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Doris Pepita Chappell (1887-1978)
Claire Dimond Mills and Alan Payne September 2020 The Chappell family were music publishers and piano makers at a time before radio broadcasts and recorded music. For most people they played a vital part in enjoying music at home on the family piano following the Chappell score. Founded by Samuel Chappell in 1811, the firm became an instant success and in 1819, Beethoven wrote: Chappell in Bond Street is now one of the best publishers. Samuel's wife, Emily, was part of the Patey family, a name remembered in Thomas Patey Chappell, their younger son and later managing director of the company. Thomas was the father of Doris Pepita Chappell, born in 1887 to his second wife Jessie Boyes, 25-years his junior. Thomas and his family lived at St George’s Square, Hanover, London between at least 1861 and 1901. This address is one of the most expensive and fashionable in London, evidence that the Chappell family had considerable wealth. |
Title page of a Chappell music score (courtesy Wikipedia)
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When Thomas Chappell died in 1902, the remaining family moved to Jaggards, Neston. In 1920, they appointed Max and Louis Dreyfus to handle their publishing rights in USA, where the Dreyfus brothers distributed music for leading American composers such as Gershwin, Rodgers, Hart and Cole Porter. Jessie subsequently sold the firm to the Dreyfus brothers in 1926.
By then, most of her family were well-established. In 1910 her eldest daughter Mabel married Major Robert Fuller of the family who owned Neston Park and Great Chalfield Manor, where they had amassed a very large estate in Wiltshire including in Box. They retained the bulk of it until 1949 when they sold most of their estate with the exception of the farms, including Hatt Farm and Old Jockey Farm. Doris Chappell The family background of music, especially in the musical theatre genre and the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan, was a curious mix of risk-taking enterprise. It left the Chappell family rooted in hard work and popular culture rather than the privilege of the landed aristocracy. As a result, local residents were confused about etiquette: Mr and Mrs Fuller who lived at Neston Park travelled around their large estate in a landau drawn by two horses .. When they halted at The Old Jockey, Mrs Gale curtsied - the only person in the waiting group of women and children to do so. [1] Left: Sir Gerard and Lady Fuller, Doris Chappell's sister-in-law (courtesy Katherine Harris) |
Social and Nursing Work
Against this background, Jessie and Doris moved into the Box area at Hatt House, The Old Jockey, in the 1920s where Doris lived for 50 years. She never married and instead turned to philanthropic work, renowned as one of the ablest organisers and busiest ladies in Wiltshire .[2] Her work started during World War I when she cared for Belgian refugees at Little Lypiatt.[3] After the war, in 1919, she opened a maternity home at Alexander House, 19 High Street, Corsham with a capacity of 3 beds, one of which was reserved for County Council cases.
But it was chiefly for her commitment to the Nursing Association and the Bath Hospitals that she was known. She was secretary of the Wiltshire Nursing Association from about 1922 until at least 1955 and, because she threw her energies into every cause, she was the person who often represented them at local fund raising events and county presentations. At times there were 79 local associations in Wiltshire and she visited them all over the time of her decades of work for the Association.[4] This work often involved funding and supporting District Nurses to assist in maternity work in the home and non-surgical duties. She took on many additional responsibilities including chairing the Corsham Nursing Home (which later became the County Maternity Home in 1944) and really the work had fallen upon one person - Miss Chappell of Box - who had carried on the wonderful work for something like thirty years entirely voluntarily.[5] There was no limit to the attention she gave to the Home, including receiving tenders for the supply of bread, bacon, groceries, soup, milk, coal and coke directed to Hatt House.[6]
She was chairman of the Bath and Wessex Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital in Combe Park, Bath, the current site of the Royal United Hospital (RUH). The site was first used as a World War I hospital in 1916 with the Orthopaedic Hospital being founded in 1924 alongside the Forbes Fraser Hospital and the hospitals merged in 1980 to form the RUH. The NHS was not formed until 1948 so in this period people chose where to be treated and either had to pay for it themselves or were reliant on charity handouts. Raising subscriptions was a key focus of the committee so that all children could be treated whether they could afford it or not.
