The Closing of the Priory School for Girls in 1882

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On Tuesday, October 31, 1882, one of Pelham's most beloved residents climbed aboard the steamship Alaska of the Guion Line and sailed for Europe, never to return to Pelham again.  Her name was Nanette Bolton.  She served for more than thirty years as headmistress of the Priory School for Girls founded in Bolton Priory in today's Pelham Manor in about 1845.

Nanette Bolton did not want to close her beloved school.  She did not want to leave Pelham.  She was forced to leave by her failing health due to a terrible fall in the Priory.  While on a stairway in the home, she slipped and fell against a carved newel post.  Badly injured, she never truly recovered.  Due to her failing health after her devastating injury, she closed the Priory School for Girls in 1881 and, on October 31, 1882, she departed for Europe and settled in Switzerland where she spent the last years of her life until her death in 1884.  

As I have noted before, Anne "Nanette" Bolton was the oldest child of Rev. Robert Bolton and his wife, Anne Jay Bolton, of the Priory in Pelham Manor.  She was a pious and intelligent woman who participated in the establishment of the Priory School for Girls and served for many years as its headmistress.  According to an account published in 1933: 

"Tradition has it that a friend of Mr. Bolton's, living in Savannah, Georgia, desired him to take his young daughter into his family in order that she might share in the home schooling given by Mr. Bolton to his eight daughters and five sons.  No decision was reached until one day, about 1845 or 1846, a carriage and pair drove up to the Priory and the gentleman, his daughter and her luggage were deposited before the door.  The die was cast and the first pupil of what was to become the unostentatious but famous Priory School had arrived." 

Source:  Lindsley, Emily Earle, The School for Girls at Pelham Priory, 9(4) THE QUARTERLY BULLETIN OF THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 86, 86 (Oct. 1933). 

For the next several decades, the school welcomed some fifty or sixty students each year consisting of local girls as well as girls from throughout the country (many from southern states).  Classes were held in the mansion’s “Armory” – a large room in the center of the home decorated with suits of armor, swords, daggers and other such objects.  According to one account, students “sat at the head of a long, black oak table, made by the brothers Bolton, from wood which grew on the property.  The scholars occupied chairs arranged along the sides and across the lower end.”  Id., p. 87. 

By the mid-1850s, the Priory School for Girls was quite a success.  But, the Bolton Family suffered a tragedy with the death of one of their daughters, Abby. Abby’s death reportedly affected Robert and Anne Bolton profoundly and, shortly thereafter, they left for England where Robert Bolton died in 1857 followed by his wife two years later. Nanette Bolton took over the Priory School, assisted by one of her sisters, Adele, and managed it successfully for many years until closing the school in 1881.

There are suggestions that the Priory School for Girls was a tremendous success because it was one of the few such institutions for young women in its early years.  In its later years, the school had become one of many located throughout the country and, consequently, "the former glories of the Priory . . . gradually faded away" until the institution finally closed its doors.

Less than two weeks after Nanette Bolton sailed away for Europe in late October, 1882, local newspapers carried a story about the closure of the school, its history, and plans by the family to sell the Priory and its thirty-acre estate.  Like the Priory School, by that time the former glories of the estate likewise had "faded away."  As the story noted:

"The grounds connected with the Priory consist of about thirty acres of land much run down and neglected, sadly reflecting its former high state of cultivation.  The grounds are somewhat elevated and commanding a beautiful view of Long Island and the Sound, as far as the eye can reach.  What will be the future of this historic ground cannot be surmised.  It is for sale, and undoubtedly will ere long pass into the hands of the speculator, and if we mistake not the spacious hall of the crumbling edifice will yet re-echo to the voice of the Sheriff or modern auctioneer."

Though it took many more decades than thought at the time, the prescient newspaper story was correct.  Eventually most of the estate acreage was bought by real estate speculators who divided the land and erected hundreds of homes that now form the neighborhood in that region though the Priory remains and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  

The Priory by William Rickerby Miller (1818-1893).

Watercolor on Paper, 1856, Showing the Terrace in Front

of the Home that Formed a "Promenade" as Noted in the

Article Quoted Below.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The Priory by William Rickerby Miller (1818-1893).

