Florence Tyzack Parbury
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Florence Tyzack Parbury (1881–1960) was a British socialite, author, musician, painter and traveller. She was involved in aviation in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1910s and 1920s.


Biography


Early life

Florence Tyzack Parbury was born in
South Norwood South Norwood is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, Greater London and formerly in the historic county of Surrey. It is located 7.8 miles (12.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross, north of Woodside and ...
, Croydon, Surrey on 26 September 1881, the fourth child and only daughter of Douglas Stewart Parbury and Lucy Jane Tyzack. She was baptised at Saint Luke's Woodside, Croydon on 2 July 1882. Parbury, the granddaughter of
George Parbury George Parbury (1807–1881) was a British publisher with a special interest in India, a freemason in India and London, Master of Merchant Taylors livery company, Justice of the Peace for two counties and Deputy Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets. ...
, spent the first few years of her life in Surrey. Her parents then separated, and by the time Parbury was seven she and her mother had moved to Ecclesall Bierlow, Sheffield to live with Lucy's recently widowed mother, Jane Tyzack.


Musical training and performances

Parbury performed in public from an early age: in December 1889, aged eight, she was on stage to raise funds for the Children's Hospital in Sheffield. Her musical training began in Sheffield was with the renowned teacher Marie Foxon. She was later then in Italy; in London with Dr. Lierhammer; and with
Jean de Reszke Jean de Reszke (born Jan Mieczysław Reszke; 14 January 18503 April 1925) was a Polish dramatic tenor and opera star. Reszke came from a wealthy Polish family with classical and operatic musical traditions. His mother gave him his first singing ...
in Paris. She learned to play several instruments including pianoforte, organ, violin, and harp, and also composed music. When performing for troops in World War I, Parbury " roughtdown the house with her imitations of farmyard fowls, peacocks, doves, and cats", and could imitate well-known singers, male and female. In a more formal setting she was admired by many for her soprano voice of unusual compass, but at the Queen's Hall in London in 1922, Parbury's programme of operatic excerpts and drawing-room "trifles" did not impress a music critic from ''The Times''.


Early involvement in flying

Florence Parbury was interested in aviation from its early days in England. In 1910 she attended the Blackpool Flying Carnival where she was a passenger in the
Henry Farman biplane The Farman III, also known as the Henry Farman 1909 biplane, was an early French aircraft designed and built by Henry Farman in 1909. Its design was widely imitated, so much so that aircraft of similar layout were generally referred to as being ...
flown by
Claude Grahame-White Claude Grahame-White (21 August 1879 – 19 August 1959) was an English pioneer of aviation, and the first to make a night flight, during the ''Daily Mail''-sponsored 1910 London to Manchester air race. Early life Claude Grahame-White was born ...
. She attended his first marriage in June 1912, where almost all the other guests were eminent in the world of aviation. Parbury also described how she flew over Stonehenge in a biplane piloted by
Howard Pixton Cecil Howard Pixton (14 December 1885 – 7 February 1972) was a British aeronautical engineer, test pilot and air racing pilot who was most famous for winning the 1914 Schneider Trophy seaplane race. Early life Howard Pixton was the youngest ...
, an early British aviator who won the 1914
Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded first annually, and later biennially, to the winner of a race for seaplanes and ...
air race held in Monaco.


Travel, exploration and publishing before World War 1

Parbury travelled to Egypt when she was sixteen and then in 1901 she and her mother sailed to India from London on the P&O steamship ''Caledonia'' and then spent several months travelling in Kashmir. In 1909, Parbury published a description of their travels, including many of her paintings of local scenes''The Emerald set with Pearls: being reminiscences of the beautiful land of Kashmir'', London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., 1909 was a reprint of Thomas Moore's
Lalla Rookh ''Lalla Rookh'' is a romantic work by Irish poet Thomas Moore, first published in 1817. The title refers to the fictional heroine of the frame tale, depicted as the daughter of the 17th-century Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. It consists of four n ...
with musical additions by Florence Parbury and Guido Zuccoli, to which was added the watercolours and extensive notes about the journey taken by Parbury and her mother.
and, ten years later, published sheet music evoking her experience in India. Parbury's later travels were to North America. In 1911, in Victoria, BC she spoke at the Women's Canadian Club, saying how she planned to study the country and its people, much as she had done in India. After returning to England in February 1912, she went back to Canada towards the end of that year. Again in BC, she met Dr Charles Newcombe, an ethnographer with a keen interest in the indigenous peoples of the region. After her visit, Parbury wrote to him several times in late 1912 and early 1913 saying that she would "so like to reproduce a photograph of that interesting case of curios & Indian trophies & relics, for my book." While in BC Parbury also organised a trip in which
she camped, climbed, rode on a cayuse through the Rockies, trekked up the Thompson River−the first white woman to be seen on its banks−with a train of five horses and six guides and packers; sometimes she guided her own canoe on the river, shooting the rapids, and taking all the risks of a journey in the wilds. She reached the famous
Tête Jaune Cache Tête, head in French, may refer to : * ''Tête'' (sculpture), a 1912 work of art by Amedeo Modigliani; one of the most expensive sculptures ever sold * "Je danse dans ma tête", a 1991 song from the Dion chante Plamondon album by Céline Dion * ...
beyond Edmonton, and her book, illustrated by herself, on her Canadian experiences, will be published after the war. Miss Parbury does not actually shoot big game, but like her friend, Mr. Thompson Seton, she enjoys the call of the wild and the tracking of shy creatures to their lairs.
The book "Impressions of Canada" which she was planning to publish was advertised by Macmillan's but has not so far been found.


