Accession Number

983.880

Description

One dark ecru coloured linen tablecloth. On the front of the cloth are the needleworked (satin-stitched) signatures of numerous prominent citizens of Greater Victoria. The signatures were written in ink or pencil first, and then stitched in blue and red silk thread. The choice of thread colour corresponds to the colours used by Miss Pooley, the creator, to denote the year that the signature was written. Stitched onto the corners of the cloth are the years 1897, 1898, 1899, and 1900.

Narrative

The creator of this tablecloth, Miss Alice Marion Pooley (1871-1958), asked her friends and relatives to sign this tablecloth at social events between the years 1897 - 1900. She later stitched over their signatures.

Miss Pooley was born in Esquimalt and from a prominent pioneer family. She moved in the same social circles as the Dunsmuirs. The names on the tablecloth form a virtual who's who Victoria society. Background on the individuals whose names appear was provided by the late Katrina Patricia Keir (nee Burns) (1895-1994) in consultation with Castle Society volunteer Lillian Phibbs. Her father was Gavin Hamilton Burns, brother of Alexander Douglas Macdonald who married Joan Olive Bryden, granddaughter of Robert and Joan Dunsmuir of Craigdarroch. Mrs. Keir was Librarian at the McGill University and a highly-esteemed needleworker. She personally knew some of the people who signed this tablecloth, and she knew Alice Pooley, its creator. Castle Society curatorial staff members conducted additional research on the names on the tablecloth.

The names include: 

R.H. Abbott

Annette Adair - Born Annette C. Wilson, she married Captain Charles Henry Adair (see below) in 1893.

C.H. Adair - Captain of flagship of the Pacific fleet, HMS Imperieuse (1896-1899)

R. Anderson

Roger Backhouse

Kathleen Barkley

William Barkley - He presented the carving on the pulpit in Esquimalt's St. Paul's Church in memory of his father who was a Canon of Salisbury Cathedral, England.

Lady Martha Barnard - Born Martha Amelia Loewen, she is said to have had a beautiful singing voice.  She married businessman Francis Stillman Barnard in 1883. He was a Member of Parliament and served as Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1914 - 1919. The Barnard's lived at Clovelly, a large waterfront house immediately east of Mary Jean Dunsmuir's house, Mt. Adelaide.

Henry A. Barton

Arthur J. M. Bell

M.E. Bell - was from a very old Victoria family that lived on Cook Street. 

Daisy Benson 

A. Birchfishen

R. Henry Breeds - (1861-1935) A resident of Sidney, farmer, vegetable canner and hop raiser, became a Justice of the Peace for Victoria in 1898.

William O. Boothby - William Osbert Boothby (1866-1913) served on HMS Imperieuse from 1896-1899 before becoming Captain of HMS Endymion.

Harry L. Boyle

Helen Bulkeley-Johnson - Helen Stoughton (1869-1940) married Francis Head Bulkeley Johnson in 1889. They had a son, Vivian Francis, who served as ADC to Victor Cavendish, Canada's Governor General from 1916-1918. Vivian Francis Bulkeley-Cavendish married Cornelia Vanderbilt in 1949.
 
Frank H Bulkeley-Johnson - Francis Head Bulkeley-Johnson was called to the bar in the UK in 1892. He worked as a barrister in Victoria between 1897 and 1901. He then served as private secretary to the Governor General of Australia.  

Arthur Calthorpe - In 1899, he married Annie Euphemia "Effie" Dunsmuir, daughter of Robert and Joan Olive Dunsmuir of Craigdarroch. During WWl, Vice-Admiral Gough-Calthorpe commanded the Royal Navy’s 2nd Cruiser Squadron (1914-1916), was Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean (1917-1919), and High Commissioner at Constantinople (1918-1919). The Honourable Sir Somerset Arthur Gough-Calthorpe, GCMG KCB CVO, was named Admiral of the Fleet in 1925.

G.C. Caysley

H. Maud Chaplin - Maud was born Henrietta Maud Dunsmuir in Nanaimo in 1872 and died in Ireland in 1950. The youngest child of Robert and Joan Dunsmuir of Craigdarroch, Maud cared for wounded and sick soldiers in Britain from 1914-1919.

Charley

Dr. W.D. Church - He operated a school near Beacon Hill Park.

E. Seymour Cliff

W.W. Columbia - This gentleman is The Rt. Reverend William Wilcox Perrin D.D. He was the Second Anglican Bishop of [British] Columbia from 1893 to 1911.

J. Coultard (in pencil)

C.M. Cornwall

Maud Cornwall - She was married to Clement Francis Cornwall, the third Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

Col. F.T. Cornwall - Clement Francis Cornwall was the third Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

Kenneth Crawley - Served as Royal Navy Flag Lieutenant to Rear Admiral Palliser (1896-1899) and also formed a partnership with Roland Stuart owning and managing the land at Hatley Park. The partnership was officially dissolved in 1903 but Crawley’s interests in the property may have ended after death of his first wife at Hatley Park in March 1901. An auction for a large amount of farm equipment and livestock was held at Hatley Park under instruction from J. Kenneth Crawley in July of 1901.

