In the Gift of Gay

Waterlolour by Gay Sagar-Fenton

The interests and artistry of the late Gay Sagar-Fenton were celebrated by some of her Hypatia Trust friends with an impromptu show of watercolours.

In aid of Shelterbox, her favoured charity, the Trust held an open house over two afternoons -

Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd September 2012 at Trevelyan House.

On this occasion, the Trust asked Gay's friends, associates, and interested visitors to cast a vote to select two of her paintings for the Permanent Collection of Women's Art, being established by the Trust as a gift for Cornwall.

A member of the Jamieson Library, Newmill, home of the Trust since its initiation in 1986, Gay's art work was always of interest to Curator of its collections, Melissa Hardie. Gay attended an early book-arts seminar held at the Library, and from that meeting they became personal friends.

It was with special pleasure that in her final years, Gay attended Art for the Blind workshops when they were held at Trevelyan House, where she was a lively and popular member. Gay threw herself into assisting community life in many directions as her recent Cornishman obituary recorded (23rd August 2012).

So, who is Elizabeth Treffry?

In July 1457 Elizabeth Treffry was left to defend her castle, Place House, and the major port town of Fowey on her own.  At this time the south coast was frequently raided by French and Breton marauders eager to disrupt the growing maritime trade of England and Cornwall (and to annoy the king, Henry VI who had been engaged in the last bit of the Hundred Years' War with France that had ended in 1453).

Her husband was absent at the King's Court during one of these raids so it was left to Elizabeth to rally local people and co-ordinate a six-week defence of Place and Fowey town and harbour. Allegedly, she came up with the idea of repelling those rascally French pirates by pouring hot molten lead all over them.

Or so the chroniclers say...

The Lady of Place

Elizabeth Treffry the legend was immortalised by Cornishman Henry Sewell Stokes in the poem The Lady of Place, published in The Voyage of Arundel and Other Rhymes From Cornwall (1884). The poem starts by setting the scene of the bravery of Fowey sailors (also pirate raiders) who become known as the Fowey Gallants, themselves the cause of much misery for the communities on the northern coasts of Normandy and Brittany. Although a few townsmen tried to repel the French who were raging through the town, Elizabeth Treffry found the defence a sorry state of affairs:

But she was there, that Lady, To play no woman’s part ; Though the great sufferings of her town Had pierced her gentle heart :

And into action she sprung:

Still calm look’d forth the Lady From her embattled wall ; Her presence was a power, her voice Thrill’d like a trumpet’s call.

The Fowey Gallants fought under her banner to rid the town of the French:

Three cheers, then, for the Fowey gallants ! For the Lady three times three ! And, if the French should come again, May our wives as fearless be !

Suggesting Elizabeth Treffry a good role model for the women of his day, Sewell Stokes ends the poem with a moral:

Changed is the world, much changed since then, Yet will they come once more ? Who knows – or cares – or fears ? who doubts We’ll serve them as before ? Grace Darling died but yesterday, And others of her race May yet be found to emulate That Lady brave of Place.

Elizabeth Treffry is now the figurehead of the Women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Collection which is held by the Hypatia Trust. When the collection was formally launched in 1996 by her then direct living descendant David Treffry, Hypatia was looking for a female figure to create a strong image and inspiration for the collection. Elizabeth Treffry seemed to sum up everything that is good about women and the Cornish spirit.

The collection is currently based in Penzance, West Cornwall and is in the process of being professionally curated and catalogued. It comprises over 3000 books and archives documenting women's lives, work and achievements, including those who have shaped the Duchy's character and reputation. We are actively fundraising to ensure the collection becomes an essential part of Cornish and Scillonian heritage and move it to a new publicly-accessible home.

West Cornish library retreat

Letter from Roo Gunzi

The Jamieson Library has been both a vital resource and a home-from-home over the past year. My ongoing PhD work into Stanhope Forbes’s early paintings has meant frequent and often extended periods in Penzance undertaking archival research at local galleries, libraries, and archive centres. As a self-contained rural abode, the Library accommodation and book-filled workspace offers the seclusion and tranquility required for study, and is well-placed for access to all sites of local artistic and historic interest.

Given the almost prohibitive cost of holiday lodgings during summer months, the Jamieson exists as a valuable, alternative, and realistic option for students wishing to reside in Cornwall for short-term study. I have found the experience, both of staying at the Library and being immersed in the Cornish landscape, both invaluable and liberating. It has given me the freedom to be able to work, as well as see and explore West Penwith at my leisure.

The Jamieson Library of Women's History is a scholar's paradise situated in the village of Newmill a few miles north of Penzance. Visits can be arranged by appointment through the Hypatia Trust and the library is also open to residential scholars.