Local Roles
Doris was a well-respected person in the Box area with numerous roles. She and her mother were founder members of the cross-party Wiltshire League of Nations Union in the 1920s and Doris was chairman of the Box Women's Conservative Association in the 1930s.[7] Doris was founder president of the Box Women's Institute in 1930 and served as president until 1946, often opening the grounds of Hatt House for fundraising events.[8] Her connections enabled her to call on many distinguished people to support her causes, such as the Dowager Countess of Radnor at Nursing Association meetings and the Marquess of Bath who opened a sale of children's handicraft work in support of the Bath and Wessex Children's Orthopaedic Hospital in 1937.[9]
She was also well-known to the residents of The Old Jockey. At election time, Miss Chappell would give them a lift down to the Bingham Hall or the Schools to cast their votes. Her Sunbeam car would be decorated with blue Conservative rosettes but many Old Jockey residents were tenants of Sir Gerard and Mrs Fuller, staunch Liberals, and voted for their party. When she retired from some of her civic duties she threw her energies into the grounds at Hatt House and opened them to the public for fund-raising purposes.[10]
Residents' Recollections
Katherine Harris wrote about Miss Chappell in her memoir:[11] Miss Doris Chappell lived at Hatt House, at first with her mother and later alone. At least, not actually alone as she employed an indoor staff of servants, a gardener and Mr West as chauffeur. A well-worn path led from his home to Hatt House. Mr West used the path to go to work (he lived at nearby Jefferies Cottage) and it was not unusual to see Miss Chappell's cocker spaniels, and she had several, lined up on the wall waiting for him. Miss Chappell was respected by all who knew her. She was the first President of the Box Women's Institute, and for her tireless work with the District Nursing Association she was decorated by the Queen.
Geoff Bence remembered a slightly different side to Miss Chappell:[12] Miss Chappell was a chain smoker and used to have 200 Gold Leaf a week from our (Bence’s) shop, which I thought was rather a lot. Then I found out she had another 200 from Richard Fudge up at the paper shop. She was always coughing and spluttering and her skin was rather ginger from the nicotine. She was a large lady with a very loud voice; you could hear her all round the village when she was around.
She had an elderly maid / cook who looked after the domestic side. One day the gardener had dried some daffodil bulbs from the garden for planting next year and the elderly maid / cook cooked them as onions. It made Miss Chappell quite ill. James Boyle, her nephew, and his wife, Julia, lived at Hatt House after her death.
Charlie Helps was the taxi driver for them. He lived at 6 Market Place with his wife Betty and daughter Christine, and later he worked as chauffeur / handyman for Miss Chappell at Hatt House. She had a Bewick car. Charlie was driving along one day when he saw a wheel overtake him. He looked down to find he was a wheel short on his car.
Against this background, Jessie and Doris moved into the Box area at Hatt House, The Old Jockey, in the 1920s where Doris lived for 50 years. She never married and instead turned to philanthropic work, renowned as one of the ablest organisers and busiest ladies in Wiltshire .[2] Her work started during World War I when she cared for Belgian refugees at Little Lypiatt.[3] After the war, in 1919, she opened a maternity home at Alexander House, 19 High Street, Corsham with a capacity of 3 beds, one of which was reserved for County Council cases.
But it was chiefly for her commitment to the Nursing Association and the Bath Hospitals that she was known. She was secretary of the Wiltshire Nursing Association from about 1922 until at least 1955 and, because she threw her energies into every cause, she was the person who often represented them at local fund raising events and county presentations. At times there were 79 local associations in Wiltshire and she visited them all over the time of her decades of work for the Association.[4] This work often involved funding and supporting District Nurses to assist in maternity work in the home and non-surgical duties. She took on many additional responsibilities including chairing the Corsham Nursing Home (which later became the County Maternity Home in 1944) and really the work had fallen upon one person - Miss Chappell of Box - who had carried on the wonderful work for something like thirty years entirely voluntarily.[5] There was no limit to the attention she gave to the Home, including receiving tenders for the supply of bread, bacon, groceries, soup, milk, coal and coke directed to Hatt House.[6]
She was chairman of the Bath and Wessex Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital in Combe Park, Bath, the current site of the Royal United Hospital (RUH). The site was first used as a World War I hospital in 1916 with the Orthopaedic Hospital being founded in 1924 alongside the Forbes Fraser Hospital and the hospitals merged in 1980 to form the RUH. The NHS was not formed until 1948 so in this period people chose where to be treated and either had to pay for it themselves or were reliant on charity handouts. Raising subscriptions was a key focus of the committee so that all children could be treated whether they could afford it or not.
