Charles Yates Fell (5 August 1844 – 9 June 1918) was a New Zealand barrister, politician, watercolour artist, and photographer.

Early life and family

Fell was born in Nelson in 1844. He was the son of Alfred Fell, merchant and early settler, brother of the English politician Arthur Fell and grandson of Henry Seymour, after whom Seymour Square in Blenheim is named. Fell took lessons with the Rev Meyrick Lully and later with Archdeacon Paul of Nelson. In 1859, both he and his parents returned to England, where he attended

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The s ...

, London. From there he went to

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

, from 1863 to 1867, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts. He married Edith Louisa Bainbridge at Putney, London, in 1869.

Legal practice

Fell was admitted to bar and joined the

Home Circuit Circuits are the highest-level administrative divisions of the Bar of England and Wales and His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. Today, they serve as professional associations for barristers practicing within their areas, as well as admini ...

, entered

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

, and thence

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

. After a short time practising in England he returned to New Zealand in 1870. In 1880, he entered into partnership with Arthur Atkinson, founding the legal firm Fell and Atkinson. For many years Fell was the Crown Solicitor, Registrar of the

Diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

of Nelson, and governor of

Nelson College Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand, a feat achieved in part thanks to its original inception as a private school. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it r ...

. After the death of his first wife in 1879, he married Atkinson's daughter, Edith Emily Atkinson, in 1881. She was also the niece of the painter

Dolla Richmond Dorothy Kate Richmond (12 September 1861 – 16 April 1935), known as Dolla Richmond, was a New Zealand painter noted for her watercolour paintings of natural plants and animals and panoramic landscapes. Early life and education The daughter of ...

Political career

Fell became Mayor of Nelson on 23 November 1882 when

Edward Everett Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Mas ...

resigned. Fell remained Mayor until 21 December 1887 when he was succeeded by John Sharp.

Arts

Fell had painted in watercolour while at King's College but did not paint seriously until later life. He was a trustee of the Bishop Suter Art Gallery, Nelson from its inception in 1896 until his death in 1918. In 1918 he accompanied the painter Henry Morland Gore on a sketching tour of Maitai Valley and a member of the

New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (also referred to as the Wellington Art Society) was founded in Wellington in July 1882 as The Fine Arts Association of New Zealand. Founding artists included painters William Beetham (first president of the As ...

. Two of his works, ''St Johns Farm, Prades'' (1916) and ''Mountain Village'' are held in the Suter. A third, '' Country Scene, Nelson'', is held in a private collection. Prior to returning to painting, Fell had become a photographer, specialising in landscapes and portraits. Some of his photographs are held in the

National Library of New Zealand The National Library of New Zealand () is charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga) Act 2003). Under the ...

. Fell's talents also extended to music, being noted as a fine musician. He also promoted and supported the Nelson School of Music.

Sporting activities

He was also a good athlete, noted as a sprinter, a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

for his college boat at Oxford, and an expert horseman. In Nelson he was an enthusiastic yachtsman.

Death

Fell died at Nelson on 9 June 1918 and was buried at Wakapuaka Cemetery. His son by his first wife, Alfred Fell, played rugby for

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

while studying at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...

and served in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

. His son by his second wife, Charles Richmond Fell, took his place in Fell and Atkinson. He also had six daughters, four by his first wife and two by his second. One daughter, Sylvia Brockett, produced watercolour paintings and designed stamps. Her stamp designs are in the collection at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fell, Charles Mayors of Nelson, New Zealand Alumni of St John's College, Oxford 1844 births 1918 deaths Burials at Wakapuaka Cemetery New Zealand painters People educated at King's College School, London 19th-century New Zealand lawyers Atkinson–Hursthouse–Richmond family New Zealand watercolourists

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...