Watercolor on Paper, 1856, Showing Front Entrance with

"1838" Formed by Bricks Set Into the Stone Above the

Doorway.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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Below is the text of the article published in 1881 that forms the basis for today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog.  It is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"Pelham Priory.
-----

The doors of this old and celebrated institution, known throughout this country and abroad as the 'Bolton Priory,' are, at last, forever closed to the public as a female seminary.  The history of this grand old institution of learning reaches back through the corridors of misty time for upwards of half a century.  Miss Nanette Bolton, at an advanced age in life, in broken and failing health, retires from the long and laborious cares as proprietress of the same, and sailed on the steamer Alaska of the Guion line for Europe on Tuesday last.

The 'Priory,' situated in the town of Pelham, within stone throw of the village line of New Rochelle, was opened by the Boltons as a Young Lady's seminary in the spring of 1838 [sic].  It soon, under successful management, took first rank, not only throughout the United States but in England, as one of the most reliable institutions of the kind connected with the Established church.  For upwards of thirty years success liberally crowned the efforts of watchful teachers and those in charge.  About this time other similar institutions sprang into existence throughout the country, and the former glories of the Priory, from that period to the present, have gradually faded away.  Many ladies of rank and wealth throughout this country, from both Northern and Southern States, can point to many pleasant and happy girlhood days passed under the roof of the old Priory, now only a landmark of the past.  The Priory originally was the private residence of Rev. Robert Bolton, a native of Savannah, Georgia, and a son of Robert Bolton, Esq., a merchant of that place.  History does no more than justice in speaking of the Rev. Robert Bolton, when it says the house, which is of stone, affords a good specimen of the old English style, and accords well with its romantic situation.  The building has two towers, affording splendid views, in which wood and water are beautifully blended.  The interior arrangements correspond with the style of the house and carry the mind back to the days of old.  There are family pictures by Etty, of the Royal Academy of England.  There is also an original portrait of Bunyan, formerly in the possession of the Rev. George Whitefield.  The library contains the original Italian edition of Pisanese, collected for Napoleon, bearing his initial, and surmounted by the imperial crown.  This extraordinary work on ancient and modern Rome consists of forty-two volumes royal quarto.  There is also a copy of Macklin's Bible, the largest ever printed, in six volumes royal quarto, a copy of Elliot's Indian Testament, said to be the first work written and published in the United States, printed at Cambridge, Massachusetts, A. D. 1661, by Samuel Green, the first printer in America.  When Elliot had finished this translation, he wrote in his diary:  'N. B. -- Prayer, faith and patience can perform wonders.'  Here is also a valuable cabinet of coins collected by the Rev. Bryan Hill, rector of Hodnet, Shropshire, England.  Among the most interesting are those of Alexander the Great, Caesar Augustus, and a series of Roman and ancient English.  Among the medals of the Popes is the celebrated one of Adrian the Sixth, upon the reverse of which is the idolatrous inscription 'Quem Creant Adorant,' (whom we create we adore.)  There is also a good collection of autographs, the oldest of which is that of Henry VII.  The signatures of Elizabeth, with her council, and of her successor, Queen Mary, are worthy of notice, as are also those of Oliver Cromwell and Richard Cromwell, presented by the late Oliver Cromwell, of Chestnut Park, England, who was the last direct male descendant of the Proctor.  We have also to notice in this collection an original of Addison's 'Spectator' and a letter of Pope's, a note of Cowper's, one of Chatterton, Lord Nelson, Napoleon, Sir Christopher Wren, Percy, the author of the ballads, 'Bishop Burnet,' 'Kosciusko,' etc.  Among the American autographs are those of William Penn and his sons, the proprietors of Pennsylvania, Francis Lovelace, Governor of New York in 1671, Jonathan Edwards, Increase and Cotton Mather, Washington, La Fayette, Franklin, Jefferson, Schuyler, Sterling, Arnold, and various other eminent characters.  The terrace in front of the house forms a fine promenade, and the gardens are laid out in the French and landscape style.  The grounds are ornamented with natural walks leading to various objects of interest, among which deserves to be noticed the 'rocking stone.'  This natural curiosity is a rock supposed to weight about twenty tons, so nicely poised that

'A strippling's arm can sway
A mass no host could move.'

