Thomas Gambier Parry
Encyclopedia
Thomas Gambier Parry, J.P.,D.L., (22 February 1816 – 28 September 1888) was an English
artist
and art collector. He is best remembered for his development of the Gambier Parry process
of fresco
painting
.
Gambier Parry's parents, Richard and Mary Parry of Banstead
, Surrey
, died when he was young and he was raised by his maternal aunts and uncles, the Gambiers. He was educated at Eton
and Trinity College, Cambridge
. He moved to Highnam
Court, Gloucestershire
when he was 21 and, in 1839, he married, firstly, Anna Maria Isabella Fynes-Clinton. Only two of their six children survived to adulthood, Clinton Charles Parry and Charles Hubert Hastings Parry
(the composer), with Isabella surviving the birth of Hubert in 1848 by only twelve days.
In 1851, Gambier Parry married, secondly, Ethelinda Lear, by whom he had six children, including the soldier, artist and author, Ernest Gambier Parry (1854-1936). Major Ernest Gambier-Parry was half-brother of Sir Hubert Parry, Bt., the composer, on whose death in 1918 he succeeded to the family estate at Highnam. Major Gambier-Parry, in addition to his military service, was an artist, author, and musician. The eldest surviving son of Thomas Gambier-Parry, J.P., D.L., whose artistic tastes he inherited, he was born on October 25, 1853, and was at Eton, in Mr. Evan's, from 1866 to 1871. He wrote "Annals of an Eton House with some Notes on the Evans Family," 1907. Having served in the Volunteers and Militia, he joined The Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1874 and the Devon Yeomanry 10 years later. In the Eastern Sudan Expedition of 1885m as a special service officer, he was seriously injured and was promoted major for services in the field. For services in World War One, he was commandant of No. 6 Red Cross Hospital, Oxfordshire, he was made an O.B.E. in 1918. He was a county magistrate and president of the Gloucester Children's Hospital founded by his father.
Thomas's son, Major Gambier-Parry was a frequent exhibitor at the Royal Academy and other exhibitions, and served on the Gloucester Committee of the Three Choirs Festival. Among his published works were "Suakin, 1885," "Sketches of a Yachting Cruise," "Day-dreams," "The Pageant of my Day," "Murphy: A Message to Dog-lovers," "Allegories of the Land," "The Spirit of the Old Folk," "Life of Reynell Taylor," and "Ainslie Gore: A Sketch from Life." Of these perhaps the most attractive is "The Pageant of my Day," a tranquil commentary on the remembered scenes of a long life. He married, in 1882, Evelyn Elizabeth, R.R.C., daughter of the first Lord Haldon; she died in 1935. They had two sons. The elder, Thomas Robert, a versatile scholar and botanist, who became Keeper of the Oriental Department of the Bodleian, died in February 1935; the younger, Thomas Mark, was known for his studies in French biography.
Thomas's grandson, Michael Gambier-Parry
(1891–1976), also became soldier serving in both World Wars. As a Captain in World War I he served in France (awarded the Military Cross) and at Gallipoli. In World War II he was Aide-de-Camp to the King, then Head British Military Mission to Athens in 1940. In 1941 General Officer Commanding 2nd Amoured Division, North Africa. He was captured with Brigadier Vaughan at Mechili in April 1941. Arriving in Villa Orsini near Sulmona with Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame
and General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor, and sent to Castello de Vincigliata
PG12 the same year. As Major-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart
wrote of him‘…he was also a most gifted man, made delightful sketches, was a first class ‘forger’ –which could no doubt earn him a steady income in the underworld’. Known as ‘GP’, he was a knowledgeable musician, ‘and led the choir in our church services on Sunday’ [21]. 'GP' was one of the few really unselfish men I have ever known'. In September 1943 he escaped with the other officers and after various adventures arrived in Rome where he had obtained sanctuary in a convent, till the allies arrived. He retired in 1944.
Thomas Gambier-Parry's father and grandfather were both directors of the British East India Company
and Gambier Parry devoted his inherited wealth to good works. He adopted the principles of the Tractarian Movement, and was a prominent member of the Ecclesiological Society. Thomas Gambier Parry was a notable collector of medieval and renaissance art. The Courtauld Institute of Art later acquired his collection.
After studying the technique of the Italian fresco painters, Thomas Gambier-Parry developed his own spirit fresco method and executed grand-scale mural projects at Ely Cathedral
, Gloucester Cathedral
and the parish church at Highnam.
He gained the reputation of a philanthropist, founding a children's hospital, orphanage, and college of science and art at Gloucester
, and providing a church and school for his tenants at Highnam.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and art collector. He is best remembered for his development of the Gambier Parry process
Gambier Parry process
The Gambier Parry process is a development of the classical technique of fresco for painting murals, named for Thomas Gambier Parry.In some environments, conventional fresco colours can rapidly accumulate dirt and grime. Gambier Parry developed a spirit medium for use on a specially prepared...
of fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
Gambier Parry's parents, Richard and Mary Parry of Banstead
Banstead
Banstead is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in the county of Surrey, England, on the border with Greater London. It lies south of London, west of Croydon and of the county town of Kingston-Upon-Thames. Banstead is on the North Downs and is protected by the Metropolitan Green Belt;...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, died when he was young and he was raised by his maternal aunts and uncles, the Gambiers. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He moved to Highnam
Highnam
Highnam is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of the city of Gloucester. It is three miles northwest of the city on the A40, on its way to Ross, west of Alney Island and Over Bridge. The parish includes the villages of Lassington and Over...