For enquiries:

The Old Post Office, Newmill, Penzance, Cornwall, TR20 8XN Tel: 01736-360549 Fax: 01736-330704 email: info@hypatia-trust.org.uk

In search of Mrs Craik

Letter from Jane Inman

Mrs Dinah Maria Craik was my Great Great Grandmother but until recently I knew very little about her. Almost the full extent of my knowledge was that she had penned John Halifax, Gentleman and has a memorial in Tewkesbury Abbey. Knowing my love of Cornwall and my connection with Mrs Craik, my daughter bought me a copy of An Unsentimental journey through Cornwall re-published by the Jamieson Library in 1988. Investigating the Library I stumbled across the collection of Mrs Craik’s works held there and determined to discover more.

In May we holidayed further west than usual and my family and I spent a very special afternoon, dipping into the remarkable collection secured by Melissa Hardie and the Hypatia Trust. We shared what we had learned about Mrs Craik’s extraordinary life, viewed the books, letters and articles and talked of ways to raise the profile of her much over-looked work.

Dinah Maria Mulock, otherwise known as Mrs Craik, best known as author of John Halifax, Gentleman (1856) also published a fascinating, no nonsense travelogue called An Unsentimental Journey Through Cornwall in 1884. This book was reprinted by the Hypatia Trust as it deserves to be better known. Her mid-19th century insights as a traveller in Cornwall is full of gritty observation and intelligent wit.

New Horizons on the Cornish landscape

We are delighted to announce the publication of the Hypatia Trust's latest book on Cornwall and its first ever ebook, New Horizons by Jane Gosney. Stalwart supporter of the Hypatia Trust and its publishing work, Jane has generously donated proceeds from the sale of New Horizons to the Elizabeth Treffry Collection campaign. Melissa Hardie MBE, Chairman-Founder of the Hypatia Trust said of this gift:

We are indebted to her for this pioneering and exploratory 'new light' on the arts scene of West Cornwall.

Online donor reward

Donors giving £10 or more to the cause of women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly can request a FREE copy of New Horizons.

To obtain your copy as a donor reward, simply contact us after you have made your donation via Charity Choice ensuring you use the same email address so we can identify your donation and send the book to the correct place.

New Horizons is £7.50 and available as an ebook from Hypatia's Online Shop.

Inspired by Penwith

Travelling to the South side of Penwith gave me a new outlook. Penzance offered somewhere to learn new skills and a place to spend some alternative thinking time. (Excerpt from New Horizons)

Jane Gosney, lighting designer, photographer and artist describes her inspiration for writing New Horizons:

"I had first published photographs from my visits to Cornwall in “Reflections on Light” in 2002 (an anthology of photo essays about my work as a lighting designer and photographer which can be found in the Elizabeth Treffry Collection at the Hypatia Trust).

My images were often used to illustrate articles I had written in the press but I had never used words to “paint a picture”.

The invitation from Melissa Hardie to write a five thousand word monologue as the first 21st century contributor to the Patten People series was especially welcome as my work is a balance between new technologies and art.

“New Horizons” describes my life as a designer in London, idyllic summers with my mother in St Ives and my relocation to Cornwall in 2007 where my creative work has diversified. Shared memories of simple pleasures are recounted : sadly adjusting to a loss is also part of the story.

I would like to thank Sophie Bowness and The Hepworth Estate for permission to reproduce a photograph from The Hepworth Garden as one of the six full colour illustrations included with my own digital artwork."

Curating Gold

A curator's work is usually associated with historical ephemera and artefacts or ancient specimens. It is rare to get the opportunity to curate history as it happens. And then it happened here in Penzance, Cornwall yesterday when local woman, Helen Glover, and her partner Heather Stanning, won TeamGB's first Gold Medal in the London 2012 Olympics, while also being the first British women to ever win Olympic Gold in a rowing event. They won the Women's Pairs in 7 min., 27.13 sec., having already set an Olympic Record for the event of 6 min 57.29 sec. in the heats on 28 July on the Eton Dorney 2,200m rowing course.

The story

Helen and Heather have captivated the nation, not only because of their success, but because of the stories behind both women's entry into top-flight sport (Helen, an talented sportswoman, hockey player and PE teacher only started rowing in 2008). From a Cornish point of view, the win has placed a spotlight on the Duchy and on west Cornwall, particularly Newlyn where Helen grew up and Penzance where she went  to Humphry Davy School.

Today's national papers were full of stories about the pair, albeit that their place on several front pages were significantly diminished by much more prominent photographs of Bradley Wiggins, with the exception of the Independent's i Newspaper and the Daily Mail who gave equal weighting to the two stories. Perhaps that's because his win came afterwards, or maybe because his win was considered the more significant? It isn't unusual, even today, for women's achievements to be considered slightly less newsworthy, especially when a male achievement has come hot on their heels. Olympic women's sport is reported differently to that of men, a report reveals. Although several have commented already on their feat's worthiness to make history.