A short distance from the house stands a neat Gothic church of stone.  This edifice was erected in 1843 and consecrated to the service of Almighty God by the name and style of Christ Church, Pelham, on the 15th of October, the same year.  The act of incorporation bears date the 25th of September, 1843, Richard Morris and Henry Grenzebach, wardens; Isaac Roosevelt, George F. Mills, John Jay Bolton, William Jay Bolton, Peter N. King, Jacob LeRoy, Cornelius Winter Bolton, and Robert Bolton, vestrymen.  The Rev. Robert Bolton was the first pastor, and the Rev. Charles Higby [sic; Higbee] the last and present incumbent.  The grounds connected with the Priory consist of about thirty acres of land much run down and neglected, sadly reflecting its former high state of cultivation.  The grounds are somewhat elevated and commanding a beautiful view of Long Island and the Sound, as far as the eye can reach.  What will be the future of this historic ground cannot be surmised.  It is for sale, and undoubtedly will ere long pass into the hands of the speculator, and if we mistake not the spacious hall of the crumbling edifice will yet re-echo to the voice of the Sheriff or modern auctioneer.

-- New Rochelle Pioneer."

Source:  Pelham Priory, The Port Chester Journal, Nov. 2, 1882, Vol. XIV, No. 728, p. 1, cols. 4-5.  

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I have written extensively about the Priory School for Girls, Nanette Bolton and other members of the Bolton Family, and the home the family built known as the Priory, Bolton Priory, and Pelham Priory.  See, e.g.:  

Mon., Jul. 18, 2016:  Obituaries of Two of the Bolton Daughters: Adele and Mary Bolton.

Fri., Apr. 01, 2016:  The Portrait of "Mrs. Bolton" Attributed to Thomas Gainsborough That Once Hung in The Priory of Pelham Manor.

Thu., Mar. 31, 2016:  Adele Bolton, a Founder of Grace Episcopal Church and Administrator of the Priory School for Girls.

Wed., Mar. 09, 2016:  The Passing of an Era: The Bolton Family Sells The Priory in 1883.

Wed., Mar. 02, 2016:  Daughter of Priory School for Girls Instructor Who Attended the School Details History of Historic Pelham Manor Institution.

Fri., Mar. 20, 2015:  Fire in 1932 Devastated the Bolton Priory in Pelham Manor.

Tue., Jun. 23, 2015:  Nanette Bolton of the Priory School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Thu., Oct. 02, 2014:  Brief History of Grace Church on City Island in the Town of Pelham Published in 1886.

Wed., Sep. 24, 2014:  Where Was the Bolton Family Cottage Where Stained Glass Windows Were Created?

Thu., Sep. 04, 2014:  The Closing of the Pelham Priory School for Girls in 1882 and the Departure of Head Mistress Nanette Bolton for Europe.

Fri., Aug. 29, 2014:  Announcement of Two-Day Fair in Pelham in 1842 to Raise Money to Build Christ Church.

Wed., May 14, 2014:  Noted American Novelist Margaret Deland Attended Bolton Priory School in Pelham Manor. 

Thu., Sep. 03, 2009:  Advertisement for the Pelham Priory School Published in 1881. 

Wed., Sep. 02, 2009:  The Bolton Family's Sale of Bolton Priory in 1883.

Thu., Aug. 13, 2009:  History of Bolton Priory Published in 1910.

Tue., Jan. 20, 2009:  An Account of the Rev. J. L. Ver Mehr Regarding His Brief Stint as an Instructor of French and Italian at Pelham Priory in 1843. 

Fri., Mar. 2, 2007:  A Brief Account by American Author Margaret Deland of Her Education at Pelham Priory in the 19th Century.

Thu., Dec. 14, 2006:  Items from Bolton Priory in the Collections of The Henry Luce III Center for the Study of American Culture, The New-York Historical Society.

Thu., Nov. 16, 2006:  Robert Bolton, Jr.'s Inscription to His Father Inside Book He Authored That Was Published in 1855.

Fri., Jul. 28, 2006: Image of Bolton Priory in the Town of Pelham Published in an 1859 Treatise on Landscape Gardening.

Wed., Jul. 26, 2006:  A Brief Account of Visits to Bolton Priory in the Early 1880s.

