Constance Genevieve PILLEY

   Other names for Constance were Genevieve and Vieva.

  General Notes:

'Vieva' was an illuminator and was a curator of the Ruskin Museum, a museum dedicated to the artist John Ruskin in Sheffield. The museum was originally known as St George's Museum which Ruskin opened in 1875 as part of his philosophy for workers to be taught how to look and thereby receive an education that would improve their lives. He had set up the Guild of St George in 1871, as part of his desire for a better society, focussing on the arts, crafts and the rural economy. Genevieve started working at the museum in 1898 taking care of the books and medieval manuscripts in the Library. She became a member of the Guild of St George and a devoted guardian of the Ruskin Collection's treasures for over 50 years, rising first to Assistant Curator and then in 1931 Curator. She reinvigourated the Museum displays in the 1930s, keeping the place open and alive during WWII, restoring damaged paintings and giving impromptu talks to visitors, from schoolchildren to notable national figures.

Genevieve was a talented artist and illuminator producing many guilded scrolls, a talent she learnt from her father, with whom she collaborated on a number of works including a copy of the Italian Renaisance painting 'Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist and Three Angels'. The original painting has been in the Louvre since 1863 and at the time they made their copy (1898) it was attributed to Bastiano Mainardi (however, it is now thought to be the work of Domenico Ghirlandaio, brother-in-law and tutor of Mainardi). Genevieve converted the box room in her house into a workroom and under the window she had a high slanting desk at which she worked standing up. Her current work would always covered with tissue paper to protect it. She designed and executed numerous scrolls, coats of arms and addresses to various royal persons and churchmen including King Edward VII; King George V; Queen Mary and King Edward VIII on his accession; the Emperor of Germany; Cardinals Vaughan, Logue and Bourne; Premiers Loyd George and Winston Churchil. It is understood that until she she passed on the secret to her great nephew, Philip Malone, a monk at Buckfast Abbey, she was the sole possessor of the method of applying gold to addresses so that it would not peel off when when the scrolls were rolled and unrolled. Genevieve also spent many hours crocheting producing much fine work.

Genevieve was born on the 15^th April 1878 and baptized at St Marie's church on the 17^th April 1878. From census records Genevieve lived with her parents growing up: 1881 at 8 Chippinghouse Road; 1891 28 Highfield Place (described as scholar); 1901 176 Broad Lane (described as a librarian, which will have been at the Ruskin Museum where she started working in 1898). By the time of the 1911 census Genevieve had moved to 3 "Oak Villas" Cliffe View Road, a house just outside Meersbrook Park which is where the Ruskin Museum was housed in Meersbrook Hall. Here she lived with her widowed mother ,Sarah, who died in 1918 whilst living at this address. It is understood Genevieve moved to Cliffe View Road to be close to the Ruskin Museum. When the 1939 Register was taken Genevieve had actually moved into accommodation within the museum having become curator some years earlier. Living with her was Clara Streets who was her housekeeper and companion. Later on, Genevieve and Clara moved to 61 Brook Road, which was the other side of Meersbrook Park, and was her address when she died on 2^nd June 1958. On her death Genevieve left her effects (totaling £496 13s 8d to Clara. Genevieve was buried at St Michael's Cemetery, Rivelin on 6^th June 1958 in the same grave as her sister Winefrede who had died in 1905 (plot MIC T 190). He headstone describes her a 'Illuminating artist of Sheffield'.

  Burial Notes:

Grave number Mic T 190

  Noted events in her life were:

• Baptism, 17 Apr 1878, St. Marie, Sheffield, York, England.

• Residence: Relationship to Head: Daughter, 1881, Ecclesall Bierlow, Yorkshire, England.

• Residence: Relation to Head: Daughter, 1891, Ecclesall Bierlow, Yorkshire, England.

• Residence: Relation to Head of House: Daughter, 1901, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.

• Residence: Marital Status: SingleRelation to Head of House: Daughter, 2 Apr 1911, Ecclesall, Yorkshire-West Riding, England.

• Residence, 1919, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.

• Residence: Marital Status: Single, 1939, Yorkshire (West Riding), England.