Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project
CHARITY Photograph
Region ID | MR | |
Work ID | 415 | |
Manual Reference | MR/TAM23 | |
Title | CHARITY | |
Sculptor | Foley, John Henry | |
Date of design | ||
Year of unveiling | ||
Unveiling details | ||
Road | ||
Precise Location | Hurst Community Centre | |
A to Z Ref | ||
OS Ref | ||
Postcode | ||
Work is | Extant | |
Listing Status | Not listed | |
Duty of Care | unknown | |
Commissioned by | John Whittaker | |
Notes | ||
Marble panel; composition of eight figures in which John and Hannah Whittaker are shown, seated, in the act of dispensing charity. John Whittaker is presenting a bible to a young child whose mother kneels beside him whilst his proud father, a muscular workman dressed in his working clothes with his sleeves rolled up, presumably a Whittaker employee, looks on. In front of him stands his daughter holding a book, presumably a bible. To the left of this family group is a young girl leading away a blind woman who has been given a shawl by Hannah Whittaker. The lengthy inscription (destroyed in fire) emphasised the Whittakers' concern to promote the welfare of their employees and the wider community. | ||
John Whittaker was by far the largest employer in Hurst whilst his paternalistic attitudes meant that his influence stretched far beyond the factory gate. His sons, John and Oldham Whittaker, continued to expand the family business following their father's death. A Methodist New Connexion chapel, situated in Queen's Road, opened in 1846 and extended in 1857, was one of the more visible social institutions which benefited from the family's money. It was in the chapel that the younger John Whittaker (1804-1864) erected a memorial to his parents. John Henry Foley, already acknowledged as one of the country's leading sculptors, was commissioned to provide the memorial. He had recently completed the much admired portrait statue of Sir Charles Barry. The marble bas-relief memorial was an essay in paternalistic philanthropy. Foley created a tableaux of eight figures in which John and Hannah Whittaker were shown persoanlly dispensing charity. It was believed locally that Foley had based some of the figures on workers whom he had met during a visit to Hurst. The memorial cost £2,000. It remained in the Queens Road Methodist New Connexion Chapel, Hurst until 1968 when the impending demolition of the chapel led to its removal to St John's School, which itself was being converted into the village community centre. A fire in May 2000 seriously damaged the building and the memorial. It was moved in July 2000 to Tameside Museum with a view to conservation. | ||
This memorial to John and Hannah Whittaker was placed in the Queen's Road New Connexion Methodist Church by their son, John Whittaker in 1861. The success of John Whittaker (1776-1840) as a cotton manufacturer was responsible for transforming Hurst into a distinctive industrial community. | ||
circa | ||
raw year | ||
Condition | Poor | |
At risk | Not at risk | |
Inscriptions | SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF JOHN WHITTAKER OF HURST HOUSE WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE ON THE 14TH OF SEPTEMBER, 1840, IN THE 65TH YEAR OF HIS AGE, AND WAS INTERRED IN ST PETER'S CHAPEL, OLDHAM. / HE CAME TO THIS VILLAGE IN THE YEAR 1806, AND COMMENCED BUSINESS AS A MANUFACTURER. HIS INTEGRITY AND PLAIN DEALING SECURED HIM UNUSUAL CONFIDENCE AND RESPECT, WHICH, ALONG WITH HIS INDUSTRY AND PERSEVERANCE RENDERED HIM EMINENTLY SUCCESSFUL. / AS AN EXTENSIVE EMPLOYER OF LABOUR, HE CHERISHED A DEEP SOLICITUDE FOR THE WELFARE OF HIS WORKPEOPLE. HE WAS AN EARNEST PROMOTER OF EDUCATION; A ZEALOUS ADVOCATE FOR THE DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE; AND AN INFLUENTIAL LEADER IN THE CAUSE OF SUNDAY SCHOOLS. / THE FIRST SUNDAY SCHOOL IN HURST WAS FUNDED BY HIM, AND IT WAS HE WHO ERECTED THE FIRST PLACE OF WORSHIP HERE. BUT WHILE CONSTANTLY DEVOTING HIMSELF WITH ESPECIAL INTEREST TO THOSE ABOUT HIM, HE NEVER FORGOT OTHERS. TO THE CLAIMS OF CHARACTER, WHEREVER EXPRESSED, HIS HEART WAS ALWAYS OPEN. TO ADVANCE THE SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS CONDITION OF HIS NEIGHBOURS WAS ONE OF HIS GREATEST JOYS. WHILE HE LIVED HIS UNIFORM KINDNESS AND BENEVOLENCE WON THE ESTEEM OF ALL CLASSES, AND WHEN HE DIED THERE WAS GREAT LAMENTATION. / 'HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH'. SACRED ALSO TO THE MEMORY OF HANNAH, HIS DEARLY BELOVED WIFE, WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE ON 26TH OCTOBER 1832 IN THE 53RD YEAR OF HER AGE, AND WAS INTERRED IN THE SAME GRAVE. / SHE WAS AN AFFECTIONATE PARTNER, A TENDER AND DEVOTED MOTHER, A SINCERE AND CONSTANT FRIEND. AMIABLE IN DISPOSITION, MODEST AND RETIRING IN DEMEANOUR, SHE WAS REVERED BY HER FAMILY AND BELOVED BY ALL WHO KNEW HER. / TO DO GOOD THROUGH UNSEEN ?? WAS HER DELIGHT. HER ACTS OF PIETY AND BENEVOLENCE WERE WRITTEN ON THE HEARTS OF THE POOR AND NEEDY. SHE WAS EYES TO THE BLIND AND FEET TO THE LAME. / THE BLESSING OF HIM WHO WAS READY TO PERISH CAME UPON HER, AND HE CAUSED THE WIDOW'S HEART TO SING FOR JOY. FOR MANY YEARS SHE WAS AN EXEMPLARY MEMBER AND AN ORNAMENT OF THIS CHURCH. THE PUREST VIRTUES ADORNED HER CHARACTER AND CAST LUSTRE UPON HER PIOUS AND USEFUL LIFE. SHE LIVED AND DIED A CHRISTIAN. NB this inscription destroyed in the fire | |
Signatures | J.H. Foley R.A. London 1861 | |
Elements
Element Details
Part of work | Material | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
marb;e | 122 cm high approx x 183 cm wide approx | |
Assessment of Condition
Surface Character
Detail | Comment |
|---|---|
Abrasions, cracks, splits | |
Structural Condition
Structural Condition | Comment |
|---|---|
Broken, missing parts | |
Vandalism
Vandalism | Comment |
|---|---|
Surface damage | damaged in fire |
