| Full description | St Peter's Church and pond, Cowfold. General view from north west across pond and trees. Church tower in background left with turret on north east corner. Houses in background partly obscured by trees and hedge.Watercolour signed E.D.B. in lower left corner. Hand-written on back "Subject for April - Our Village" and "Cowfold Church, from bedroom window in old Vicarage, 1878".
This is one of 19 paintings of Cowfold in Library Service collections. They all appear to have been produced between 1877 and about 1890 for a local art circle.
The artist was probably Ellen Davis Browell (EDB), daughter of Rev. James Browell (1814 - 1891), Vicar of Cowfold from 1873 to 1891. Her mother was Ellen Elizabeth Davis, 1817 - 1848 and they married in 1841 in Warminister, Wiltshire. Ellen was born in Fulham, Middlesex, London. She had two sisters, Frances Martha (1842 - 1919 ) and Kate Anna (1847-1930) who married Richard Hoper. Her mother died in 1848 and was buried on the 11th December at St Mary Hornsey aged 31. On the 5th July 1853 her father made a second marriage to Dora Wright at St James, Muswell Hill, London.
Between 1871 and 1881 the family moved to Cowfold and the following data is from the census:
1881 - the family are in Cowfold at The Vicarage, James is the Vicar of Cowfold.but Ellen, aged 36 is on the census in the household of her Uncle William at 11, Sandrock Road, Tunbridge Wells Kent. Her occupation is 'Income from Dividends'.
1891 - James,77, a Clerk in Holy Orders (retired), his wife Dorothy? 78, Frances aged 48 and Ellen 46 are living in 2 Avenue Road, South Nutfield, Horley Surrey.
1901 - Frances ( shown as Head) and Ellen are living on independent means at 160, Avenue Road, Nutfield, Surrey. Her younger sister Kate and her husband Richard Hoper m. 1882 - Barrister at law - are at the same address.
Ellen died on the 13th August 1907. In her will she left £11,725 13s (equivalent to 1,122,551.50 today) to her sister Francis Martha Browell. In 1911 Kate was a widow living at Hill Farm, Cowfold.
Information for this record was kindly supplied by Sue Crofts, Joint Chairman of Cowfold Village History Society. |