Discovering Edwardian Life: The Scott-Smith Family Album

Paul Stebbing, (Barnsley Archives and Local Studies Manager) examines a unique photograph album offering a glimpse into the lives of a wealthy Edwardian family living in Cawthorne.

Archives come to us at Barnsley Archives for safekeeping via a number of different routes. Sometimes they come through official channels or from local businesses and organisations. Perhaps more often though we are approached by a member of the public who has recognised the historical value of something in their care. A ‘gem’ added to the collections via a personal donation in 2023 was a unique family photograph album linked to Cawthorne, which was the subject of a BBC television documentary back in 1996. In the documentary, Gillian Lacey explained,

“Thirty years ago, on a second-hand book stall in London, I bought this old family album. It was a glimpse of a class of people far from my experience. Ghosts of a vanished way of life. Who were they? What did they do with their lives? I kept returning to the album wondering how and why the family had lost it. People are identified only by their initials. FSS appears most often. But there are lots of other SS’s and one solitary little girl – sometimes given her name Rosemary and sometimes just her initials.”

Interior view of a library room featuring bookshelves filled with books, a decorative bowl on a table, a lamp, and ornate furniture, capturing a glimpse of Edwardian domestic life. — Banks Hall, 1904

On moving to Yorkshire some years later, Gillian stumbled across a village name she recognised from the album – Cawthorne. This prompted her to re-visit the album and the television documentary told the story of her quest to uncover more about the family who had created the album. Not only did she visit Cawthorne Jubilee Museum to tap into local knowledge (expertly offered by the late Barry Jackson), but she met and spoke to numerous people linked to the album and the family featured. She was able to find out a great deal about the lives led by those featured, but with sadness learnt that the little girl Rosemary had died many years earlier. She would dearly have loved to reunite her with her family album.

A young man in early 20th-century attire standing in a garden, with flowers in the background. — Francis Scott-Smith – the compiler of the album

Through her extensive research and conversations, Gillian was able to identify ‘FSS’ and thus the creator of the album as Francis Scott-Smith (1870-1940) who resided at the Grade II Listed Banks Hall in Cawthorne. He was the Managing Director of Fox’s Steel Works, located in the Upper Don Valley at Stocksbridge. His wealth and connections allowed him to travel quite extensively and also photograph everywhere he visited, at a time when cameras were a luxury rather than something every family had. As well as local images of Banks Hall, Cannon Hall, Coronation Day in Cawthorne (1902), and other Yorkshire properties, the photographs detail visits to Mount Juliet in Ireland, Henley on Thames, and the Fort William area of Scotland. Scott-Smith also ventured overseas regularly and the album includes early views of New York, ‘Ranching’ in Montana, Dusseldorf, Cannes, Ostende and Munich. Whilst in New York, he photographed the iconic Statue of Liberty, then only about 20 years old.

View of a foggy New York City skyline with various buildings and smokestacks, captured from a high vantage point. — View from window of Plaza Hotel, New York, 1910

He also captured an interesting view of New York from the window of the recently opened Plaza Hotel where he was staying. There are also numerous posed family photographs which demonstrate Scott-Smith’s wealth, pedigree and connections. Born in Ecclesfield in 1870, Francis was the son of Francis Smith Senior and his wife Margaret. He married Beatrice Walsh in 1898 and they had just the one daughter Rosemary. When he died at Harrogate in 1940, his effects were valued at over £85,000 – making him a multi-millionaire by today’s standards. The album also reveals links to the Spencer-Stanhope family of Cannon Hall – with both families featuring together in many of the Cawthorne photographs.

Three men in formal attire pose outdoors, one seated holding an infant wrapped in a white blanket, with greenery in the background.

A historical black and white photograph depicting a wealthy Edwardian family in Cawthorne, featuring a group of eight individuals, including men and women in formal attire, gathered outdoors. One person is holding a baby wrapped in a blanket.

We are so grateful to Gillian Lacey for undertaking her quest to find out more about those featured in the photographs and for ensuring that this unique album found its way to Barnsley Archives where it can be preserved, used and enjoyed by future generations. Conservation is a key part of our work in order to ensure that the collections in our care survive long into the future. The years had not been kind to the Scott-Smith album, so a programme of conservation was necessary. The original boards were replaced, the spine was repaired, the album was thoroughly cleaned and a bespoke storage box was made. We will be undertaking more research into the album and the individuals featured in the photographs during 2024, in conjunction with the Cawthorne Victoria Jubilee Museum Society. Our hope is to share the full album contents online. In the meantime, if you have an interest in Banks Hall, Cawthorne or the Scott-Smith family, do get in touch with the team at Barnsley Archives and Local Studies.