Mary Croft - Born Mary Jean Dunsmuir, fifth daughter of Robert and Joan Dunsmuir of Craigdarroch. She lived with her husband Henry Croft at Mt. Adelaide, their waterfront Esquimalt home overlooking West Bay, and Victoria's harbour. 

L.H. Curwen

Edith G. Davie - she later married Judge M. Phillips. 

Kitty Davie - she was the sister of Maud Davie, later known as Mrs. W.A. Ward. 

Rev. J. Denis Devitre - He was a Chaplain in the Royal Navy. He presented the font in Esquimalt's St. Paul's Anglican Church. 

Henry G. Drake

Alice L. Drummond

Laura Dunsmuir - Born Laura Miller Surles, she was married to James Dunsmuir, the first son of  Robert and Joan Dunsmuir of Craigdarroch.

E. Dunsmuir - This was either Emily Elinor Dunsmuir (1887-1938) or Elizabeth Maud Dunsmuir (1882-1962), both daughters of James and Laura Dunsmuir.

Byrdie Dunsmuir - Sarah Byrd Dunsmuir was the first daughter of James and Laura Dunsmuir of Burleith and later, Hatley Park. 

Mabel B. Eberts - Mabel Hope Eberts was married to Charles (or David!)  Eberts,  lawyer, judge, and later Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

S. Brook Evans

Gladys Fetherstonhaugh

Elfrida Foster - Eldest daughter of Frederick and Kate Foster.

Kate M. Foster - She was the wife of Frederick Foster.

Blanche B. Foster - She was a daughter Frederick and Kate Foster.

J. Fortescue Foulkes - He was a Lieutenant in the 5th Regiment, serving in the Boer War (1899-1902) and in the First World War (1914-1918) as a Captain with the Canadian Service Corps. He was an Olympic tennis player (1908) and competed at Wimbledon (1908) and in the Davis Cup (1913) with fellow Victorians, Henry Mayes, Bobby Powell and Bernard Schwengers.

Margaret Foulkes - Born Margaret May Thomas, of Pierce County, Washington, USA, married John Fortescue Foulkes (see above) on December 2, 1899 in Tacoma, Washington. Witnesses were John Thomas and N.B. Van der Gucht (also a signature on this table cloth).

George Parker Fox

N.B. Van der Gucht - Noel Benjamin Van der Gucht, of Victoria. N.B. Van der Gucht was a partner in J. Foulkes and Co. Stockbrokers and Financial Agents on Fort Street around 1900.

Hal Vivian Galpin - a Victorian who retired to England.

Clark W. Gamble - he married Anna McDowell.

Gladys W. Gamble

Frank A. Garforth

Mabel Gaudin - (in pencil) She was a daughter of mariner Captain Gaudin. She later married James Swan Harvey, a grandson of  Robert and Joan Olive Dunsmuir in 1899.

George Gillespie - he was the Manager of the Bank of British Columbia. The Gillespie home in Victoria was "Highwood", 1021 Moss Street.

J.H. Gillespie - John Hebden Gillespie (1879-1929) was the eldest son of George and Florence Gillespie. He was a financial agent and attained the rank of Major during World War I.

E. Barkley Good 

H.W. Goodson

H.W Gordon

Robert R. Gossit

Noel Harvey - "Noel" was the nickname for Elizabeth Georgina Harvey, daughter of James Harvey and Agnes Crooks Dunsmuir, and granddaughter of Robert and Joan Dunsmuir of Craigdarroch. She married George Alan Kirk in 1903.

Beatrice Hasell

Edward Hasell - He was a medical doctor who lived on the grounds of the Royal Jubilee Hospital.

Maurice H. Hills - He was a solicitor and bookkeeper for Robert Dunsmuir, and later James and Alexander Dunsmuir. His wife Bertha received a gift from Mrs. James Dunsmuir of a Japanese jewelry cabinet that is now in Craigdarroch's collection: 985.020

H.A. Holmes (Colonel) 

Barbara Holland - She was an investment advisor.

Beatrice Holland

Herbert Holland - He was connected with an investment company.

Algernon J. Hotham

H.M. Howard

B. Janion

Harry Joan Jeffrey

A. R. Jones

Arthur W. Jones (Captain) - A member of the 5th Field Regiment in Victoria, he married Dolly Loewen.

Teresa Kawstorue

Gertrude Keafer

George Alan Kirk (aka "Ginger") - He was a businessman who in 1903 married Elizabeth Georgina Harvey (see above).

Alastair H. Kirk

Evelyn G. Kirk

M.E. Langley - twas from an early colonial family associated with the Hudson's Bay Company.

Edith Langley - was a daughter of Dr. Powell, and possibly married to M.E. Langley (see above).

K.T. Langley

James A. Lay

P. Martin Leaks

Percy J. Ling

Dolly Loewen

Emma Loewen 

Eva Loewen

Gertrude Loewen - married to Herbert Robertson, MD. They were a musical pair and worked overseas during WWl in medical service.

Laura Loewen - Married to Harry Pooley, son of Charles Frederick Pooley who was the father of Alice, maker of this tablecloth.  