Wed., July 5, 2006: Bricks Laid by Washington Irving and Ivy from Kenilworth Castle at the Bolton Priory in Pelham Manor

Wed., March 15, 2006: A Biography of Cornelius W. Bolton Published in 1899

Wed., March 1, 2006: 1909 Real Estate Advertisement Showing Bolton Priory

Wed., Feb. 22, 2006: Doll Depicting Nanette Bolton in the Collection of The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham

Wed., Dec. 7, 2005: The Sale and Subdivision of the Bolton Priory Estate in the 1950s

Tue., Nov. 29, 2005: An Early, Interesting Photograph of Bolton Priory in the Village of Pelham Manor

Wed., Sep. 21, 2005: The Nanette Bolton Memorial Chapel Building at Christ Church in Pelham Manor

Tue., Aug. 23, 2005: Society Scandal: The "Strange" Story of Mrs. Adele Livingston Stevens Who Acquired the Bolton Priory in Pelham Manor

Wed., Jul. 13, 2005: 11 Priory Lane: The Rose Cottage

Fri., Jun. 10, 2005: Pelham's Most Magnificent Wedding Gift: The Bolton Priory

Tue., May 3, 2005: Colonel Frederick Hobbes Allen, An Owner of Bolton Priory in Pelham Manor

Thu., Apr. 7, 2005: Another Volume of William Jay Bolton's Sketches and Ruminations Located?

Mon., Apr. 4, 2005: Art and Poetry of William Jay Bolton of Bolton Priory in Pelham

See also Bell, Blake A., A Brief History of Bolton Priory in Pelham Manor, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No., 16, Apr. 16, 2004, p. 8, col. 2.

I also have written about the history of Christ Church, an institution the history of which is integrally intertwined with that of the Priory, on numerous occasions.  Below are a few of the many articles on the topic.

Thu., Dec. 31, 2015:  Laying of the Cornerstone of the Parish House at Christ Church on June 10, 1928.

Thu., Nov. 12, 2015:  Charles Higbee, Eighth Rector of Christ Church in Pelham Manor, 1871-1893.

Tue., Oct. 27, 2015:  The Ghostly Gardener of Bolton Priory: A Pelham Apparition.

Tue., Oct. 20, 2015:  Address Delivered by Reverend Robert Bolton on April 28, 1843 at the Laying of the Foundation Stone of Christ Church.

Thu., Oct. 15, 2015:  The Creation of Christ Church and its Consecration on September 15, 1843.  

Tue., Sep. 29, 2015:  Christ Church's 80th Anniversary Sermon by Rev. J. McVickar Haight on November 18, 1923.

Fri., Nov. 21, 2014:  Another Advertisement for Fair Held in 1842 to Fund Construction of Christ Church.

Fri., Aug. 29, 2014:  Announcement of Two-Day Fair in Pelham in 1842 to Raise Money to Build Christ Church.

Fri., Feb. 28, 2014:  Brief History of the Role Churches Played in the Growth of the Pelhams Published in 1926.

Fri., Dec. 25, 2009:  1906 Christmas Day Celebration at Christ Church in Pelham.

Fri., Aug. 14, 2009:  The Consecration of the Nanette Bolton Memorial Chapel at Christ Church in Pelham Manor on April 28, 1887.  

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William Jay Bolton's Stained Glass Windows in the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity in Brooklyn

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William Jay Bolton was a son of the Reverend Robert Bolton, founder of Christ Church and owner of the Priory, built beginning in 1838.  His mother was Ann Jay.  The Priory, in Pelham Manor, has been known as The Priory, Bolton Priory, Pelham Priory, the Priory School for Girls, and Pelham Priory for Girls.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

William Jay Bolton was born in Bath, England.  He attended an evangelical school in Mill Hill near London and then attended Cambridge University.  In 1836, he and his family moved to Eastchester in Westchester County, New York.  In about 1838, the family moved to Pelham and began to build the Priory.  About 1839, famed author Washington Irving (a family friend), introduced William Jay Bolton to Samuel F. B. Morse.  He became a student of Morse at the National Academy of Design as he honed his skills as a talented artist.  According to one account:

"In 1841 Bolton went to Europe where he saw masterpieces of art, mostly in Italy. Here he did many drawings and sketches of these and bought art for the family home. In 1842 Bolton returned to Pelham where he earnestly began his work in stained glass. Here he had a small shop at the rear of a house near the "Pelham Priory," the Gothic Revival family home in Pelham. The equipment he had to work with was sparse. He had a muffle kiln, which was used for firing his work after he painted details on the coloured glass. Bolton's younger brother John (1818–1898) assisted him in making and designing stained glass."

Source:  "William Jay Bolton" in Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia (visited Mar. 19, 2017).