Care of soldiers in World War I

When the war broke out Parbury nursed for eight months in France with the
French Red Cross The French Red Cross (), or the CRF, is the national Red Cross Society in France founded in 1864 and originally known as the ''Société française de secours aux blessés militaires'' (SSBM). Recognized as a public utility since 1945, the Frenc ...
. It was probably this experience which prompted her to launch an appeal:
Miss Parbury is anxious to collect a million cigarettes for our soldiers. She will take them with her in batches and distribute them. Without publicity up to the present, she has obtained 75,000, thanks to the contributions of Sir John Thornycroft, Mr. Harry Gratton, Mr.
Gerald du Maurier Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and Actor-manager, manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies ...
, Mr.
Henry Ainley Henry Hinchliffe Ainley (21 August 1879 – 31 October 1945) was an English actor. Life and career Early years Ainley was born in Morley, West Yorkshire, Morley, near Leeds, on 21 August 1879, the only son and eldest child of Richard Ainley (18 ...
, and others. For 6s. 8d. a thousand cigarettes can be obtained, and they are given away coupled with the names of the donors, and a friendly message. Save a solicitor's letter and send our Tommies a thousand cigarettes. Miss Parbury's address is 53
Egerton Gardens Egerton Gardens is a street and communal garden, regionally termed a garden square, in South Kensington, London SW postcode area, SW3. Location The street runs roughly south-west to north-east, off Brompton Road. Egerton Crescent, runs roughly ...
, S.W.''The Musical Herald'' 812 (1 November 1915) p498
Back in London, Parbury set up a "Jacobean studio" at Yeoman's Row, Knightsbridge where she and others would entertain wounded soldiers with sing-songs. In an interview in Montreal after the war she said "I know of three cases where sight, hearing and speech were restored while an entertainment was in progress, to men who had lost three senses through shell shock. We have had as many as 50 nerve cases present at the same time, and during the war we entertained in all 600,000 men". On another occasion, hearing that
Sir Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and Conservative politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World ...
, Prime Minister of Canada, was in London she immediately wrote to seek his patronage for a matinée at the Queen's Theatre in aid of the Canadian Red Cross, which Canadian soldiers would attend; Sir Robert's successful visit, during which he honoured the men and their dead comrades for their sacrifices, was recorded in ''The Times''.