New women's heritage

But as the Curator of a nationally-important collection on women, Helen Glover's achievements deserve to be recorded and collected for posterity as the best a positive female role model can offer. It is my job to ensure that Helen's story is preserved for Cornwall for future generations.

The opportunities for collecting have spanned digital and physical media, and of collecting memories. It's hard to be objective about collecting and recording major achievements like this. You tend to go into souvenir hunter mode, setting your sights on what you think is the most important and most auspicious, but as you will read below, that's not what recording for history is all about. When the whirlwind surrounding Helen's win dies down, it is even more important for the Elizabeth Treffry Collection to keep recording.

In just over 24 hours my collecting frenzy has taken me to places I might not usually go, to observe and absorb. So here it is, 24 hours of curating gold.

The view from Cornwall

 Good luck Helen!

So read the headline in The Cornishman on 26 July, accompanied by a photograph of a beaming Helen. Then one of the many TeamGB Olympic gold medal hopefuls, she is quoted as saying that the "support she gets from the people of west Cornwall will give her an "extra edge" as she rows for gold..." By Saturday 28 July Twitter was abuzz with congratulations and excitement at Glover and Stanning's Olympic Record-breaking race during the first heat, being dubbed by some as a 'Cornish Olympic Record'. On 31 July further news was broadcast via Twitter that the race final would be screened at Penzance Hockey Club, where Helen used to play, and so it was here that I decided to start.

PZHockeyClubGlover

Rooting for someone doing something so globally public in their home town is an experience in itself. Penzance Hockey Club is an unassuming sports club tucked away behind council offices. There were media vans in place, cameras up, ready to record the willed-for winning moment. A row of children with Union Jacks were put in place in the front row and various people were earmarked for reaction and interviews.

And so at 11.50am people settled down to watch the race while the press watched us watch the race. Cheers at every milestone became more frenzied, peppered with sharp intakes of breath as the picture kept freezing. A moment of anxiety when Australia were closing in was quickly allayed when Helen and Heather swept passed the winning line and collapsed in a heap.

We were on our feet, fists punching the air, all recorded for posterity by BBC Cornwall. As you will see from the BBC's interview with Helen's former teachers there was a very real sense of immense and sincere pride and admiration for someone who had an otherwise normal upbringing, went to a regular school, did a normal job but whose inner strength, focus and dedication has propelled her to greatness.

"I'm just amazed that someone from a small school in Penzance can make it to the top of her game." (Andy Thomas, Helen's former teacher and Deputy Head, Humphry Davy School)

"It's wonderful that Penzance is on the map... it's just lovely that something can be achieved from someone who lives so far away from the centre of things, if London is the centre of things, and to have gone through a state school and still have achieved such a marvellous achievement." (Kate Finch, Helen's former PE Teacher)

Oggy Oggy Oggy! Oi Oi Oi!

What the BBC Cornwall coverage didn't show were the two rounds of the Cornish Oggy Oggy Oggy rallying chant joined in by everyone at the club at the end, highlighting that the crowd considered this a very Cornish win (and I am sure Scots felt the same about Heather Stanning).

There was immediately talk after the win on The Cornishman'sFacebook on how Helen should be welcomed back to Penzance. Open-top bus? Freedom of the town? One person commenting aptly:

[The Cornishman]  Should be renamed The CornishWOman!

Collecting golden firsts

Glover_goldenpostbox

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning's firsts extended to firsts for Olympic-themed commemorative acts and in true Brit style Royal Mail stepped in with two innovative ideas. Each gold medal-winning athlete would have a Post Box painted gold in their chosen home town and immediately on their win, RM would release special Gold Medal Winner stamps. So Penzance got Great Britain's first golden Post Box and the very first special stamps showed the two women rowers upon crossing the finishing line. In another first, Helen and Heather became the first all-female sports team to appear on a Royal Mail stamp.

So earlier today I went on the trail of recording and collecting these firsts. Arriving at Penzance Post Office at 11am, I was told to come back at Midday. In the meantime I headed to the gold post box, situated by the seafront on Marine Parade. The first images of the conversion from red to gold were circulated by artist and photographer Lee J Palmer who spotted the priming work early in the morning. I was glad to have seen the painters putting the finishing touches on the box. I think they were a little taken aback at the great interest shown in this phenomenon but they were happy for people to snap away and take their own little piece of history home with them. As I arrived one Penzance tourist was waiting to post a card to her daughter. She got the painters to dab a bit of this hallowed gold paint on her card, and then posted it.

Sorry, they're all gone. They only sent us 80!