Court, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
when he was 21 and, in 1839, he married, firstly, Anna Maria Isabella Fynes-Clinton. Only two of their six children survived to adulthood, Clinton Charles Parry and Charles Hubert Hastings Parry
Hubert Parry
Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet was an English composer, teacher and historian of music.Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is best known for the choral song "Jerusalem", the coronation anthem "I was glad" and the hymn tune "Repton", which sets the words...
(the composer), with Isabella surviving the birth of Hubert in 1848 by only twelve days.
In 1851, Gambier Parry married, secondly, Ethelinda Lear, by whom he had six children, including the soldier, artist and author, Ernest Gambier Parry (1854-1936). Major Ernest Gambier-Parry was half-brother of Sir Hubert Parry, Bt., the composer, on whose death in 1918 he succeeded to the family estate at Highnam. Major Gambier-Parry, in addition to his military service, was an artist, author, and musician. The eldest surviving son of Thomas Gambier-Parry, J.P., D.L., whose artistic tastes he inherited, he was born on October 25, 1853, and was at Eton, in Mr. Evan's, from 1866 to 1871. He wrote "Annals of an Eton House with some Notes on the Evans Family," 1907. Having served in the Volunteers and Militia, he joined The Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1874 and the Devon Yeomanry 10 years later. In the Eastern Sudan Expedition of 1885m as a special service officer, he was seriously injured and was promoted major for services in the field. For services in World War One, he was commandant of No. 6 Red Cross Hospital, Oxfordshire, he was made an O.B.E. in 1918. He was a county magistrate and president of the Gloucester Children's Hospital founded by his father.
Thomas's son, Major Gambier-Parry was a frequent exhibitor at the Royal Academy and other exhibitions, and served on the Gloucester Committee of the Three Choirs Festival. Among his published works were "Suakin, 1885," "Sketches of a Yachting Cruise," "Day-dreams," "The Pageant of my Day," "Murphy: A Message to Dog-lovers," "Allegories of the Land," "The Spirit of the Old Folk," "Life of Reynell Taylor," and "Ainslie Gore: A Sketch from Life." Of these perhaps the most attractive is "The Pageant of my Day," a tranquil commentary on the remembered scenes of a long life. He married, in 1882, Evelyn Elizabeth, R.R.C., daughter of the first Lord Haldon; she died in 1935. They had two sons. The elder, Thomas Robert, a versatile scholar and botanist, who became Keeper of the Oriental Department of the Bodleian, died in February 1935; the younger, Thomas Mark, was known for his studies in French biography.
Thomas's grandson, Michael Gambier-Parry
Michael Gambier-Parry
Major General Michael Denman Gambier-Parry MC DL was a British Army officer who commanded 2nd Armoured Division.- Early life and family :...
(1891–1976), also became soldier serving in both World Wars. As a Captain in World War I he served in France (awarded the Military Cross) and at Gallipoli. In World War II he was Aide-de-Camp to the King, then Head British Military Mission to Athens in 1940. In 1941 General Officer Commanding 2nd Amoured Division, North Africa. He was captured with Brigadier Vaughan at Mechili in April 1941. Arriving in Villa Orsini near Sulmona with Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame
Philip Neame
Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame VC, KBE, CB, DSO, KStJ was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
and General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor, and sent to Castello de Vincigliata
Vincigliata
Vincigliata Castle is a medieval castle which stands on a rocky hill to the east of Fiesole in the Italian region of Tuscany. In the mid-nineteenth century the building, which had fallen into a ruinous state, was acquired by the Englishman John Temple-Leader and entirely reconstructed in the...
PG12 the same year. As Major-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart
Adrian Carton de Wiart
Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart VC, KBE, CB, CMG, DSO , was a British officer of Belgian and Irish descent...
wrote of him‘…he was also a most gifted man, made delightful sketches, was a first class ‘forger’ –which could no doubt earn him a steady income in the underworld’. Known as ‘GP’, he was a knowledgeable musician, ‘and led the choir in our church services on Sunday’ [21]. 'GP' was one of the few really unselfish men I have ever known'. In September 1943 he escaped with the other officers and after various adventures arrived in Rome where he had obtained sanctuary in a convent, till the allies arrived. He retired in 1944.
Thomas Gambier-Parry's father and grandfather were both directors of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and Gambier Parry devoted his inherited wealth to good works. He adopted the principles of the Tractarian Movement, and was a prominent member of the Ecclesiological Society. Thomas Gambier Parry was a notable collector of medieval and renaissance art. The Courtauld Institute of Art later acquired his collection.
After studying the technique of the Italian fresco painters, Thomas Gambier-Parry developed his own spirit fresco method and executed grand-scale mural projects at Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...
, Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the river. It originated in 678 or 679 with the foundation of an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter .-Foundations:The foundations of the present...
and the parish church at Highnam.
He gained the reputation of a philanthropist, founding a children's hospital, orphanage, and college of science and art at Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, and providing a church and school for his tenants at Highnam.