Thursday 2 August 2018

Why I wouldn't give anything to the National Trust any more (2)

In 1998 I gave some items to the National Trust. Below is some proof of that. Their catalogue used to be correct, but has been changed, and now isn't.

[Updated - see below]

To start with, here is the list of items from the Memorandum of Gift, dated 17 February 1998.

Memorandum of gift (the reference to the loan item is not relevant)

Next, here is the National Trust's letter to me, two days later, thanking me for the donation.

Letter to me (at my then address) from Susanna Smith, National Trust
It was quite simple. The items related to the family of my aunt, and had belonged to her. Before she married, her name was Mary Veronica Becher. When she died in 1997, she left all her personal possessions to her husband, who was my uncle, Richard Melville Beaumont. He died six months later, and left all his personal possessions - now including of course, what had been Mary's - to me.

I was Executor for both of them.

The National Trust at that time were starting to take care of the Workhouse, at Southwell, in Nottinghamshire, which was where the Bechers had lived for several generations. It was well-known that Mary's ancestor Revd J.T. Becher had had much involvement with the Workhouse in the early nineteenth century.

I got in touch with the National Trust, and gave them some stuff for the Workhouse. Here is the first page of the catalogue they sent me. The date on this is 17/2/1998 and the numbering starts with TW1/1/1. I suppose that TW means "The Workhouse" and that the numbering says these were the first items collected for it!



It was a catalogue of about 50 items and ran to several pages. Many of the items were small documents, such as cuttings or photographs. There were some larger items too. Here is another page of the catalogue:-


So who was the actual donor? The gift wasn't in either of the Wills. It was implemented by a Deed of Variation of that of my uncle.

Put most simply, the National Trust would not have had this gift but for my actions. If I had sold the items (valued at £1,220), the money would have gone into my own pocket.

A big part of the reason for giving them these things was that there are no more members of the Becher family.

And they were a family who gave a good deal. The last two male Bechers were killed in the First and Second World Wars, and I deliberately included information about them in the gift. I thought, and still do, and at the time I thought the National Trust agreed, that that would be a useful contribution to the story of the Southwell Workhouse.

How have they got these items catalogued now (August 2018)?

Four silhouettes (TW1/2/1, 2, 3 and 5 in 1998 Catalogue)

Revd John Thomas Becher TW1/2/3

Captain Henry Becher TW1/2/5

Revd John Drake Becher TW/1/2/1

John (or Henry) Vessey (or Machin) TW/1/2/2
Yesterday I found just two silhouettes in the catalogue, not illustrated. They are referenced as NT 1515106 and 1515108 (given by Mrs Beaumont).

The Trunk or Box. The 17/2/1998 catalogue omitted this item. I pointed that out at the time. It must surely be what the National Trust now have listed as NT 493203 and catalogued as a "silver chest" given to them by Mrs E. Beaumont in 2007.

"Mrs E. Beaumont" is a name that simply does not figure in this, and nor was it given in 2007. That is plain wrong.

I don't actually think it was for silver. I think it might have been for a chandelier or candelabrum - to give light for the Revd Mr Becher to read by. I would be happy to hear from the National Trust's experts about what they think it really might have been for. It was in the garage at my aunt and uncle's house, and I have often wondered why they had kept it.

The Hall chair. Again that was not in the 1998 Catalogue and the omission was pointed out to them at the time. Now, this is listed as NT 493204 and also given to them by Mrs E Beaumont in 2007.

Comment as before.

Apart from the above, I gave them various things:

- A copper printing plate (TW1/2/4 in 1998) to print an image of a bust of Revd J. T. Becher (if I remember). Is it in the catalogue now?

- A Letter-writing case marked J. P. Becher (TW1/1/36 in 1998) (the initials of Mary's father, who died of wounds in France in World War One).  I do wonder if this is what they now have catalogued as NT 493232 which they say was given to them in 2009.

They don't say who gave it to them in 2009. That person won't be happy either.

