We arrived at Beatrix Potter’s home,
Hill Top, in the afternoon knowing a whole lot more about Peter Rabbit’s author
from the lecture the night, before then we knew before leaving home. Beatrix
Potter, the first child of Helen and Rupert Potter, was born in July 1866. Her
father, a wealthy barrister, made money from cotton, and did not have to work.
Beatrix and her dad were very close.
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| Beatrix Potter's home, Hill Top |
As a child Beatrix had little contact with
the family as she stayed on the third floor of the family home, Bolton Gardens,
with a governess. She was excited when at age six a brother was born--- now she
would have a playmate. She was in her mid teens before she joined the family
for dinner.
Beatrix kept a journal between the ages of
15-30, but it was all written in code. When the journal was discovered in 1950
it took nine years to decode. Because of this journal it is known what her
early years were like. Why a code? Some speculate her mother was nosy and
intrusive.
At age 16 she met and became friends with
Vicar Roonsly who encouraged her to write and draw. She and her brother kept
all kinds of critters in their third floor abode. Beatrix named them all and
created stories about them. She was a naturalist at an early age! At 24 Beatrix
started drawing greeting cards, receiving
six pounds for the first batch. This turned into a profitable business
for her for several years.
She also became an expert on fungi, an
interest which was sparked on vacations to Scotland. She conducted extensive experiments
and, at age 31, presented a paper on spore formation and other theories. The
paper was presented under a male pseudonym, as in those days women did not do
such things or attend ‘male conventions’.
Her last governess, Annie Carter, left to
marry. When she had children Beatrix sent picture letters to the children—the
beginning of her books. However, she submitted Peter Rabbit to six publishers,
only to receive six rejections, so she self published 150 copies, sold them to
friends, and then ordered 200 more copies. Peter, Flopsie, Mopsie, and
Cottontail have been famous ever since. As we all know her books combine
fantasy with reality joining children and adults. She drew all the
illustrations for her books.
Beatrix was very much dominated by her
parents. She met and fell in love with Norman, and of course her parents did not approve. They did not marry as Norman
died shortly afterward unexpectedly of pernicious anemia.
Devastated by Norman’s death Beatrix moved to England’s Lake District in 1905
buying Hill Top and its 34 acres for a sum of 2800 pounds.
When 46, she met and fell in love with William Heelis.
Again her parents disapproved as they were getting older and wanted her around
to take care of them. Fortunately, her brother returned home at this time and
informed his parents that he had been secretly married for six years and that
they should let go of Beatrix. In 1913, at age 47, Beatrix and William married,
and there after she was known as Beatrix Potter Heelis. She became a sheep
farmer’s wife only writing four books after her marriage.
But Beatrix was no lady of leisure. She
often was thought to be a bit eccentric. She dressed as a farmer’s wife not as
the wealthy person she had become. She often wore hats to cover the bald spots left
from a bout of rheumatic fever she suffered in her 20s. Beatrix, a bit of a
recluse, shunned publicity. She put electricity into the barns before she put
it in the house because she thought the animals would appreciate it more.
Saving the Herdwick sheep from extinction
to a now thriving population is accredited to Beatrix Potter Heelis. She became the first woman to serve as
president of the Herdwick Sheep Association.
Her father died a year after her marriage.
After being widowed, her mother moved in with Beatrix, but five years later
Beatrix bought her mother a farm and moved her into it. Thereafter, she visited
her mother for one hour each Wednesday afternoon. A stroke caused the death of
her brother at age 46.
In 1929 she wrote Fairy Caravan which was published in the United States and not sold in England until
after her death. It is said to be autobiographical and mentions many local
residents. She died of bronchitis on
December 22, 1943.She donated 15 farms and over 4000 acres to the National
Trust. Hill Top has been open to the public since 1946.
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