CHAPTER IX.
Death of Mrs. Wright.—Removes to Queen Street, Derby.—Wright’s Last Illness and Death.—Mr. J. Leigh Philips on the Character of Wright.—Sale of Wright’s Pictures in London and Derby.—Letters from J. Holland and Rev. Thos. Gisborne.
On August 19th 1790, Mrs. Wright died of consumption, aged 41. This loss inflicted a crushing domestic blow to her husband, whose health now began seriously to fail, and from his MS. Book we are enabled by the following receipt to fix the time when Wright left St. Helen’s house (which was soon after pulled down), and by the name of the owner of the property, Mr. Bainbrigge, we are enabled to identify the house in which Wright resided down to the time of his death. The receipt is as follows:—
“May 1, 1793. Settled with Mr Wright for half a year’s rent (Twenty pounds) due Lady Day last.
“THOMAS BAINBRIGGE, Jun.”
The house is No. 26, in Queen Street, and is the first house in the Parish of St. Alkmund—St. Michael’s being the adjoining parish. The Family Vault was in St. Michael’s Church, but we find the Painter’s family are interred in the church of the parish in which they lived. His niece, Miss Wright, says:—“He removed to a house in Queen Street, near to St. Alkmund’s Ch.; there the windows all looked into the street, or upon buildings at the back part. The gardens being beyond them, it was a dull prospect for him.” The house was roomy and substantial, with a large garden, which in Wright’s time would be open to the Cherry Orchard, now Orchard Street. The premises now open into Chapel Street. This house afterwards became the post office, until the year 1840, and is now in the occupation of Mr. Allen.
The buildings appear to be in much the same state now as they were at that time. Some outbuildings obstruct the view of the garden, an archway giving the only glimpse of what was then open country, and this peep was obtained by looking through a very pretty wrought iron gate, no doubt from the hammer and anvil of Bakewell, who has left many examples of his art and skill in the town and neighbourhood. A drawing of the gate is here given, as it is worthy of preservation.