Martha Loewen (Lady Martha Barnard)  - She was a daughter of Joseph Loewen, principal owner of the Phoenix Brewing Company. She married businessman Frank Barnard, who was a Member of Parliament, and later, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. She had a beautiful singing voice.

Charles R. Longe (in pencil)

A. P. Luxton - Arthur Philip Luxton of the barristers and solicitors, Davie, Pooley and Luxton, was resident at "Schuhuum" between 1900 and 1901. The house is at 1322 Rockland Avenue, adjacent to the Craigdarroch property.

Kathleen E. Mackenzie

Arthur Malins (pencil) - A real estate and insurance broker in New Westminster.

Harriette E. Malins - She was born Harriet English in Oakland, California. Her father was a Member of the US Congress.

Alan Marly

William J.R. Matthews

Arthur McCallum

Rosa McCallum - She was married to the Royal Navy's Captain M. McCallum.

John G. M. McHardy

G.W.G. Millar - She was from an old Victoria family.

Arthur G. Muller

Annis R. Musgrave - Step mother-in-law to Barbara Maclure.

J. Musgrave - Born Jessie Sophia Dunsmuir (1866-1946), she was the eighth child of Robert and Joan Dunsmuir. She married Sir Richard Musgrave, 5th Baronet of Tourin in 1891.

R.E. Newton

H. Bury Palliser, RN - Rear Admiral Henry St. Leger Bury Palliser was Commander in Chief, Pacific Station, Royal Navy from 1896-1899. 

Beatrice Bury Palliser - Born Beatrice Astell, she was married to Rear Admiral Henry St. Leger Bury Palliser.

C (indistinctly signed) Pearse

A.G. Pemberton - Ada Georgina Pemberton Beavan (1867-1958) was the second child of Joseph Despard Pemberton and Theresa Pemberton. She is the elder sister of artist, Sophie Pemberton.

H. S. Pemberton - Harriet Susan Pemberton Sampson (1871-1949) was the fifth child of Joseph Despard Pemberton and Theresa Pemberton. She is the younger sister of artist, Sophie Pemberton.

Edith Perrin - She was married to Bishop Perrin of Christchurch Cathedral, who has signed his name on this cloth as W.W. Columbia.

E. Peters

Warburten Pike - (1861-1915) He was a bachelor explorer of British Columbia and the Canadian Arctic.

Alice M. Pooley Ferhnill Esquimalt - This is Alice Marion Pooley, creator of the tablecloth. Fernhill was the name of the Pooley family residence.

R. Pooley (in pencil)

C.D. Staveley Raikes - Vice Admiral Cecil Dacre Staveley Raikes was a Royal Navy Officer.

J.L. Steward Richardson

Muriel Richardson - She moved to Great Britain and became a nun.

P.L. Richardson

James Roche - He married an Irish woman and had a large family.

D.M. Rogers - David M. Rogers later built a large house at 1069 Beach Drive. He was President of the Uplands Ltd. Development Company. 

William J. Roper 

Aline S. de Satgé - Alexandrine Sallie 'Aline' Melbourne (1881-1924) married Oscar Valentine de Satgé (1870-1946) on August 11, 1897. 

Oscar V. de Satgé - Lieutenant Commander of HMS Sparrowhawk (1887-1899)

Frank Sims

William Speke

Ethel Granville Smith

John S. Sword

Stratford R. Tollemache

Warren F. Trotter

Nellie le Poer Trench - A resident of Sidney, British Columbia.

B. H. Tyrwhitt-Drake - This is Brian Halsey Tyrwhitt-Drake (1866-1949), the only son of Montague William Tyrwhitt-Drake, a lawyer, politician, and judge.  

Joan Tyrwhitt-Drake - She was born Joanna Tolmie, and later married Montague William Tyrwhitt-Drake.

Clare Tyrwhitt-Drake - In 1913, Clare married John Graham Graham, estate manager for James and Laura Dunsmuir at Hatley Park.

C.N. Usborne

A. Rosamond Wake - Amy Rosamond Wake (1861-1938) married in Gervas Wake in 1881 in Esquimalt. They had three children, one of whom, Gladys Wake, was a nursing sister of the Canadian Army Medical Corp. Gladys died from her injuries after an enemy air raid at No.5 Canadian General Hospital at Etaples, France in 1918.

Cecil W. Ward

Florence Ward - She was a daughter of Dr. J.C. Davie and married to Frank Ward. 

George D. Ward

Maud Ward - She was a daughter of Dr. J.C. Davie and wife of William Ward. 

W.A Ward 

F.B. Ward

C.S. Wills

History of Use

This tablecloth was created by Miss Alice Marion Pooley (1871-1958) between the years 1897 and 1900 used by her at her house named Fernhill in Esquimalt, B.C. Following her death in 1958, it was donated to The Castle Society through the Executors of her Estate. Between about 1969 and 1992, it was displayed withing a glazed frame in various places within Craigdarroch Castle. It was later briefly displayed in a temporary exhibition at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

Date

1897 – 1900

Dimensions

98.8 x 94.5 cm

Material

Fabric, linen; Fabric, silk

Technique

Stitched

Country of Origin

Canada