HAROLD STEWARD RATHBONE(756)
- Birth: 10 May 1858, Liverpool, Lancashire (Ratbone Register). This date is also
listed in the IGI, based on a member submission without information as to source, and by
Foster (1890). There is a GRO births index entry for the Jun quarter of 1858 (W. Derby, 8b, 282).
- Christening: not known.
- Death: 12 Dec 1929, Haydock Lodge, Haydock, Newton le Willows, Lancs. (Ratbone Register).
The same date is listed in the IGI, based on a member submission with no details as to source.
There is a GRO deaths index entry for the Dec quarter of 1929 (Warrington, 8c, 158), giving
his age as 71.
- Burial: not known
- Occupation: artist / potter, designer, painter & poet.
- Father: Philip Henry RATHBONE(752)
(1828-1895).
- Mother: Jane Stringer STEWARD(189)
(1833-1905).
Other data
- 1861 Wales Census: aged 2, staying at Ordoria(?) House, Llandudno,
with his parents: Philip (37) & Jane (29) and siblings: Alice (6), Edgar P. (4), Oswald (1)
and Gerrard (6 mo.), together with four servants.
- 1871 England Census: aged 12 and a pupil at Oakley House Gentleman's School, Reading
(St Giles), run by William Watson. Together with him were his brothers Edgar P. (14) and Oswald H., (11).
- 1875: at the end of this year he left Clifton College, where he was in School House. He
was the first of four sons of Philip and Jane to attend this school.
- 1881 England Census: a boarder, aged 22, at 23 Great Russel Street, London, the household
of Harriet HEYWOOD (49) - married, boarding housekeeper, born Norwich. He is described as a painter.
- 1886: at Christmas was at Salò, on Lake Garda, to cheer up his aunt Alice Sophia Briggs,
whose husband Archibald Briggs had drowned in the lake earlier that year.
- 1891 England Census: aged 31, single, an artist/sculptor, living at 3 Steeles Studios, London NW.
- 1891: in the late summer again visited his Aunt Alice Briggs in Italy and she thought him very
amusing.
- 1894: founded the Della Robbia Pottery at Birkenhead, together with the sculptor Conrad
Dressler (1856-1940). There is further information on this pottery to be found on the
Studiopottery website, and also on
Wikipedia.
- 1901 England census: aged 42, staying at 4 Grove End Road, St. Marylebone, London in the
house of Rowland E. WHITEHEAD (37), a barrister. Harold is described as brother-in-law to the
head of household, and presumably was a visitor. Rowland Whitehead had married Harold's younger sister
Ethel Mary Leonie Rathbone. His wife and child were both elsewhere.
Harold is mentioned a number of times by Robinson (1992)
She describes him as the wild unstable artist, who nevertheless managed to remain his mother's favourite
and also of his aunt Leonie. Robinson writes that Harold had poor eyesight, and eventually went blind. He
studied at the Slade under Alphonse Legros (who was Slade professor from 1876 to 1892). He then worked
for three years for Ford Maddox Brown towards the end of the latter's career, mainly on the series of
12 large murals in the Manchester Town Hall
which were designed to show the history of the city. It is said that Harold was the model for John of Gaunt
in the mural of the Trial of Wycliffe in 1377 can be found, together with the other 11 murals, on the
Manchester page of the Arts
and Crafts Home.
A painting by Harold Steward Rathbone, The White Farm, a watercolour heightened with body-colour,
was sold in 2006 at Bonhams, London. Items produced by the Della Robbia Pottery also appear at auction and
seem to be collectable.
Harold's portrait was painted by William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), and yes he painted Light of the
World. According to Joy Robinson (1992) the portrait of Harold Rathbone is in the Walker Art Gallery in
Liverpool.
Marriage
Some description of the marriage and the ball which followed is given in chapter 7 of
Robinson (1992).
- Marriage: 1899, Walton (St Margaret), Lancs (Rathbone Register). There is a GRO
marriages index entry for the Jun quarter of 1899 (W. Derby, 8b, 516).
- Spouse: Alice Maud CUNNINGHAM(1202).
- Birth: c1879, Leeds, Yorks. (Rathbone Register). There is a GRO births index entry
for the Mar quarter of 1880 (Leeds, 9b, 474) which may be hers.
- Christening: unknown.
- Death: The GRO deaths index has an entry in the Lewisham area of London in 1932
aged 62 which may possibly by hers.
- Occupation: dressmaker (1891 England census).
- Burial: unknown.
- Father: possibly John Cunningham (ca.1860 - ?).
- Mother: possibly Louisa Cunningham (ca.1859 - ?).
Children
- Lorna Louisa Steward RATHBONE (1900-1952).(Rathbone Register).
- Gabriel Della Robbia RATHBONE (1904-1972). (Rathbone Register).
These two children are listed at the back of Robinson (1992), without any dates, together
with their respective children and grand-children.
© John Stowell 2006 Last updated on 05 Oct 2006.
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