Cuthbert Edward Bradley
1861-1941

ARTIST AND FOX-HUNTING ENTHUSIAST
 

The Lodge in the main street at Folkingham is a fine Georgian house from 1750 and was the home of Cuthbert Bradley, artist and churchman, who was churchwarden at St Andrew's for 43 years while his wife was organist for 16 years.

 

He was the son of the Rev Edward Bradley (born Kidderminster 25th March 1827), vicar of nearby Lenton, who wrote a number of books under the name of Cuthbert Bede, particularly a humorous novel entitled The Adventures of Mr Verdant Green of which some 200,000 copies had been sold before his death in 1869.

 

While at Lenton, Bradley established a free library, a school bank, winter entertainments and improvement societies. In December 1858, he married Harriet Amelia, the youngest daughter of Samuel Hancocks, of Wolverley, Worcester.

Cuthbert Bradley

 

They had two sons, Cuthbert Edward Bradley, pictured above, and the Rev Henry Waldron Bradley. Cuthbert graduated from King's College in London and was destined to become an architect but childhood skills as an artist took over and he started to specialise in horses and hounds and hunting scenes which became the subjects of his paintings, caricatures and books while he rode regularly with the Belvoir Hunt.

In 1895, he married Lucy Heathcote, daughter of the Rev Thomas Heathcote, a nephew of the fourth baronet and Vicar of Lenton from 1835 until his death in 1883 and also Squire of Folkingham. He was also Lord of the Manor of Folkingham and from 1870 lived at the Manor House, also known as Clinton House, being succeeded by his son T A R Heathcote who remained there until his death in 1916.

 

After Lucy and Cuthbert married, they moved into the Lodge where they lived for most of their married life, until 1939, and their son stayed on after their deaths.

 

The Lodge was a fine three-storey red brick house with a distinctive classical door-case and wrought iron gates to the original stable yard. Dr Charles Bloomfield, a surgeon, lived there with his family and servants in the first half of the 19th century and by 1870, the house was used as a residence for the curate of Lenton until the Bradleys moved in 25 years later.

 

Lucy Bradley was an equally keen rider to hounds, an accomplished horsewoman who also designed tack for the ladies of the hunt, patenting a safety riding skirt which became known as the Heathcote Patent Safety. Cuthbert earned his reputation as an expert on fox-hunting and hounds and his book The Foxhound of the XXth Century is still considered today to be the leading textbook on the subject while Frank Gillard's Hunting Reminiscences recreated the 36 years he hunted with the Duke of Rutland's hounds although he was equally well known with the Blankney and Cottesmore and many other packs in the area. His other books included the Best of Sport, Good Sport and a large number of volumes on hunting and foxhounds which are still widely prized.

 

He wrote articles on fox-hunting for The Field and Horse and Hound magazines under the pseudonym Whipster and was also a prolific artist and sporting illustrator, executing one painting for the Prince of Wales (later the Duke of Windsor) and contributing regular caricatures of hunting personalities for publication by Vanity Fair, a weekly magazine which ran from 1868-1914, for a series in which Spy, the famous cartoonist, also appeared. All remain highly collectable today, particularly one popular drawing, A Fox-Hunting Constellation, depicting the masters of many famous packs, including Sir Gilbert Green (afterwards Lord Daresbury) and his huntsman Ben Capell.

 

Bradley had a deep love and understanding of hunting and it was reckoned that he knew every inch of the Belvoir country, following the hounds on a motor cycle long after his days in the saddle were over. This knowledge of the terrain and of fox-hunting is reflected in his work and he was particularly competent at hound portraiture while his horses are also good and show plenty of action. He was not in the top rank with contemporaries of his period and at times his colouring was poor but he had a wide appeal that continues today on both sides of the Atlantic. He was also dedicated churchgoer and churchwarden at St Andrew's Church for 43 years (1898-1941), during which time he regularly read the lessons, while Lucy was organist for 16 years (1918-1934).

 

Lucy was taken ill while assisting with the festive decorations and died on Christmas morning, 25th December 1939, aged 78. Her husband died on 25th November 1941, aged 80, and they buried together in the churchyard at Folkingham. Their only son, Cuthbert Thomas Heathcote Bradley, always known as Cotey, also lived in the village and was also churchwarden for many years as well as being captain of the bell ringers and keeper of the church tower for 53 years (1924-68) before his death on 7th February 1972. Three memorial brass plaques in the chancel record their lives.

 

More paintings by Cuthbert Bede

Cuthbert Bradley painting

Cuthbert Bradley painting

Cuthbert Bradley painting

Cuthbert Bradley painting

Cuthbert Bradley painting

Two foxhounds from the Belvoir pack

Cottesmore hound painted in 1911

A watercolour and gouache drawing heightened with white, 8¼ inches by 8¾ inches, signed and dated 1911, showing Lord Lonsdale's Sergeant, Top of the Barleythorpe entry for 1909, being shown by the Cottesmore Master and Mr Henry Chaplain judging.

 

POPULAR AUTHOR

Bradley was a popular writer, particularly on hunting subjects, and published many books as well as contributing to newspapers and magazines, usually on sporting subjects. His publications are highly sought after today and fetch high prices, the volume pictured here for instance, "Fox-hunting from Shire to Shire", published in 1912, with 13 colour plates and over 100 text illustrations, is likely to cost you £100, if you can find a copy.

Bradley first edition


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