William Jay Bolton was an exceptional artist eventually admitted to the National Academy of Design.  He taught himself the art of stained glass by creating a few small panels for the windows of the Priory.  He later created for Christ Church a monumental stained glass masterwork entitled "Adoration of the Magi."  It was the first figural stained glass window created in America.  (See image later in this article.)  The "Adoration of the Magi" figural stained glass work was completed and in place by the time the church was consecrated on September 15, 1843.  This work preceded his master work, the extensive stained glass windows at the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn, New York.

"Miriam and Jubal," Painted and Stained Glass Window by

William Jay Bolton with Assistance of His Brother, John

Bolton, Installed in Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn, New York.

Source:  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, William Jay Bolton.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

William Jay Bolton moved to England in about the late 1840s where he opened a stained glass studio in Cambridge.  After the death of his first wife, he ceased his stained glass work and became an ordained minister in an Anglican Church in about 1853.  He was Vicar of Stratford East Church in London from 1866 to 1881.  He also was associated with St. James Church in Bath from 1881 to 1884.  He died in Bath in 1884.  See "William Jay Bolton" in Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia (visited Mar. 19, 2017).

William Jay Bolton's stained glass works in the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn are considered his masterworks.  The church, with its masterful Bolton windows, still stands at Montague and Clinton Streets, Brooklyn.  There are fifty windows in the series.  All were not only designed by William Jay Bolton, but also were personally executed by him.  Some believe he was assisted in the execution by a brother, John Bolton.  The church opened in 1847, although the Bolton stained glass windows reportedly were not complete at the time the church first opened.  According to one account, "neither the exact date of completion nor their original cost is recorded."

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of an extensive article published in 1933 about the Bolton windows.

"WILLIAM JAY BOLTON, A. N. A. 1816-1884"

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"Adoration of the Magi," America's First Figural Stained Glass Window.

Created by William Jay Bolton for Christ Church, Pelham Manor, NY.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Bolton Cottage Used by William Jay Bolton as a Stained Glass

Studio During the Mid-19th Century, Since Razed.  Source: Courtesy

of the Office of the Historian of the Town of Pelham.  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"Art Treasures in Church Windows
Rare Examples of Stained Glass Adorn Windows of Brooklyn Heights Church
By Esther A. Coster

STAINED glass has always made a strong appeal to lovers of beauty, not only for the fascinating play of color but for the romance that still surrounds the art in its most glorious period.  Many of the secrets of the matters of the Middle Ages have been lost, although modern craftsmen have evolved beauties in glass with increasing skill.

One of the stories showing the value placed upon stained glass windows is that of the capture of Francis I at the battle of Pavia and the subsequent demand that part of the ransom should consist of a specified window of the Middle Ages are still treasured and their loss or injury considered a national calamity.
, 
In the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity at Montague and Clinton Streets, Brooklyn, are some of the finest examples of stained glass windows in this country, and they are considered by art authorities to compare most favorable with the best of European glass.  These are all the work of one man, William Jay Bolton, who not only designed but personally executed the entire series of fifty windows.

His method was one essentially his own, being closely akin to the old Flemish manner with the design painted and fired into ground or colored glass, using the strong simple colors of the great artificers of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth centuries.  His colors are clear, strong and exceedingly brilliant.  His leads are so placed that they enhance rather than interrupt the drawing, and his shadows distributed with full understanding of the effect of light shining through rather than of realistic lines.

These windows are placed along the sides of the church, one set below and one above the gallery, in both sides of the clerestory, and in the choir loft.  The climax of the series is the huge chancel window of many panels, representing the 'Glorification of Christ,' often called 'The Ascension.'

The windows portray history as given in the Bible, the clearstory, giving Old Testament scenes beginning with Adam driven out of Eden.  Above the gallery the series is continued with the life of Christ, the original crayon drawing of the Babe for 'Adoration' being one of the treasured possessions of the church.  Below the gallery the windows deal with the genealogy of Jesus, closing with 'Joseph-Mary-Christ.'  The Tree of Jesse serves as a connecting thought in all.  In the choir are the four writers of the Gospels.

The windows as well as the church building were due to the foresight, devotion and generosity of Edgar John Bartow, one of the wealthy men of his time whose dream was to build and equip a beautiful church which should be free in every sense.  The Gothic design with its flamboyant stone tracery for the windows was the work of Minard Lafever.  His design was more simple than the donor at first desired, but the building, formally opened in 1847, remains today essentially as Lafever left it.  Unfortunately financial reverses prevented the complete fulfillment of Mr. Bartow's dream.

