In 2025 we are celebrating the life of one of The Cooper Gallery’s most important donors, Sir Michael Earnest Sadler. Alongside an exhibition at The Cooper Gallery we have produced a new online catalogue.

In this article, Melissa Gallimore (Freelance Curator) explores Sadler’s early life. Learn more about the Barnsley philanthropist and see the paintings and drawings he donated to the gallery. 

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Sir Michael Sadler was a prolific and radical art collector who made several gifts of sketches to the Cooper Gallery, Barnsley in the 1920s and 1930s. Sadler was collecting art at a time when society and art were changing rapidly and this is reflected in what he was buying. Sadler chose to support artists that were contemporary to him including Paul Nash, Henry Moore and Stanley Spencer who went on to become very significant artists in the twentieth century. Sadler’s focus on both altruism and broadening access to education meant that he became an important figure and collector in the first half of the twentieth century. 

Michael Ernest Sadler was born in Barnsley in 1861 and was amongst the fourth generation of the Sadler family to live in the town. The family were best known for being doctors and both Sadler’s father and brother were GPs. The practice was based on the corner of Church Street and Regent Street and was also the family home. The building was lost when the area was remodelled in the early 20th century. In October 1933 Sadler Gate, near to the Town Hall, was named in honour of the family.  

Michael Sadler was more commonly known as Ernest to his close family and friends. He was an intelligent and academic child. Sadler was educated at North Hill House School, Winchester and then at Rugby School before winning a scholarship to Trinity College, Oxford to study Classics. Despite spending time away from Barnsley, Sadler always proclaimed his affection for the town. In his own words reminiscing about his life during the 1870s he talked about a ‘brotherhood’ or a group of friends who roamed the countryside near Barnsley and who were also influenced by the culture of the town. 

One of the friends that Sadler spent time with was Mary Ann Harvey. She was the daughter of Charles Harvey of the Harvey family of linen manufacturers based in Barnsley. Mary was nine years older than Sadler and when he proposed to her she was initially reluctant to marry him due to the age gap. Their temperaments were also different. Sadler was an energetic and enthusiastic character filled with great ambitions for himself and society at large whilst Mary was quieter and more reserved which was partly due to her Quaker upbringing.  Despite her reservations she agreed and they married in July 1885 and had their only child in 1888. Their son was also called Michael Sadler but was known as Tony. In later life he changed his name to Michael Sadleir to distinguish himself from his father.  

After finishing at Oxford, Sadler spent time in Heidelburg, Germany teaching English and learning German. His life was punctuated by periods of travel which enabled him to experience the culture and education systems of other countries. Sadler’s career as an educationist was established in the late 1880s and by 1894 he had become the Director of Special Inquiries and Reports for the government’s Education Department. In this role he wrote reports to advise local authorities on educational needs. In 1903 Sadler joined the University of Manchester as Professor of the History and Administration of Education. In 1911 he was invited to be Vice-Chancellor at the University of Leeds where he was to have a significant impact on the city and the university. In 1917 Sadler went to India as the Chairman of the Calcutta University Commission and returned in 1919 having reviewed and reported upon the education system. It was this work that merited him being made a KCSI (Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India) and styled as Sir Michael Sadler. In 1923 Sadler was approached to be Master of University College Oxford, a post that he would hold until his retirement in 1934.  

The twin pillars of Sadler’s life were his passion for education and his love of art. These often wove together due to his strong belief in the power of art and culture to enhance people’s lives. 

Sadler gifted many art works to galleries and museums across the United Kingdom and abroad, including the Tate and the V&A in London, the Whitworth in Manchester and the Ashmolean in Oxford as well as galleries in Canada and Australia. Sadler made four separate gifts to the Cooper Gallery in Barnsley to support the town where he grew up. The first in 1923 was in memory of his parents and the second in 1931 was a series of mainly French drawings in memory of his wife, Mary Ann Sadler. In 1933 Sadler gave 85 drawings to the gallery as a survey of British drawing from the 1750s until 1933. This was supplemented further by a small group of drawings in 1936. 

Sadler maintained his connection with Barnsley throughout his life and was often asked to officiate at local events. In 1909 he gave an address at the opening of the High School for Girls which was reported in the Yorkshire Telegraph and Star alongside an illustration of the event. 

Online Catalogue 

In 1933 Michael Sadler gifted 85 drawings to the Cooper Gallery in Barnsley. The drawings and watercolours were chosen to provide a survey of British art from 1750 up to 1933.  In 1937 Sadler wrote a catalogue to accompany a display of the drawings entitled, ‘Notes on a Collection of English Drawings’ in which he provided his thoughts on the selection of certain art works and his motivations for the gift. 

In a free online catalogue made possible through funding from Barnsley Museums and Heritage Trust and the Trustees of The Cooper Gallery the artwork from Sadler’s gift in 1933 are presented in ‘screen’ order. You can download the catalogue from our website.

Thanks also go to Art Fund (previously National Art Collections Fund) for enabling Sadler’s gift in 1933 and for their ongoing support of The Cooper Gallery. 

Barnsley’s Radical Collector exhibition 

Sadler’s generosity to The Cooper Gallery is celebrated in our latest exhibition which is on display until 3 January 2026 and is also available to view online

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