Seventh newsletter of the Rigmaiden One-Name Study, November 2015

Artists in the family: Mary and Ambrose McEvoy

Mary Edwards [full name Mary Augusta Spencer Edwards], born 1870 married artist Ambrose McEvoy in 1902. Mary was the 3^rd daughter of Spencer Henry Hutchins Edwards and Flora Campbell Bowie. Spencer Henry Hutchins Edwards was the eldest son of Benjamin Hutchins Edwards and Elizabeth Rigmaiden (daughter of Thomas and Margery Rigmaiden), thus Mary was the great grand-daughter of Thomas and Margery Rigmaiden of Liverpool.

She was born at the Edwards family home at Abbotsleigh, Freshford in Somerset on the 2^nd October, 1870. She studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London and exhibited at the New English Art Club between 1900 and 1906 then painted no more, presumably busy with family life, until her husband died in 1927. She then exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1928 until 1937 and died at Abbotsleigh Cottage in 1941 whilst staying with her sister, Helen.

Ambrose and Mary had two children: Michael Ambrose William McEvoy, born in 1904 in Faringdon, Berkshire and Mary Annabel McEvoy, born on the 8^th August 1911 in London. In the 1911 census the family are recorded as living at 107 Grosvenor Place, Pimlico. Daughter Mary Annabel married Geoffrey Vyvian Arundell Seccombe-Hett in 1934 in Westminster who later represented Britain in the 1936 Olympic fencing team and the Seccombe-Hetts lived in Canada for a while. Son Michael does not seem to have married and died in London in 1966.

However, this is a digression from the painting theme as Ambrose McEvoy was also an  artist, though somewhat better known than his wife. At the age of 15 he entered the Slade School of Fine Art in London (he was born in 1878 so was 7 years younger than Mary). Ambrose’s father had been a friend of James McNeil Whistler who encouraged Ambrose in his artistic ambitions. At the Slade he became friendly with Augustus John with whom he shared a studio for a short time at 76 Charlotte Street. In 1898, when he was 20, he became involved in a stormy affair with Augustus John’s sister, Gwen John, also a well known artist. She was devastated when, in 1900, Ambrose broke off the relationship to become engaged to Mary Augusta Spencer Edwards.

Ambrose became particularly well known for his portraits, many of well known individuals of the day. In 1909 he went to Dieppe with Walter Sickert and his style became looser and broader. On his return he was much in demand as a portrait artist of fashionable society women, such as Consuelo, Duchess of Marlborough, Lady Diana Cooper and the actress Lilah McCarthy.

Although best known for his portraits he also painted landscapes. During the First World War he was attached to the Royal Naval Division and produced, after three months on the Western Front and some time with the Fleet in the North Sea, a series of portraits of naval officers now in the collection of the Imperial War Museum. He died in 1927 from pneumonia brought on by overwork and high living.

After his death Mary resumed her painting and one of her pictures ‘Interior: girl reading’ is owned by the Tate Gallery, others are in the City Gallery, Southampton and the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Dublin. Portraits of both of them exist – many by Augustus John of Ambrose McEvoy, and of Mary there is a pencil sketch by Augustus John in a private collection and a bronze bust by Jacob Epstein in the Leeds Museum Art Gallery. 

There is also a self-portrait of Ambrose which shows him to be an individual with a long face and large eyes.

Sketch of Ambrose by Augustus John

Self portrait by Ambrose

Photograph of Augustus John, Ambrose and Philip Wilson Steer

Self portrait by Ambrose

Portrait of Mary by Ambrose

Portrait of Mary by Augustus John

Bust of Mary by Jacob Epstein

Picture by Mary 'Girl reading'

Portrait of Winston Churchill by Ambrose

Portrait of Ramsay Macdonald by Ambrose

Portrait of Gwen John by Ambrose

[Ref: Oxford National Biographies and Pinterest]

Archaeological find

Just to fill the last page, a snippet from an old newspaper that I found told of the archaeological discovery of a gold ring in the Nottinghamshire area inscribed G[e]orge Rigmaiden- probably dating from the 15^th or 16^th centuries. I have contacted the local museum service for more information but it may be that the Rigmaiden in question may have been a descendant of the William Rigmaiden who was a JP and sherif in the area during the early 1400s and who lived at Blyth. 

Best wishes of the season and good luck with your family trees!