After taking a few snaps of my own I headed back to the Post Office just before Midday only to be confronted by camera crews and a queue headed out of the door. Who'd have thought that stamps would make such a comeback one day! The first person to buy the rowers' Gold Medal Stamp was interviewed, photographed and generally made a fuss over. By the time I got to the queue I knew I would be faced with the inevitable reply: "Sorry, they're all gone. They only sent us 80! We're trying to get some more. Do you want the cyclist?" So much for a First Day Cover (or an understanding of the demand that is created in someone's home town). What I wanted for the Elizabeth Treffry Collection was to have a Penzance franked cover sent to the Hypatia Trust at Trevelyan House to found a new sporting women archive.

...or collecting Cornish women's heritage

This portrait of three brilliant women sums up what we're all about.

In one moment I felt like I had let the collection down and that I failed in acquiring a requisite piece of Cornish women's heritage. And then it dawned on me that I was barking up the wrong tree. It did not seem in any case that these particular First Day Covers would be franked with the local postmark, which is what I was after for the collection. So I decided to go Blue Peter. I ordered a run of stamps and a First Day Cover for the collection online and then, in order to get a Penzance frank on something celebrating the women's success, I whipped off the front page of the Western Morning News which held an excellent photograph of the rowers, folded it up to make an envelope, sealed it with two regular Olympic stamps and popped it in the Helen Glover gold Post Box in time for its last collection on its first day.

I was also delighted that BBC radio and news journalist Victoria Derbyshire let me use her photograph of the winning women on this blog. This portrait of three brilliant women sums up what we're all about.

2012-08-02 16.55.43

Yes it is important to collect these things as they are the memory triggers that allow history to form. But they are not what collecting for Women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is all about: we're not magpies. Sporting women is an area that the collection currently lacks books and papers. As Curator I want to expand in this area and what better inspiration than Helen Glover's incredible win?

This is what celebrating a golden girl is really about.

But it's the stories that led to the win and how she builds upon it and becomes a positive female role model that Cornwall and Scilly desperately needs, that we want to document too. Even before the Olympics began Helen was extremely keen on inspiring the children back in Penzance. She talked to them via video link, online and came in to tell them the story of her amazing journey in sport and rowing. She says she intends to come back to show the same kids her medal. This is what celebrating a golden girl is really about.

Cornish pride in women rowing

All the attention that Helen Glover and Heather Stanning are rightfully getting has perhaps eclipsed the Olympic achievement of another Cornish woman rower, Wadebridge's Annie Vernon.  Annie was part of the women's eight team that came fifth in the finals today but was an Olympic Silver medalist in Beijing in 2008. I was delighted that the BBC published an article on Annie highlighting the Cornish pride she feels when rowing at an international level. She carries St Piran's Flag (Baner Peran) on her rowing oars and according to her mother, Morwenna Vernon, she bonded with her team mates by making them each a "mean Cornish pasty."

Sporting women of Cornwall and Scilly

If you're reading this Helen, Annie Julie or any other sporting women of Cornwall and Scilly, please get in touch! We would love to make sure that your achievements become part of our future heritage.

I haven't yet counted up the Cornish women competitors in this Olympics, nor sporting women who compete in events outside of this arena, but it is perhaps time to do so and publish stories about them here. Part of the problem we have with women's visibility, not least in sport, is that we don't often enough hear about them and their achievements. Women like Helen Glover, Annie Vernon and another Cornish sporting heroine from Penzance, World no. 1 Muaythai boxer Julie Kitchen all have a place in the heritage of Cornwall and Scilly. Sport is an area that can be a major inspiration to young people, not least girls and young women.

It is the job of the Elizabeth Treffry Collection to help make sure that happens, not just during the glory moments, but much beyond. So, if you're reading this Helen, Annie Julie or any other sporting women of Cornwall and Scilly, please get in touch! We would love to make sure that your achievements become part of our future heritage. 

If you're keen to put your oar in... see here for some top rowing training tips from Sports Fitness Advisor.

Yes Papa! Our latest addition

The Elizabeth Treffry Collection, like a healthy baby, seems to be growing by the minute. Our latest addition is a book by Barbara Eaton, from the Lizard in south west Cornwall, on Hester Chapone, an early Bluestocking.

Published by Francis Boutle Publishers and formally launched at the Hypatia Trust in 26 July 2012, Yes Papa! Mrs Chapone and the Bluestocking Circle is a biography of a mid 18th-century woman on a mission. She educated herself and quickly formed an essential part of the circle of Samuel Richardson. An abrupt end to married life left her in debt and she turned to writing to make ends meet. Letters on the Improvement of the Mind, published in 1773 became a bestseller for decades afterwards, quoted in the novels of Jane Austen and W.M. Thackeray. It was even famous enough to be satired in the anonymously published Anti-Chapone in 1810. Eaton restores Hester Chapone to her rightful place in the hall of fame of the Blue Stocking circle.