The windows were not completed when the church was opened, and neither the exact date of completion nor their original cost is recorded.  However, some indication of the difficulty in replacing Bolton's work is found in a recent accident to one of the choir loft windows.  Boys casting stones at pigeons pierced one of the windows through both the exterior protecting glass and the precious inner color.  A piece that happened to be the head of one of the Apostles was shattered.  The best expert available was engaged and at a cost of much study, considerable time, and $40 the small piece was restored as closely as possible to its original appearance.

The late Otto Heinigke, one of the leading stained glass workers of his time, said in January, 1906, of these windows:  'There is nothing in this wide country so worthy of our effort at preservation as this valuable work of one of our pioneers, based as it is on the best traditions of a most influential phase of the art, the Flemish style of glass painting.  Let us pray for the quality of courage that this man displayed when he dared to do such work.'

In the vestibule is a window of more modern date and type, but even the veriest amateur must at a glance note unfavorably the contrast in color and craftsmanship with the Bolton glass.

These windows of Holy Trinity belong in a class of which only four outstanding examples exist, and which are described as 'shrines of the glass lover.'  These are in Sainte Chapelle in Paris, Fairford near Oxford, Egmontiers and Sainte Foye at Conches.  Holy Trinity's windows are catalogued by foreign critics
-----
(Continued on page 17)

Art Treasures in Church Windows
-----
(Continued from page 7)

among the art treasures worthy of attention by visitors to this country, and are listed as one of the worthwhile 'sights' of New York City.

The artist Bolton was grandson of an Englishman  who settled in Georgia and became a prosperous planter.  His father was a clergyman who lived for some years in England where William was born, in 1816.  The family returned to American in 1843 and erected Bolton Priory at Pelham, Westchester County.  There, anticipating the William Morris movement, they developed art and handicrafts.  William turned his attention to stained glass and executed some of the windows in Bolton Priory.  These and the Holy Trinity windows are the chief examples of his work in America, as he established a glass studio in Cambridge, England, soon after the Trinity windows were completed.  There he restored the windows in King's College Chapel, Cambridge.

Dr. Robert L. Dickinson, one of the enthusiastic admirers of the work of Bolton and Lafever and to whom the church owes the collection of photographs and drawings of the windows, told of a visit he made to England to visit a daughter of Bolton, who though bedridden for many years recovered sufficiently to visit America to see the windows of which her modest father had never spoken.

In her garret home Dr. Dickinson discovered the drawing of the baby for the 'Adoration' window, which had been lost for sixty years, and brought it back to become one of Holy Trinity's historic treasures.  

The Gethsemane window with its three panels is one of the designs that is planned especially to be viewed at a distance.  In this also in one of those 'asides' introduced as a personal link between the artist and the beholder.  Dr. Dickinson speaks of this as 'the dove, the spirit of peace, dropping down out of the dark toward the lonely figure that kneels in the central panel.'

Above the panels of every window is a marvelous rose window effect with each small inset of glass perfect in design and color and allied in significance with the window beneath.  In many of the windows the text in the Bible upon which the design is based is painted in the glass.

The entire interior of the church glows with the rich color that flows through the glass.  One's first impression is of a very limited palette of strong hues, but then the delicate shadings become evident and give an indescribable effect of harmony and peace."

Source:  Coster, Esther A., "Art Treasures in Church Windows -- Rare Examples of Stained Glass Adorn Windows of Brooklyn Heights Church" in The Eagle Magazine, pp. 7 & 17 Section G. of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct. 8, 1933 (Brooklyn, NY).  

Immediately below are black and white images of some of the Bolton windows that were published with the article above, on page 7 of The Eagle Magazine.  

NOTE:  Click on Images to Enlarge.

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I have written before about William Jay Bolton and his stained glass creations.  For a few of many examples, see:

Fri., May 08, 2015:  More About William Jay Bolton of Pelham: Creator of First Figured Stained Glass Windows in America.  

Wed., Sep. 24, 2014:  Where Was the Bolton Family Cottage Where Stained Glass Windows Were Created?

Tue., Oct. 09, 2007:  Biographical Data About William Jay Bolton of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 19, 2007:  The Harp of Pelham: A Book Published in 1844 by William Jay Bolton of Pelham Manor.

Mon., Apr. 4, 2005:  Art and Poetry of William Jay Bolton of Bolton Priory in Pelham.

Thu., Apr. 7, 2005:  Another Volume of William Jay Bolton's Sketches and Ruminations Located? 

