Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 1

Alice Mary Douglas, daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter

Jennifer Douglas

Alice's birth entry

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 2

Hilary Smith, Fulneck congregation archivist, shared the following with me about Alice:

(12 July 2011) Dear Jennifer

I realise now who Alice Douglas is. I remember her as a lay preacher coming to Baildon during my teenage

years. She was also the warden of the choir house, so I have looked at the choir house archive material to see if what

you are looking for is in there, but nothing apart from her correspondence with the Provincial Board in London

regarding the choir house.

In the museum there are just the certificates of ordination as deacon and presbyter for John Baxter and his marriage

certificate to Mary Ann Lawford.

I attach details which I have from the registers. Alice Douglas does not feature in the burial register although I have

her down from some other source as dying at Fulneck in 1970, which differs from your date of 1979. But neither

Alice nor Arthur are in the burial register or interred in the Burial Ground. Maybe you know where they are laid to

rest. If you have the correct date of death for them I could look up in the congregation diary to see if there are

entries which might throw further light on the matter. There are some documents in the archive relative to John Baxter

which I attach (see information about Rev John Baxter)

I have spoken with two people who live on the settlement and remember Alice, in fact one of them who lives at No 13

was at her death bed, but neither can remember exactly when she died nor what happened about her burial. The

other does not remember her brother living with her. She lived at the choir house prior to moving into No 17, and as

you will see I have her down as retiring from that in 1968, which I think is correct as Emily Shaw followed her in that

post and then she was ordained as the first woman minister in 1970.

(14 July 2011) Dear Jennifer

Today I had an opportunity to look up the diary and found an account of Alice's funeral for 10th February 1970:

"The funeral service of Sr Alice Douglas was held in the church at 2.00 in the presence of a large

congregation. Bishop J H Foy as chairman of the Provincial Board gave the address and spoke of her outstanding

gifts and of her service to the church, which has included full pastoral charge of congregations apart from the

sacramental services. She was never able to be ordained - to her own regret, but even so the service she offered to

the church was distinguished by a scholarly and lively spirit. She often conducted services at Fulneck and in the

Yorkshire District and was an active worker for the Bible Society of which she was District secretary. Following the

funeral the cremation service took place at Rawdon."

I read further on in the diary but found no record of the scattering or burial of her ashes. The first interment of ashes

at Fulneck was in 1963 in a new section created for the purpose, so presumably she had not requested this. They

may have been scattered in the burial ground or taken by relatives for disposal themselves, but no mention seems to

be made of this.

_______________________________________

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 3

The following email is from Edna in Ireland who knew Alice and did research on Rev John Baxter. She

provided the pictures we have of Alice with the Synods, the picture of Rev John Baxter in the group

picture (circles) and the history of John.

Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 From: edna@ednacooper.plus.com To: hamillmaud@hotmail.co.uk

Subject: Baxter

Dear Maud,

The file was where it ought to be so I have scanned it. John Harvey Baxter was never the minister in Dublin but he

went there from Fulneck to officiate at the baptism of two of his grandchildren. He was minister of Cootehil, Co.

Cavan and Gracehill in Ireland. (also other places as in attached account). We were in Yorkshire in the 1950s and I

knew Alice Mary Douglas (his grand-daughter) when she became warden of the Sisters' House in 1952. I enclose a

nice and rather amusing account of life in the Sisters' House by an occupant Elsie Grace Johnson which she wrote at

91 years in 1986. The account about 'another warden' half way down second page refers to Miss Alice Douglas,

though she is not named. She was a lovely character.

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 4

This is the account by Elsie Grace Johnson which she wrote at 91 years in 1986. The 'another warden' half way down second

page refers to Alice Douglas, though she is not named and continues to the end.

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 5

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 6

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 7

Alice, standing, and her brother William with Samuel & Alice

Picture of Alice in the care of John Douglas, Scotland.

John, Arthur, Alice and William

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 8

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 9

Picture in the care of Alan Douglas

Picture in the care of Alan Douglas

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 10

Alice 3rd from left first row, 1940

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 11

Alice 3rd from left, 2nd row, 1950

Synod pre 1950 Alice 3rd row, middle, in front of lady with straw hat

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 12

Entered school October 1896, note home address at this time and her signature

Register of payments … for session 1902 – 1903. Note change of address.

Alice attended the Metropolitan School of Art. The following is some of her school records and art work.

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 13

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 14

Alice gave this painting of Arran Island to Alan Douglas’s parents (Hugh and Marjorie)

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 15

Alice Mary Douglas, 1885 – daughter of Samuel Henry Douglas and Alice Mary Baxter P a g e | 16

Paintings of Tully House, by Alice. The home of her grandparents William and Eliza Douglas (this

home was in Eliza Douglas nee Magee’s family since at least her grandfather James Magee Sr.)