Mary Ellen Bagnall-Oakeley

Mary Ellen Bagnall-Oakeley (1833–1904) was an English antiquarian, author, and painter known for her work in Bristol and south-east Wales. She was a governor of the Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls and the mother of nine children.

Background

Mary Ellen Bagnall, eldest daughter and heiress of John Bagnall and his wife Mary Ann Robbins, was born in 1833 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire. Her father John Bagnall (1794–1840), eldest son of John Bagnall, had become the senior member of John Bagnall and Sons, upon the death of his father in 1829. The firm had been established by his father, who had brought five of his sons into partnership with him in 1828, the year before his death. The company had extensive collieries and ironworks. Mary Ellen's father John died on 4 February 1840.

In 1841, Mary Ellen lived in West Bromwich with her mother, younger sisters Jane and Kate, and seven servants. By 1851, the family had moved to Monmouth in Wales, where she resided with her widowed mother, two sisters, and staff of six. Mary Ellen Bagnall married William Oakeley (1822–1912), son of Thomas and Elizabeth Oakeley, on 31 August 1853 in Monmouth. Their marriage was registered in Monmouth in the third quarter of 1853. Mary Ellen and her husband resided in the village of Penallt, near Monmouth, with their family and household servants, at the time of the 1861 and 1871 census enumerations. She was the mother of nine children, James Bagnall, William Ralph, Mary Beatrice, John Lewis, Jane Parnel, Elizabeth Blanche, Alexandra Ethel, Kemeys Leoline, and, the archer, Richard Henry.

Clifton Antiquarian Club

Mary Ellen Bagnall-Oakeley was a member of or associated with a number of societies in England and Wales. She took an interest in antiquarianism and numismatics, and penned numerous articles and pamphlets on antiquarian topics for societies. These included the 1902 '"Monnow Bridge Tower: Description of the Tower and Its History, with Copy of Old Documents in Connection Therewith" (Volume 1 of Monmouthshire pamphlets).

On 8 January 1891, her husband Reverend William Oakeley was elected to membership of the Clifton Antiquarian Club that was based in Bristol. As a woman, Mary Ellen was excluded from membership in that society. However, she was still able to submit learned papers to the society. In addition, the historian was able to participate in the day excursions that the club sponsored. On 20 July 1889, the club undertook an excursion to Tintern Abbey and Monmouth. Bagnall-Oakeley and her husband served as guides for the Monmouth portion of the excursion. The group visited St. Thomas Church, the gatehouse on the Monnow Bridge ''(pictured)'', the ruins of Monmouth Castle, the Church of St. Mary, and "Geoffrey's" Window.

All of the papers submitted to the Clifton Antiquarian Club are maintained in the seven leather-bound volumes of the ''Proceedings'' and cover the years 1884 to 1912. The five papers that Mary Ellen submitted to the Proceedings of the Clifton Antiquarian Club cover the period from 1887–1888 (in Volume 1 of the ''Proceedings'') to 1895 (in Volume 3 of the ''Proceedings''). In chronological order, they include:

* "Notes on the Stitches Employed in the Embroidery of the Copes." (Read on 20 December 1887, appeared in Volume 1)
* "Notes on Round Towers." (Read on 12 October 1891, appeared in Volume 2)
* "Early Christian Settlements in Ireland." (Read on 20 November 1893, appeared in Volume 3)
* "A Week in the Aran Islands." (Read on 22 November 1894, appeared in Volume 3)
* "On a Great Hoard of Roman Coins." (Read on 28 January 1896, appeared in Volume 3)

Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society

Bagnall-Oakeley was a member of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, where she gave presentations on a variety of antiquarian subjects. The society was founded in 1876 and, like the Clifton Antiquarian Club, offered a programme of lectures and excursions. In 1889, she presented a paper entitled "Sanctuary knockers" (or "hagodays") which detailed the history of 12th to 14th century church door knockers, the use of which allowed anyone to claim sanctuary at any hour. All of the papers that she submitted were published in the Society's ''Transactions''. She submitted sixteen papers over a period of twenty years, from 1881–1882 (Volume 6 of the ''Transactions'') to 1902 (Volume 25). Her topics included:
* "On Roman Coins found in the Forest of Dean" (Volume 6, 1881–1882)
* "On Some Sculptured Effigies of Ecclesiastic