Fri., Apr. 1, 2005:  The Earliest Newspaper in Pelham?

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Granddaughter of Robert Bolton Remembered a Cave and Native American Remains on the Priory Estate

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Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

On Wednesday, May 21, 1930, Pelhamites gathered on the grounds of The Priory in Pelham Manor to attend a Garden Tea sponsored by the Women's Guild of Christ Church.  The Garden Tea may have been sponsored by the Women's Guild, but it was hosted by the then-owners of The Priory, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick H. Allen.  Significantly, one of the women who served as a hostess during the event was Miss Arabella Bolton, a granddaughter of the founder of Christ Church and original owner of The Priory.  Arabella Bolton had lived on the Priory estate in the "Rose Cottage" (located today at 11 Priory Lane) for 25 years and then moved nearby to a bungalow also located on land once part of the estate.  

During the Garden Tea, Arabella Bolton regaled many of the guests with stories of the early days of The Priory.  A few of the more significant and most unusual of the stories were included in an account of the Garden Tea that appeared in a local newspaper several days later.  

Jay Bolton Said to Be the Architect Today's Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum

The architect of today's Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum, built shortly before Robert Bolton, Jr. published "A Guide to New Rochelle" in 1842, is not known.  Some have argued that famed architect Minard Lafever designed the structure.  Although some of the decorative elements incorporated into the structure may be found in some of Lafever's five so-called "pattern books," there is no other known evidence to support the assertion that he was the architect.  Others have argued that one of Rev. Robert Bolton's five sons, William Jay Bolton who was both an artist and an architect, was the architect of the Bartow-Pell Mansion.

It is interesting that the account of the Garden Tea at which Arabella Bolton served as a hostess notes that Jay Bolton, one of her uncles, was the architect of the Bartow-Pell Mansion.  Admittedly, the article does not attribute the assertion to Arabella Bolton.  It merely states that "Jay Bolton who married Catherine Schuyler, was an architect as well as an artist and designed the Bartow Mansion which is now the home of the International Garden Club of America."

Hermit's Cave on the Grounds of The Priory

Arabella Bolton told an interesting story about The Priory grounds involving what she called "Hermit's Cave."  As I have written recently, there once was a small pond fed by a spring on the grounds of The Priory.  The Bolton family built a small stone spring house on the edge of the pond.  See Tue., Feb. 23, 2016:  Native American Legends of Pelham's "Rising Sun Rock" and "The Living Water" Spring.  

According to Arabella Bolton, a short distance from the stone spring house was a cave that the boys in Reverend Bolton's family named "Hermit's Cave."  Believing that it would not be proper for a cave named "Hermit's Cave" to be without a hermit, the Bolton boys created a stuffed figure dressed as a hermit.  They gave him spectacles and a book to hold and seated him in the cave's entrance.  According to Miss Bolton, in later years the cave was "destroyed by blasting."

An "Indian Grave" on the Grounds of The Priory

Also according to Arabella Bolton, the Bolton boys were involved in another venture.  They concocted a fanciful legend "of an Indian killed beneath one of the fine old trees in the Priory."  Not content merely to recount the story, they decided to give the story "a convincing background."  Thus, the boys "went to an Indian burial plot in the vicinity and removed the bones of an old warrior, interring them under the tree."

There is no record of where the boys buried the human remains on the grounds of The Priory.  Somewhere near The Priory today may rest disturbed human remains removed by the Bolton boys from a nearby Native American burial.

Detail from 1914 Map Showing the Lake on the Priory Estate

and a Yellow Reference on the North Shore of the Lake Indicating

the Location of the Small Stone Spring House Built Above St.

Mary's Spring.  From the Description, it Appears the Cave

Would Have Been Slightly "Below" the Spring House in This

Map Detail.  Source: Bromley, G.W., "Pelham. New Rochelle."

in Atlas of Westchester County, N.Y. Pocket, Desk, and Automobile

Edition, Vol. I, p. 132 (NY, NY: G. W. Bromley & Co., 1914).

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

The Priory by William Rickarby Miller (1818-1893).

Watercolor on Paper, 1856. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"PELHAM
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PARTY HELD AT BOLTON PRIORY
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Garden Tea Sponsored By Woman's Guild at Famous Gardens
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HOSTESS IS PRESENT
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Granddaughter of Man Who Founded Garden Serves As Hostess
-----

The Bolton Priory, one of the most picturesque and historic places in Westchester County, Wednesday afternoon was the scene of a garden tea given by the Woman's Guild of Christ's Church.  Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Allen, who now own the estate, opened the gardens for the occasion.  One of the hostesses of the day was Miss Arabella Bolton, whose grandfather built the first Christ's Church and was its rector.  

