OUR STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

Stained Glass Windows in St. Mary’s Swillington

A few years ago my wife and I attended a funeral in Aislaby, a small village near Whitby, having arrived somewhat early I was looking around the church and remarked to the lady verger that they appeared to have some windows by Curtis, Ward and Hughes. She seemed mystified so we went closer to one and there in the bottom corner was the identification.

The two major stained glass windows in St. Mary’s Swillington are by Curtis, Ward and Hughes. They are in the chancel and the south aisle and dated 1901 and 1918 respectively. So who were Curtis, Ward and Hughes?

Ward and Hughes is a very well known firm to admirers of Victorian stained glass. They produced a tremendous amount of work in England in the middle of the 19th century. However details of the firm's history are not easy to follow. The firm’s name altered a number of times and some members of the firm undertook work privately.

The firm appears to have originated from Derby. John Hancock was connected with the Derby china factory, and, before he left Derby, he began to manufacture enamel and glass colours (one of the first to practise the art in this country). Hancock was in partnership with Nixon and Dunt at the time of an exhibition of a copy of Spagnoletto's Descent from the Cross, which had been made in painted glass. The partnership between Hancock and Nixon came to an end, Nixon then became a partner of Thomas Ward (1808-1870), who was primarily a lead glazier, although he did design some ornamental work. Ward had come to 67 Frith Street, Soho, London from Normanton in Yorkshire. For some twenty years Nixon and Ward produced many windows which were sent to various parts of the world.

Henry Hughes (1822-1883), was born at Market Drayton, Shropshire. He was the son of a butcher, but was given an apprenticeship as an artist at Ward & Nixon, stained glass manufacturers. James Nixon began to fade away from the business around 1856, and died in 1857. Hughes married Elizabeth Curtis in September 1851 in St Marylebone Church, London, and lived in Green Street, Park Lane. They had one son and three daughters. After Nixon's death, Ward began a partnership with Henry Hughes, continuing to work from Frith Street, London. Hughes was a well known, and well respected artist, and won, amongst others, the contract to supply windows for the Guildhall and later St Mary-le-Bow.

For the rest of the 19th century up to the end of the first world war, Ward and Hughes manufactured an incredible amount of stained glass work. They were the first firm to use a range of pot-metal coloured glass, resembling that of medieval glass work, produced by the barrister and stained glass enthusiast Charles Winston, with the aid of Medlock and Green of Powell's. Ward’s early patterning and Hughes' figure compositions and colouring were quite exquisite, but as their firm expanded, so their artistic standards deteriorated due to commercial expediency. They employed over 100 people, and often commissioned other artists, including Thomas Figgis Curtis (1845-1924). When Hughes died in 1883 the firm was taken over by Curtis, a relation, and continued production as T F Curtis, Ward and Hughes until the late 1920s. Hughes was buried in Highgate Cemetery. Curtis died in December 1924. The firm continued to trade until c.1930, under Edith Kibblewhite, a cousin of Curtis, after which it ceased trading.

The work of Ward and Hughes varies greatly in artistic quality, but the firing, leading and construction were always excellent.

The STAINED GLASS WINDOW in the chancel at Swillington is dated 1901. The inscription tells us it was placed here by Alice Lowther to commemorate the coming of age of her son Sir Charles B. Lowther on 22nd July 1901. Also in loving memory of his father George William Lowther (d. 1890) and his grandfather Sir Charles H. Lowther (d.1894)

The STAINED GLASS WINDOW in the south aisle is dated 1918. The inscription tells us it was dedicated by Alice Lowther in thanksgiving for victory and peace after the Great War, August 1914 to November 1918, and for the safe return of her two sons Lt. Col. Sir C.B. Lowther and Capt. John George Lowther. Also of her son-in-law Col. R.W. William-Wynn, and also to commemorate the war work done by her daughters.

The other two stained glass windows in Swillington Church are by Powell Brothers of Leeds.

There is little information about the Powell brothers, only a short entry in NADFAS Markers Marks (see illustration). The company was set up by Charles James Powell (1847-1900) and Albert Powell. They had three premises, at different times, in Leeds. The company was bought in 1905 by Kayll & Co, who seem to have gone out of business not long after.

At each side of the sanctuary there is a stained glass window by Powell Brothers of Leeds erected by the parishioners in memory of Ven. Thomas Dealtry M.A. formerly Archdeacon of Madras and Rector of the Parish from 1872 to 1878 and died in 1882.

There is more about Thomas Dealtry in the page below.