Two Victorian gentlewomen in the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia : Eleanor Hill Fellows and Sarah Lindley Crease
Date
1984
Authors
Bridge, Kathryn Anne
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Abstract
Historical research and writing of the colonial period in British Columbia (1849-1871) has generally relied on the records created by men. A little used source has been the records originating from women accompanying men as wives. mothers. and daughters to the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia.
Because of the personal and private nature of these records. unlike the more customary records of men engaged in business and public affairs. not many records created by women during the colonial period have survived. The two subjects of this study. Eleanor Hill Fellows and Sarah Lindley Crease. left extensive records.
The biographies of these women are parallel in a number of ways. They were born within two years of each other and grew up just outside London. England. Both their fathers were of the middle class and upwardly mobile. Each woman pursued artistic training and exhibited considerable competence in writing. Both married and moved to the colony of Vancouver Island where they settled and raised their families. While resident in the colonies each woman observed and recorded the activities. surroundings, and inhabitant s of her new home and conveyed this information either in written or pictorial format in diaries and letters to family and friends in Britain. or in reminiscences.
Eleanor Fellows, the wife of a merchant. bore four children while resident in Victoria and achieved local prominence as an amateur singer. She later devoted her time to writing. publishing extensive reminiscences a biography of her father, and numerous pamphlets and articles on a myriad of topics. Sarah Crease received public notice as the wife of an eminent colonial official, yet placed her own priorities on her family and its needs. Her diaries and correspondence indicate a preoccupation with religious dogma and a concern for charitable work. Both women were also active amateur artists. These written and pictorial records provide extensive information not only on the women themselves, but also on the role of upper middle class women in colonial society.
Their social and educational backgrounds in Britain and the circumstances and processes of emigration are also revealed in their records, providing a basis for comparison with their colonial life. Once resident in the colonies, their written records indicate the tremendous adjustments they had to make i n regard to their economic circumstances and domestic responsibilities. Their use of leisure time. the quest for social acceptance, and the network of social relationships within the colonies are also evident. Their pencil and water-colour sketches. portray not only the physical details of the colonies, but transmit information on specific aspects of colonial life, notably the sense of isolation and distance from family and friends. the smallness of European settlement in the wilderness environment, and the strange and unfamiliar aboriginal population. Their artwork represents the beginning of a strong amateur art tradition that was to follow in the next generation. Together the art and writings substantiate and reinforce each other providing thorough and well documented evidence.