“Memorial to Mary Elizabeth Davis” by Joseph Edwards (1814

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Memorial to Mary Elizabeth Davis (1825-1857)

Joseph Edwards (1814–1882)

Exhibited 1860

Marble

St George's, Tredegar, S. Wales

Mary was the niece of Alderman William Thompson MP, one of the wealthiest industrialists and landowners of the nineteenth century. [Commentary continues below. Mouse over the text for links.]

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Photograph and text by William Gibbs.

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Born in Westmorland, Mary (née Bramwell) had married Newport-born ironmaster, Richard Powell Davis in 1848. Davis became the manager of the Tredegar Ironworks in 1853. Her uncle, the Alderman mentioned above, was so rich that in London he was nicknamed "Billy ready money." But it was Mary herself who "championed the idea and raised money towards erecting a large illuminated clock in the centre of the Circle" (information on the modern placard by the Town Clock).

The memorial is a fine example of Edward's work, and he must have felt this too: part of it was shown at the Royal Academy in 1860 (no. 998; see Graves 27). The small child holding a book is particularly moving.

Bibliography

Graves, Algernon. The Royal Academy of Arts: A Complete Dictionary of Contributors and Their Work from Its Foundation in 1769 to 1904. Vol. III: Eadie to Harradan. London: Henry Graves & Co. and George Bell & Sons, 1905. Internet Archive. Conntributed by Harvard University Library. Web. 15 January 2021.

Created 12 January 2021