We are delighted to have this new addition to the collection and offer Barbara very sincere congratulations on the publication of yet another work that brings women in history to life.

In 2005, the Hypatia Trust published Barbara's highly commended book, Letters to Lydia: ‘beloved Persis’,  a story of a 19th-century love affair between Henry Martyn, a chaplain of the East India Company, and his 'beloved Persis' in Cornwall, Lydia Grenfell, based on their letters and diaries. It was runner up in the 2006 Holyer an Gof Awards for Literature of the Cornish Gorseth. George Care commented in Cornish World:

‘… this is a fascinating study and deserves to be widely read. Barbara Eaton and Hypatia have performed an excellent service’

Yes Papa! is available from all good booksellers or direct from the publishers, RRP £14.99 (Paperback 274 pages with 35 black and white illustrations. ISBN 978 1 903427 70 5).

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Redwing Gallery & Asterisk* Bookshop at Trevelyan House 2012

Art by Peter Fox

The Redwing Gallery is a new Community Interest Company engaged in exhibiting 'outsider art' - for artists who have difficulty finding exhibition space in the established commercial galleries and artist circles of the district. The Redwing, for a six month period, finishing in July 2012, ran a 'pop-up gallery' at Trevelyan House, where artists brought in their work for short-term display in mixed shows alongside the work of painter and printmaker Peter Fox.

Creative workshops were offered to pupils of all ages for aspects of the book arts, by Roselyne Williams who is a maker of books.

Also on display was the 'Dwellings' Bookcase, created by Melissa Hardie together with the artist Roy Callow, to tell the story of a life spent in books - reading, publishing, writing and promoting literacy and education. Book launches and events related to the Penzance Literary Festival 2012 also took place and craft/arts fairs by community groups.

The Asterisk* Bookroom was open to the public for browsing amongst duplicate books from the Hypatia Trust Collections. Profits from the activities will contributed to the Campaign Fund set up to ensure the future of the Elizabeth Treffry Women in Cornwall Collection, a Special Collection of the Trust to remain in perpetuity in Cornwall.

Hypatia's Handbag - An Interactive Exhibition: The ordinary and the bizarre

Hypatia's Handbag

23rd - 29th July 2012 11am - 5pm

OPENING THE HANDBAG TO REVEAL STORIES & POETRY:

Jess Allen, Mary Fletcher, Andrea Garrihy, John Garrihy, Jenny George, David Kemp, Laura Holliday, Susan Hoyle, Andrew Lanyon, Amanda Lorens, Maurice Pearson, Poppy Treffry, Shabby Cow, Smart Tart, and Charlie Roff.

Exhibition curated by Andrea Garrihy

DONATED VINTAGE & CONTEMPORARY BAGS FOR SALE

FIRST VIEW: 3 - 5PM, SUNDAY, 22ND 2012 - ALL WELCOME!

In aid of the Elizabeth Treffry Cornish Collection.

Trevelyan House, 16 Chapel Street, Penzance TR18 4AW

Tel: 01736 366597

Name your woman of Cornwall and Scilly

Here at the Hypatia Trust we are in the early days of campaigning and fundraising for a new, public and permanent home for the nationally significant Elizabeth Treffry Collection on Women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The women represented in the collection are the cultural ancestors of over half a million inhabitants of Cornwall and Scilly today. As we compile an index of these women who, through their writing, art and work, have shaped how we and the rest of the world view and understand Cornwall and Scilly, we would like to know who you think should be included, and why.

It could be someone from the past or someone living now, what contribution have they made? Why are they special? Leave a comment!

The history and heritage of Cornwall and Scilly is still, unfortunately, based on stories of 'great men'. That is not to say that women did not play a prominent part, but it is to say that their lives were not as well documented and so we have to find these fine threads and weave them into something stronger. That is what the Elizabeth Treffry Collection aims to do. We collect and document in three areas:

1. Information and works by women from Cornwall and Scilly (Cornish by origin and non-Cornish inhabitants). 2. Information and works about women from Cornwall and Scilly (by men or women). 3. Information and works by women on Cornish/Scillonian subjects or inspired by a Cornish/Scillonian setting.

So far we have documented the lives of at least 600 women represented in the books and papers of the Elizabeth Treffry Collection. These include artists like Elizabeth Armstrong Forbes, campaigners like Judith Cook, writers like Mrs Craik (aka Dinah Maria Mulloch) and teachers like Litz Pisk. In addition the Hypaita Trust has conducted projects into the Women's Land Army of Cornwall and supported research and publication on the subject of mining women (Bal Maidens).

So please share this post, leave a comment below, tweet us, join us on Facebook and give us your thoughts on how we can best use the collection to make sure that women's heritage in Cornwall lives long into the future.

What's in Hypatia's handbag?

A handbag?

