enquire - maybe they would offer some advice.
Regards
Fiona
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Any idea who the artist was? Perhaps the Tate Gallery (now Tate Britain) could help - if the artist is someone well known, there could be a record of who this lady is.
Whoever she is, she's beautiful! Just looking at that dress makes me think of Mr Darcy....**swoon** ::)
Prue
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As a child I lived in both Greenhill and Dronfield so I know the area reasonably well. You only mention searching the Norton registers for these events, which I find a little strange when there are other churches in the area which are about the same distance from both places as Norton. Dronfield is about equidistant from both Norton and Greenhill and both Holmesfield and Beauchief are about the same distance from Greenhill. Dronfield is about 6 miles from Chesterfield, as is Staveley. If you have not already done so I think I would be inclined to spread my wings a little further.
Good luck.
Jill
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JillJ
Thanks for the advice - I had focussed on the Norton registers because that was where IGI had put the birth of the 4 Harrison children. I think extending the search is what I will have to do next. Is there anyone out there who has access to the North East Derbyshire parish records as it will be some time before I can get to Matlock.
Ian
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Hi,
I think your best bet would be to post a request for the information you want on the Derbyshire board. Make sure you give all the details you already have.
Good luck.
Jill
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Foolish question, but is there no indication of the artist?
Stumbled across this because have a Margret Wade in my family tree, but if she was a lady, it was by character and not title (& though she might have passed through Derbyshire, never heard of her having rested there.