This is a sample article which was published in the first edition of the Sentinel (August 1997, pp17 - 20).

Francis Scaife: An Artist's Impression

"Two miserable horses dragged us slowly to my uncle's house in Brook Street, Grosvenor Square. My uncle's name was Scaife and he became my uncle by marrying my mother's sister."

This quotation is from the autobiography of William Powell Frith, the mid-nineteenth century artist. It was a momentous find for me, as the Scaife referred to is my five times great uncle, Francis. Further quotations made even this one pale into insignificance. It seems that Francis was a key figure in Frith's youth, and expressed a wish that the fledgling artist might become the "head of such a business as Oxenhams" - an Al-Fayed of the 1850s perhaps!

Both the Friths and the Scaifes were natives of Yorkshire. There is evidence to suggest that both families had connections with the Dragon Hotel, Harrogate, described in one source as "a cornerstone of social life in Regency Harrogate".

Francis Scaife:

The biographical details of Francis Scaife can be briefly summarised as follows: the son of a huntsman, he was born at Stone Gravels, a suburb of Chesterfield, in 1789. He had moved to London by 1822, where he married Maria Powell, the sister of Frith's mother. He settled in the parish of St George's Hanover Square, (part of Mayfair), where he remained until his death in 1851. His wife predeceased him in 1848.

Contemporary Trade Directories indicate that Francis was a "hotel keeper of 7 Lower Brook Street, Grosvenor Square" by 1826. He is consistently referred to in these sources until about 1840, at which point it would appear that having made his fortune, he decided to retire, and moved to a private house in the same street.

The size and number of bequests that Francis makes in his will bear witness to the degree of success he had in his chosen trade. A legacy of £1500 pounds was left to his brother Christopher, for example, and £1000 to his nephew, also Christopher, who in addition received Francis's gold watch and dressing gown. My three times great grandfather John Francis Scaife, a butcher of Sheffield, is among those mentioned by name. He was one of the beneficiaries of money left in trust by his illustrious uncle.

It is in this will that the first clues about a connection with the Frith family become apparent. One of the executors was William Frith's brother referred to by Francis as "my nephew Charles Frith of Lincoln's Inn, barrister-at-law." William himself gets £1000 - perhaps a reflection of Francis's reluctance to believe that his occupation would support him in the long term.

Frith's background:

William Frith was born in 9th June 1819 at Aldfield Yorkshire. His father was the butler to Mrs Lawrence, the owner of Studley Royal at about that date. His mother was the cook at the same place. It was in 1826 that the family moved to the Dragon Hotel in Harrogate already referred to above. Sir Launcelot Shadwell, the vice-chancellor, often stayed at the Dragon Hotel. It was during one of his stays that he was shown some of Frith's early paintings. This was to be the impetus which would give Frith the break he needed in order to launch a career as an artist. Clutching a portfolio of his best work so far, he set off by coach from Leeds to London with his father.

Visit to Uncle Scaife's hotel:

According to his autobiography, Francis thought Frith's parents "simply insane" when the project was broached. Apparently, Uncle Scaife was "a shrewd man of the world without any of the vices that so often disfigure that character." His education had been neglected and he delighted in using the aspirate where it was not required but not when it was.

On their arrival, there was an immediate set back - Sir Laurence Shadwell was out of town, and this left no way of approaching the contact who had been recommended by him, a Mr Phillips of the Royal Academy. His title, which created a sense of awe in Frith's father, seems to have cut little ice with Uncle Scaife, whose reaction, I'm sure you will agree, was entirely in character with the no-nonsense businessman description given above:

"R.A., sir", said my uncle. "Why, they're as poor as rats, the lot of 'em. I know for a fact N_____ never paid for a dead swan, or a deer, or something, that he got from that place in the New Road; and what is more he lodged for six weeks with a cousin of my 'ead waiter and ran away without paying a farthing. And that's the kind of thing you're going to bring your son up to!"

In the absence of Sir Laurence, it was decided to approach a Mr Partridge who lived a few houses further down Brook Street. A preliminary meeting between Frith's father and this man was arranged, whereupon it was reported to Frith that

"Mr Partridge would like to talk with you.... He paints such lovely pictures. Why he isn't an RA, I can't think"

At this, Uncle Scaife broke in:

"It's because he's too clever, sir. Why, those painters are that jealous of one another, the wonder is the whole thing don't break down!. And it will some day, Master William, just about the time that you are ready for it."

"Ah", said Frith's father, "if I could live to see that day."

"What day?" said his aunt, who had just joined them.

It is at this point that Scaife's real ambitions for his nephew become clear, as I revealed at the beginning:

"Frith would like to see his son a R.A. at Somerset House sooner than the head of such a business as Oxenham's. That's the sort of day he wants to see, good Lord!"

Artistic Development:

It was arranged that Frith would study under Henry Sass of Charlotte Street, Bloomsbury. After he had completed this, he continued to practise by painting anyone who would sit for him. Amongst others who he rather self deprecatingly mentions 'had the patience to go through this ordeal' were his Aunt and Uncle Scaife. I have yet to find out whether or not these paintings still exist. I've often thought that it would be highly amusing to discover that they have been hanging in the foyer of some classy central London hotel for the last century and a half!

Bereavement:

It was during a visit to London in 1837 that Frith's father died, whilst staying at Scaife's hotel. As you would expect, this was a difficult time for the family, and Uncle Scaife's hospitality was gratefully received when Frith's mother came down from Harrogate in order to find a house in London. It is also mentioned that at the time of his death, Frith's father had recently become the owner as well as landlord of the Dragon Hotel. Consequently, his widow sought a new tenant, which is likely to have been a member of the Scaife or Baynes family whose names headed an 1838 listing of Dragon Hotel visitors, which was discovered in the Harrogate Advertiser of that year.

Reference is also made at this stage to the private residence to which Francis Scaife had by this time "retired in easy competence". The 1851 Census, taken shortly before his death confirms that he was at this point living with two servants at 9A Upper Brook Street.

Conclusion:

A common reaction to this story has been that Francis Scaife comes across as a Dickensian character. It should be noted that Frith knew Dickens quite well and it has been said that the latter's wife felt that their friendship was one of the contributing factors which caused the failure of their marriage. It is not entirely inconceivable that his acquaintance with Dickens may have influenced Frith's writing style, but allowing for that, the general impression we are given of Francis Scaife's character is likely to be accurate.

© Bernard Scaife and the Scaife Study Group 1997