An Interactive Exhibition celebrating and exploring the ‘mysteries’ and capacities of the handbag, opens on Sunday, 22 July 2012 for one week at Trevelyan House, 16 Chapel Street, Penzance.

Curated by artist and exhibitor Andrea Garrihy for the benefit of the Hypatia Trust’s Elizabeth Treffry Collection on Women in Cornwall and Scilly, the exhibitors invite visitors to discover different aspects of our handbag culture.

Download, share, print and display the posters

Hypatia's Handbag 1 (PDF, 51KB) Hypatia's Handbag 2 (PDF, 42KB)

‘What’s in your handbag?’ will be the big question

Delving into the handbag through art, literature, music, drama, news and fashion can reveal unique insights into our day to day lives and our individual personalities. In addition to Andrea’s handbag sculptures, writers, craftworkers and visual artists are opening their bags to reveal all manner of handbaggery!

Exhibitors include Jess Allen, John Garrihy, Jenny George, Laura Holliday, Susan Hoyle, David Kemp, Andrew Lanyon, Amanda Lorens, and Charlie Roff.

Handbags for sale for women in Cornwall collection

Handmade handbags will be on sale from local makers including Smart Tart, Poppy Treffry, Maurice Pearson and Shabby Cow. Vintage and contemporary handbags donated by supporters and friends will be on sale throughout the exhibition.

Proceeds will benefit the campaign for a publically-accessible home for the Elizabeth Treffry Collection.

So what's in your handbag? Take part!

Artist Mary Fletcher to document Penzance’s handbag culture

Mary will hold drawing sessions on: Monday 23 June (11-1pm) Tuesday (11-1pm) Wednesday 25th July (1-3pm)

Every object tells a story

Visitors can open and investigate the contents from the depths of their own and other handbags. Every object tells a story and the top ten handbag contents will be exhibited, as will some of the more bizarre contents.

Hypatia’s Handbag, A Fable

Local history author, Susan Hoyle, has written an original legend for the exhibition, entitled Hypatia’s Handbag, A Fable, which is being printed and hand-bound in limited edition. Purchasers of bags to the value of £10 or more will receive a free book. Others may purchase copies of the tale.

Opening hours

The exhibition opens on Sunday 22 July from 3pm to 5pm at Trevelyan House, 16 Chapel Street, Penzance.

Opening hours 23-29 July: 11am to 5pm.

The exhibition runs in parallel with the Penzance Literary Festival.

For more information, please call the Hypatia Trust on 01736 366597.

New Book Published as E-Book

Presented as our first E-book, Jane Gosney has exceeded her brief as one of the circle of Patten People, and produced a beautiful on-line display of some of her excellent photography and redolent memories of Cornwall. We are indebted to her for this pioneering and exploratory 'new light' on the arts and craft scenes of West Cornwall. This e-book is available for sale at our standard series price of £7.50 (on-line PDF) by clicking here and paying with PayPal. A .pdf copy of the book will be sent to your e-mail address on receipt of your payment.

It is also available as a reward gift for those making a donation of at least £10 to the current fundraising campaign of the Hypatia Trust for the securing of a permanent home for the Elizabeth Treffry Collection, Women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

See www.elizabethtreffrycollection.org to donate to this worthy cause, and to ask for your free copy to be sent.

Jane writes -

I had first published photographs from my visits to Cornwall in "Reflections on Light" in 2002 (an anthology of photo essays about my work as a lighting designer and photographer which can be found in the Elizabeth Treffry Collection at the Hypatia Trust ).

My images were often used to illustrate articles I had written in the press but I had never used words to " paint a picture". The invitation from Melissa Hardie to write a five thousand word monologue as the first 21st century contributor to the Patten People series was especially welcome as my work is a balance between new technologies and art.

"New Horizons" describes my life as a designer in London, idyllic summers with my mother in St Ives and my relocation to Cornwall in 2007 where how my creative work has diversified. Shared memories of simple pleasures are recounted : sadly adjusting to a loss is also part of the story.

I would like to thank Sophie Bowness and The Hepworth Estate for permission to reproduce a photograph from The Hepworth Garden as one of the eight full colour illustrations.

Slow Food Cooks Fast Food at Golowan

With festivities underway for Golowan on Saturday 23 June, Slow Food Cornwall will be will be adding to the atmosphere on Chapel Street on Mazey Day, serving fast food in front of  Trevelyan House.

Joanne Schofield, Secretary and Treasurer of Slow Food Cornwall, and Elizabeth Treffry Collection Campaign team member, is  known locally for her work with farmers’ markets, will be bending over a hot BBQ cooking local, marinated lamb kabobs, and tossing bowls of Greek salad.  Home-made lemonade, teas and coffees will be served out of the open window and onto the street by members of Slow Food and volunteers of the Hypatia Trust.