The party had been postponed from Monday because of the weather and though the early part of the afternoon was ideal for it, the guests who lingered were obliged to seek shelter in the little college when rain began to fall about 5:30 o'clock.

The exact date is not recorded in which the church and the little cottage which still stands on the Priory grounds, were built.  The Rev. Robert Bolton, grandfather of Miss Arabella who still resides on the estate, built them and organized the parish.  He had five sons and eight daughters and the beauty of the Priory bespeaks the love the family gave to it.  Down beyond the rock garden there is a pond and a little stone spring house and a short distance further on there used to be a cave, Miss Bolton says, and there the sons of the Rev. Mr. Bolton had placed an old hermit.  Hermit's Cave without a hermit would be a disappointment they thought, and to make it complete they stuffed a figure, gave him spectacles and a book to hold and seated him in the cave's entrance.

The cave was destroyed by blasting some years ago.

Has Indian Grave

Another interesting thing on the Priory grounds is the Indian grave beneath a large spreading tree.  Two of the Bolton boys wrote a book of poetry which included several subjects connected with the early history of Pelham Manor.  One they conceived as history that might have been -- the story of an Indian killed beneath one of the fine old trees in the Priory -- and to give it a convincing background they went to an Indian burial plot in the vicinity and removed the bones of an old warrior, interring them under the tree.

The little cottage in which the Bolton family first lived was open to the guests at the tea Wednesday.  It has been furnished by Mr. and Mrs. Allen in the true style of the period, with Franklin stoves, a rare old American bed carved with eagles, and interesting antique pieces, each one of which would bear description.  Miss Arabella Bolton occupied the cottage for 25 years but now resides in a new bungalow near it.

The estate covers 36 acres and the beautiful home now the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Allen was used for many years as a young ladies seminary when the famous school for girls was conducted by Miss Nannette Bolton after her parents had returned to England.  The stained glass windows were painted with the Bolton coats of arms by Jay Bolton, one of the sons who was an artist, and there is much handsome carving in the house, which was brought over from Italy.  The finest pieces are two mantels.

The Rev. Robert Bolton had one son who assisted him in Christ's Church and later built Grace Church on City Island and was also the rector of the Church of the Redeemer in North Pelham when it was built.  He was the Rev. Cornelius Winter Bolton.

Jay Bolton who married Catherine Schuyler, was an architect as well as an artist and designed the Bartow Mansion which is now the home of the International Garden Club of America.

Mr. and Mrs. Allen who now own the Priory have the same affection for it which its first owners felt, because Mrs. Allen's mother attended Miss Bolton's school and spent much of her time there afterwards.  

The affair drew many people of the Pelhams and adjacent places but there was no confusion of numbers because of the wide stretch of lawns and gardens over which they were at liberty to walk.  The pond with its white swans, the rock garden with its sundial in the center, the graceful wisteria arbor and the beautiful expanse of grounds beyond were a delight to the guests of Christ's Church Guild who attended the tea.  Tea was served in the upper garden back of the Bolton cottage, where chairs and tables were arranged in informal groups.

Mrs. D. C. Borden was chairman of the committee in charge of the pleasant affair and the proceeds will be devoted to the church work carried on by the Woman's Guild.

Those who were asked to assist in receiving were, Mrs. J. McVicar Haight, Mrs. J. Harvey Ruffin, Mrs. Lyman Gray, Mrs. Alfred Scott, and Mrs. Schuyler Mills.  Some of them, however, were unable to be present until quite late owing to the County meeting of the Woman's Auxiliary of the Episcopal Church held yesterday at Mount Kisko.

The committee assisting Mrs. Borden in the other arrangements included Miss Arabella Bolton, Miss Gertrude Schuyler, Mrs. Raymond Smith, Mrs. F. D. Lackey, [remainder illegible]."

Source:  PELHAM -- PARTY HELD AT BOLTON PRIORY -- Garden Tea Sponsored By Woman's Guild at Famous Gardens -- HOSTESS IS PRESENT -- Granddaughter of Man Who Founded Garden Serves As Hostess, The Daily Argus [Mt. Vernon, NY], May 23, 1930, p. 20, col. 3.  

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