The Bowes Museum Blog

When I got my job as ‘ceramics officer’ at The Bowes Museum in 1990, I was aware of some connection between The Bowes Museum and the Bowes Lyon family.  On joining I rapidly learnt about the complex family story that meant that John Bowes, founder of The Bowes Museum, was the grandson of Mary Eleanor Bowes, the great Durham heiress. She married John Lyon, 9^th Earl of Strathmore in 1767, leading to the creation of the Bowes Lyon family (no hyphen, as the surname appears in this form on 18^th century family trees).  Our John Bowes was childless, so the family estates reverted on his death in 1885 to his cousin, the 13th Earl of Strathmore, from whom Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, later Her Majesty The Queen Mother, was descended. She was a great supporter of The Bowes Museum, Patron of the Friends, and (one suspects) saw the Museum through troubled times in the 1950s and 1990s. I was told when I came that Prince Charles (now His Majesty The King) had visited unexpectedly one morning, telling Jean on reception that ‘my grandmother always said I should visit here’.

In late 1991, the curator Elizabeth Conran asked the other curators to a special staff meeting and said ‘The Queen and Prince Phillip are visiting next Thursday’ (I still have my diary marked ‘VIP visit 6 to 8pm’). We were advised that this was an extremely private and informal visit, Her Majesty was staying with her Strathmore cousins at Holwick, and wishing to visit with as little formality as possible. We were briefed to keep silent and three attendants were advised to be on duty. The morning of the visit, some burly detectives with sniffer dogs turned up, who investigated the Museum, and (the detectives) stayed with us after the Museum closed at 5pm in the attendants’ mess room.

At some point we were advised that cars from Holwick were arriving, so Elizabeth and the attendant staff went to the main hall to greet the royal party, armed with a copy of the Bowes Lyon family tree, and the other curators went to wait in John and Joséphine Bowes Gallery, on the first floor. After a short wait, the party arrived upstairs, headed by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness Prince Phillip. Elizabeth Conran then introduced the other curators and with great prescience presented Her Majesty The Queen with a pedigree of John Bowes’ racing horses, which seemed to be gratefully received and was kept under the royal arm for the rest of the visit (there were no ladies in waiting in attendance).

Bowes’ greatest horse was West Australian, foaled in 1850. As a two year old he won the Glasgow Stakes at Newmarket. He was the first ever winner of the Triple Crown, and on the Derby alone Bowes won £30,000 in bets (£3 million today). West Australian, Smith & Meyer

The party started by visiting the French 18^th century galleries in Rooms 11 to 13, Elizabeth advising, and the rest of us following behind. They particularly admired the Sèvres cups and saucers in Room 13, and were much interested in the Mary Eleanor Bowes cabinet, and the Bowes story, in the period rooms (HRH Prince Phillip being particularly interested in the story of Stoney Bowes). He was also interested in the display of Ormonde silver, from the Butler family, the hereditary butlers to the Crown, commenting to The Queen (we think) ‘Well buttled dear! (according to a word search, this is an archaic verb (used without object), but·tled, but·tling. Slang. to work or serve as a butler, though I hesitate to accuse the Duke of Edinburgh of using Victorian slang). I cannot now remember if they were offered any refreshments, nor did they visit the second floor with the picture galleries. Certainly, the visit ended with a performance of the Silver Swan, then on the ground floor, and a slightly strange, informal ‘good-bye’ with the curators and staff waving goodbye to the party as it drove off, as if it were a routine family visit. Which perhaps in some strange way, it was.

HC [with the assistance of Joanna Hashagen and Paul Robson, both present at this visit]

Curators were Elizabeth Conran, Sarah Medlam, Joanna Hashagen, Howard Coutts  and Bryan Crossling.

Attendants were John Leppington, Paul and Tony Jenkins

Author: Howard Coutts, Keeper of Ceramics at The Bowes Museum