‘Slow Food Cornwall is delighted to help raise funds and awareness for the Hypatia Trust and the Elizabeth Treffry Collection,’ says Joanne.

‘People are welcome to come into Trevelyan House, sit down, relax and enjoy a bite or have a wander around the Redwing Gallery.  It is a lovely building and a great place to dive out of the crowds for a bit of peace and quiet.’

Mazey Day food and refreshments, 11am-4pm, Saturday 23 June, Trevelyan House

Food and refreshments will be served from 11am to 4pm.  Trevelyan House (16 Chapel Street, Penzance) will be open all day from 10am to 5pm.  For more information please call Joanne on 01326 231146 or Trevelyan House on 01736 366597.

Discover Hidden Treasures at Trevelyan House, 4th - 9th June 2012

HiddenTreasures1

Visitors and the local community were invited to enjoy the delights of the Elizabeth Treffry Collection on Women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Free displays and tours of the collection took place in the informal and homely surroundings of Trevelyan House, a grade II-listed Georgian gem in the heart of historic Chapel Street and home of the Hypatia Trust. The Hypatia Trust was one of 55 organisations across the UK to take part in The Independent newspaper and the Collections Trust national campaign called Hidden Treasures.

Free tours took place throughout the week led by Honorary Curator and Historian, Dr. Tehmina Goskar.

Visitors were able to view a rare copy of 'King Arthur's Wood' by artist and author Elizabeth Forbes, a fairy-tale written and illustrated for her family in 1904, 19th century photograph albums by women photographers and other items from this unique Cornish collection.

More information: www.elizabethtreffrycollection.org

Revealing Hidden Treasures

Discover Hidden Treasures at Trevelyan House, Penzance, 4-9 June 2012

Visitors and the local community are invited to enjoy the delights of the Elizabeth Treffry Collection on Women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Free displays and tours of the collection will take place in the informal and homely surroundings of Trevelyan House, a grade II-listed Georgian gem in the heart of historic Chapel Street and home of the Hypatia Trust.

The Hypatia Trust is one of 55 organisations across the UK to take part in The Independent newspaper and the Collection’s Trust national campaign called Hidden Treasures.

Free tours will take place throughout the week led by Honorary Curator and Historian, Dr. Tehmina Goskar.

Tours will feature:

• A rare copy of King Arthur's Wood by artist and author Elizabeth Forbes, a fairy-tale written and illustrated for her family in 1904
• 19th century photographs by women
• Women’s writing in Cornwall
• Find out about our campaign to find a new home

Tours start at 2.30pm and will last for 30 minutes on:

Monday 4 June (Bank Holiday), Tuesday 5 June (Bank Holiday), Wednesday 6 June, Thursday 7 June and Saturday 9 June.

PLEASE NOTE: No tours Friday 8 June.

Joining instructions: Visitors can drop in to Trevelyan House between 11am and 4pm to browse the Asterisk Bookshop and Redwing Gallery on the ground floor. For the collections tour please arrive at least 5 minutes before the tour starts at Trevelyan House, 16 Chapel Street, Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 4AW.

Access: A staircase leads to the tours and is unsuitable for wheelchair users.

Getting here:

Map: View Larger Map

Address:

Trevelyan House 16 Chapel Street Penzance Cornwall TR18 4AW.

Telephone: 01736 366597

Email: info@hypatia-trust.org.uk

Access:

Trevelyan House is situated in historic Chapel Street. There is stepped access to the house and a further set of stairs to access the first floor where the tour will take place. Not suitable for wheelchair users.

Parking and travel:

There are several nearby Cornwall Council carparks. The nearest are Greenmarket car park off Union Street or St Anthony’s Gardens car park off the Promenade. Charges apply. Penzance is well served by local and cross-country bus and rail services. Trevelyan House is a short walk from most other car parks, the rail station and bus station.

More travel information:

For more information on travelling by rail, plan your journey at http://www.nationalrail.co.uk

For more information about buses and coaches to Penzance visit: http://www.cornwallpublictransport.info/

To locate short and longstay carparks in Penzance visit: http://www.penzance.co.uk/shopping/index.htm?parking.htm~main_pz

Collections audit paves way to future

'New beginnings' are our watchwords as the spring months arrive.

In January of this year Dr. Tehmina Goskar accepted the post of Honorary Curator of the Elizabeth Treffry Collection of the Hypatia Trust. As friends and associates, who were with us at its Opening party in 1996 know, the collection is named for the 15th century Lady of Place in Fowey, the ancestral home of the Treffry family of Cornwall.

In a few short months, we are now in a position to make known our plans for ensuring the future of this Collection as a focal point for telling the history of women in our county, the stories that are unknown generally and glossed over often. The neglect is understandable in a region known for its long-standing poverty and traditional dependency upon the leading male occupations of mining, fishing, and farming, though women have always taken a part.