- A Book -  (TW1/1/37 in 1998) A History of the 1/8 Battalion Sherwood Foresters, with an inscription as given to John Becher in 1920 [by Colonel Huskinson]. An apparently identical item is NT 3185309 in today's catalogue, and the National Trust say it was given to them (and they don't say when) by an anonymous donor.

That is the most hurtful of the errors. John Becher was Mary's brother. He was only 8 in 1920. From a ..."brother officer who mourns his loss, but knows that you will follow in your Father's footsteps." (So, no pressure.....) The little boy became a pilot. He served his country in his turn, and was shot down in 1940. He was buried in what is now Yemen. It was his sister who kept the book, and whose Executor I was!

- some family trees and a Bible. (see TW1/4/1)

- other items - but this is becoming too long!

Now, the National Trust have been in touch with me by email, so I hope that they are going to sort this out and properly put these things in their full context. If they no longer want any of the above items, let them give them back, and I will not seek to keep them myself, or sell them, but will try to find a better home for them.

My knowledge does not enable me to check the whole catalogue. Just these few items. And I have found so many errors. It doesn't look good, does it!

2 August 2018

PS As you can see I am a bit cross! So I expect I have made some mistakes with dates or numbers, and I will be happy to correct those or any other errors that any reader likes to point out. If the National Trust thinks that anything I have said is more seriously wrong, or in the least bit unfair, then I invite them to send me a statement to add to this piece, or they can ask me to make any correction that may be appropriate.  EMB 2/8/18

Update 15 August 2018. The National Trust were apologetic, and admitted that their copy of the list had become "inaccessible" [read "lost"?], so I have provided them with a copy. It also appears that they do not wish to retain all the items, so I'm hoping to hear from them about sending the ones they don't want, to Nottinghamshire Archives. Thirdly, I have raised with them the matter of the portrait of J.T. Becher
Portrait of Rev J.T. Becher formerly the property
of his descendants (Wikipedia)
which they have on loan from Southwell Minster. On artuk there is no credit of the fact that it was given to Southwell Minster by one of the Bechers. I did not find it at all in the National Trust's own catalogue. I have provided them with some evidence pointing to it having been given to Southwell Minster by Mary Veronica Becher (Mrs Beaumont) in 1970, and have told them that I think they should see what Southwell Minster says.

Wednesday 1 August 2018

Why I wouldn't give anything to the National Trust any more

UPDATES! Please see notes at end.

Here's my photo of a portrait of Thomas Horton which I took with my own camera many years ago in the flat of the then owner of the picture, Miss Joan Barnes-Gorell, in Sloane Street, London.

Thomas Horton, c.1651-1699, of Barkisland
Unknown artist
Property now, of The National Trust
It isn't a very good photo of this picture of her ancestor (and mine) is it?

When Miss Barnes-Gorell died, she left this picture and two others to the National Trust, to go to Ormesby Hall.

Now, the National Trust allows the Artuk paintings website, run by the Public Catalogue Foundation, to state that this one was given to them by someone else.

Both the National Trust and Artuk give evasive responses when asked about correcting the error.

Should anything these charities say be believed, without checking?

People do make mistakes. That is no big deal. Just correct it!

1 August 2018

PS I've given stuff to the National Trust myself! I wonder if they agree.

UPDATE 2 August 2018
It has been corrected on Artuk already! Well done everyone, and thank you. EMB.

UPDATE 30 April 2020
I noticed recently that the West Yorkshire Archives (Reference WBM/141) have.....

Three photographs in an envelope marked: 'Photographs of my Family Portraits, J B G'. Notes on the back of each photograph separately read: 'Richard d.1706', 'Richard d.1723' and 'Thomas Horton' The portraits were rescued from Whitley Beaumont by Miss J Barnes-Gorrell, and have now been bequeathed to Ormesby Hall, owned by the National Trust. All three portraits had notes written on the back by R H Beaumont, died 1810.

So it is possible that these are prints of the photos I myself took in her flat in Sloane Street. It seems likely that her executor sent them to the Archives.