Local Roles
Doris was a well-respected person in the Box area with numerous roles. She and her mother were founder members of the cross-party Wiltshire League of Nations Union in the 1920s and Doris was chairman of the Box Women's Conservative Association in the 1930s.[7] Doris was founder president of the Box Women's Institute in 1930 and served as president until 1946, often opening the grounds of Hatt House for fundraising events.[8] Her connections enabled her to call on many distinguished people to support her causes, such as the Dowager Countess of Radnor at Nursing Association meetings and the Marquess of Bath who opened a sale of children's handicraft work in support of the Bath and Wessex Children's Orthopaedic Hospital in 1937.[9]
She was also well-known to the residents of The Old Jockey. At election time, Miss Chappell would give them a lift down to the Bingham Hall or the Schools to cast their votes. Her Sunbeam car would be decorated with blue Conservative rosettes but many Old Jockey residents were tenants of Sir Gerard and Mrs Fuller, staunch Liberals, and voted for their party. When she retired from some of her civic duties she threw her energies into the grounds at Hatt House and opened them to the public for fund-raising purposes.[10]
Residents' Recollections
Katherine Harris wrote about Miss Chappell in her memoir:[11] Miss Doris Chappell lived at Hatt House, at first with her mother and later alone. At least, not actually alone as she employed an indoor staff of servants, a gardener and Mr West as chauffeur. A well-worn path led from his home to Hatt House. Mr West used the path to go to work (he lived at nearby Jefferies Cottage) and it was not unusual to see Miss Chappell's cocker spaniels, and she had several, lined up on the wall waiting for him. Miss Chappell was respected by all who knew her. She was the first President of the Box Women's Institute, and for her tireless work with the District Nursing Association she was decorated by the Queen.
Geoff Bence remembered a slightly different side to Miss Chappell:[12] Miss Chappell was a chain smoker and used to have 200 Gold Leaf a week from our (Bence’s) shop, which I thought was rather a lot. Then I found out she had another 200 from Richard Fudge up at the paper shop. She was always coughing and spluttering and her skin was rather ginger from the nicotine. She was a large lady with a very loud voice; you could hear her all round the village when she was around.
She had an elderly maid / cook who looked after the domestic side. One day the gardener had dried some daffodil bulbs from the garden for planting next year and the elderly maid / cook cooked them as onions. It made Miss Chappell quite ill. James Boyle, her nephew, and his wife, Julia, lived at Hatt House after her death.
Charlie Helps was the taxi driver for them. He lived at 6 Market Place with his wife Betty and daughter Christine, and later he worked as chauffeur / handyman for Miss Chappell at Hatt House. She had a Bewick car. Charlie was driving along one day when he saw a wheel overtake him. He looked down to find he was a wheel short on his car.
In Retrospect
Doris Chappell's achievements were phenomenal, not least that they were founded on personal hard work and commitment rather than privilege and wealth. In addition, they were achieved despite numerous references to her ill-health and recovery from serious illnesses in the 1920s and 1930s.
Her obituary recalled No one knows how much she did for others less fortunate than herself.[13] Vicar Tom Selwyn-Smith remembered that her immediate concern was for the disabled children's education which formerly was neglected during their long stay in hospital. Doris Chappell belonged to another age. She will be remembered long.
The wonderful Doris Pepita Chappell died on 29 December 1978, aged 90, still living at Hatt House.
Doris Chappell's achievements were phenomenal, not least that they were founded on personal hard work and commitment rather than privilege and wealth. In addition, they were achieved despite numerous references to her ill-health and recovery from serious illnesses in the 1920s and 1930s.
Her obituary recalled No one knows how much she did for others less fortunate than herself.[13] Vicar Tom Selwyn-Smith remembered that her immediate concern was for the disabled children's education which formerly was neglected during their long stay in hospital. Doris Chappell belonged to another age. She will be remembered long.
The wonderful Doris Pepita Chappell died on 29 December 1978, aged 90, still living at Hatt House.
I haven't been able to find a photo of Miss Chappell and it would be wonderful if a reader is able to provide one to show this remarkable woman.
References
[1] Katherine Harris, Up the Hill and Down the Hill: My Childhood in a Wiltshire Hamlet, 1920s, p.31
[2] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 12 November 1938
[3] Poulsom, p.28
[4] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 23 July 1938
[5] The Wiltshire Times, 26 February 1944
[6] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 18 March 1933
[7] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 1 October 1921 and 28 January 1933
[8] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 12 July 1941
[9] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 24 October 1931 and Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 27 November 1937
[10] The Somerset Standard, 25 March 1966
[11] Katherine Harris. Up Hill and Down Hill: My Childhood in a Village Hamlet
[12] Geoff Bence, Characters in 1940s
[13] Parish Magazine, January 1979
[1] Katherine Harris, Up the Hill and Down the Hill: My Childhood in a Wiltshire Hamlet, 1920s, p.31
[2] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 12 November 1938
[3] Poulsom, p.28
[4] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 23 July 1938
[5] The Wiltshire Times, 26 February 1944
[6] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 18 March 1933
[7] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 1 October 1921 and 28 January 1933
[8] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 12 July 1941
[9] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 24 October 1931 and Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 27 November 1937
[10] The Somerset Standard, 25 March 1966
[11] Katherine Harris. Up Hill and Down Hill: My Childhood in a Village Hamlet
[12] Geoff Bence, Characters in 1940s
[13] Parish Magazine, January 1979