Help us to reveal more about the outstanding women who have also built this 'nation' of Cornwall. Keep watch on this blog and get ready for our campaign ----.

Read more on Curating the Elizabeth Treffry Collection

Elizabeth Treffry Collection surveyed ...

April 2012: 'New beginnings' are our watchwords as the spring months arrive.

In January of this year Dr Tehmina Goskar accepted the post of Honorary Curator of the Cornish collection of the Hypatia Trust. As friends and associates, who were with us at its Opening party in 1996 know, the collection is named for the 15th century Lady of Place in Fowey, the ancestral home of the Treffry family of Cornwall.

In a few short months, we are now in a position to make known our plans for ensuring the future of this Collection as a focal point for telling the history of women in our county, the stories that are unknown generally and glossed over often. The neglect is understandable in a region known for its long-standing poverty and traditional dependency upon the leading male occupations of mining, fishing, and farming, though women have always taken a part.

Help us to reveal more about the outstanding women who have also built this 'nation' of Cornwall. Keep watch on this blog below and get ready for our campaign website ---- coming soon at a computer near you.

http://tehmina.goskar.com/2012/04/09/curating-the-elizabeth-treffry-collection-on-women-in-cornwall-and-scilly

You can also download a copy of the report.

Hunger Lunches Summer 2011

A series of six hunger lunches were held at Trevelyan House to raise money for the Save the Children Fund East Africa Appeal. Six hundred pounds was raised. We received generous sponsorship from the Co-operative store in Queen's Square who provided food each week.

We are also grateful to St. Mary's Church, the Penzance Quaker Meeting and all our helpers and donors.

Founders Day Celebrations 2010

‘Let them eat cake …..’

An OPEN DAY on THURSDAY 25th NOVEMBER

Something a little different this year (tailored for another year of recessionary spirit, because there is no bread……let them eat cake!). We are keeping going on a wing and a prayer as the hard times roll, and we hope you will approve and support our approach to celebrating!

And, we did make a DAY of it. These were the basic elements of it -

• A BRING OR BUY CAKE SALE (or even bring & buy): Coffee, tea and mulled fruit juice was on offer all day from 11 am - 4 pm, and a delicious cake stall! More than 20 cakes, cupcakes and mince pies were on offer, and were sampled by all - still leaving a few for our next-day craft and teaching groups. Slightly more than £200 was gained for our housekeeping funds.

Thanks to everyone who contributed, including those who could not attend, but sent in donations anyway!

• EVEN IN THIS PLACE: Book launch for our latest publication: The Rev John Horner signed more than 75 copies on the day, and gave a delightful introduction to a packed room of admirers.
• ARTISTS IN CORNWALL ON-LINE: The launch of the new web-based archive, relating to the world the stories of painters, ceramists, sculptors and craftsmen who have worked from Cornwall.

Designed by Nick Harpley of Digital Peninsula Network, funded by George Bednar and developed by the Hypatia Trust for the benefit of the West Cornwall Art Archive.

You can access the new website by clicking here. Better still, if you are a Cornish artist or know one, please submit details at add new artist info.

Concord's African & Abolitionist History

Visiting in late summer from the USA was Cornishwoman and Hypatia-member Polly Attwood (the granddaughter of a former Vicar of Sennen), to inform and up-date us on the remarkable Drinking Gourd Project. Visiting in late summer from the USA was Cornishwoman and Hypatia-member Polly Attwood (the granddaughter of a former Vicar of Sennen), to inform and up-date us on the remarkable Drinking Gourd Project. Directly due to her work with the Human Rights Council of Concord, Massachusetts, and her curatorship of the Hypatia Collection of the Writings of Minority Women, Polly's shared initiatives with the historic town of Concord, has resulted in the establishment of a newly-formed Concord-based nonprofit organisation. It focuses on raising awareness of Concord's African and Abolitionist history from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Their mission "is to shine a light on this history and make it even more accessible to residents and visitors in a way that will add a new layer to our understanding of our past and a deeper appreciation for the complexity of Concord and its role in creating a diverse America."

The project will be accomplished with educational programmes, maps and tours, story-telling sessions & oral history projects, commemorating early African and African-American home sites with stone benches, providing engraved headstones for unmarked graves of African Americans and Abolitionists, and working closely with schools, museums, town agencies and organisations to raise the necessary funds to provide the educational information and materials.

This is just the kind of model project for which Hypatia exists to support and with which to give and take inspiration. Congratulations Polly to you and all your Concord colleagues for working positively and constructively with history, heritage, appreciation and intelligence.

*The Drinking Gourd is another name for the Big and Little Dippers. The North Star pointed out by these constellations was a guiding light for travellers heading North to freedom on the Underground Railroad.