Travel after World War 1

In May 1919 "Miss Parbury, author" sailed first class to New York on the ''Aquitania''. She stayed in North America for two years, and while in New York had "a permanent suite at the Commodore and a country house on Long Island.” Once again part of her quest was to study a nation and its peoples, and publish her findings. She also indulged her interest in aviation by attending special events and flying when she could. In July 1919 she sent a postcard to London via the British airship R34 when it left Mineola, NY. After staying with the Governor of Newfoundland, Sir Alexander Harris, in St John's, as "part of a well-earned post-war vacation", Parbury returned to New York where she had portraits taken by the renowned photographer
Arnold Genthe Arnold Genthe (8 January 1869 – 9 August 1942) was a German-American photographer, best known for his photographs of San Francisco's Chinatown, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and his portraits of noted people, from politicians and socialite ...
. At the end of the year, "garbed as a
Maharani Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a prince. However, in late ancient India ...
", she spoke at a meeting of the American Geographical Society in New York on "Kashmir, the Garden of the East". In December 1919 she gave an interview to New York newspapers in which she introduced another objective of her trip: to establish a “League of Friendship” between England and the United States: “If New York likes her and she likes New York, she will establish a clubhouse in New York and a companion house in London to further the interest of the League.” During 1920 Parbury exhibited her paintings in the west ballroom of the Hotel Commodore on Lexington Avenue; flew in an escort plane from Central Park, Long Island to San Francisco, as part of the inauguration of transcontinental Pathfinder Flights; and stayed in Hollywood as a guest of
Mr. ''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' (American English) or ''Mr'' (British English), is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. ...
and
Mrs. Mrs. (American English) or Mrs (British English; standard English pronunciation: ) is a commonly used English honorific for women, usually for those who are married and who do not instead use another title or rank, such as ''Doctor'', ''Profess ...
Douglas Fairbanks. This circuit, which included stops in Decatur, Chicago, Dayton and Detroit, gave her more opportunities to promote her League of Friendship idea, which she also referred to as a Friendship Club for Anglo-Saxons: "I want to have a beautiful clubhouse in every large city around the world where the English-speaking peoples can meet..." In 1921, Parbury was in Washington DC, where she announced that she had two books coming out in the fall, "Careering in Canada” and "Atmosphering in America.” They were to be published in practically the same form, with her own illustrations, but never appeared. Before returning to England, Parbury was one of the artistes in a musicale at the home of
Adolph Lewisohn Adolph Lewisohn (May 27, 1849 – August 17, 1938) was a German Jewish immigrant born in Hamburg who became a New York City investment banker, mining magnate, and philanthropist. He is the namesake of Lewisohn Hall (which formerly housed the Colu ...
, 811 Fifth Avenue, for the benefit of the New York Community Service clubhouse for disabled and active service men. During her stay in the United States, Parbury had taken several opportunities to indulge her interest in aviation. In July 1919 she sent a postcard to London via the British airship R34 when it left Mineola, NY. When the new British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Auckland Geddes and his wife, arrived from Liverpool on the ''Kaiserin Auguste Victoria'' in 1920 "Miss Florence Parbury welcomed him to America by flying over the ship in an airplane to drop a bouquet of American Beauty roses." The Canadian pilot was Captain Leonard B. Hyde Pearson, and a movie clip of the event is available online. Later that year Parbury was a passenger on one of the escort aircraft when three all-metal planes were seeking the best route from New York to San Francisco; a transcontinental air mail service was established in September 1920.


Later life and marriage

Back in England, there was another aviation adventure: in January 1922 Parbury flew as a passenger to the Hague, with a Blackburn test pilot,''Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer'', 12 November 1921. while using wireless telephony to listen to one of her own compositions being played in a hall below. At a private gathering before the flight, one of her guests,
Guglielmo Marconi Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquess of Marconi ( ; ; 25 April 1874 – 20 July 1937) was an Italian electrical engineer, inventor, and politician known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based Wireless telegraphy, wireless tel ...
, spoke of the close association between aviation and wireless telephony: “Mention has been made of the possibility of wireless rays passing out through the terrestrial air into space, and of the sending of messages to Mars. Perhaps some day we shall be able to fly in those spaces outside the earth’s envelope, but if ever we do we shall certainly have to change the designs of our machines." At about this time Parbury was working on another big project. She had in mind “a bond of harmony between the people of the Empire” mediated through an annual music festival in London. The first British Empire Music Festival was held at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
on St. Cecilia's Day (22 November) 1922, which included patriotic music of Canada, four of the "Six Australian Bush Songs" by W. G. James, "Rule Britannia" and tunes from the Pipers of the
Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...
. The festivals continued for a few more years, and at the third one in 1924 Dame
Clara Butt Dame Clara Ellen Butt (1 February 1872 – 23 January 1936) was an English dramatic contralto and one of the most popular singers from the 1890s through to the 1920s. She had an exceptionally fine contralto voice and an agile singing technique, ...
sang. Three days after the first BEMF Florence Tyzack Parbury was married at
Holy Trinity Brompton Holy Trinity Brompton with St Paul's Onslow Square and St Augustine's South Kensington, often referred to simply as HTB, is an Anglican church in London, England. The church consists of six sites: HTB Brompton Road, HTB Onslow Square (''formerly ...
to Ernest Bigland. The ceremony was performed by Alfred William Gough, Prebendary of St Pauls Cathedral, assisted by Rev. Canon Sir John Key, Bt., a cousin of the bride. Ernest Bigland, some thirty years Parbury's senior, was a ship owner. The couple lived at Ernest's home: Scote Howe, Hook Heath, Woking, Surrey, where Florence enjoyed growing specimen flowers for exhibition. At the RHS
Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show,Phil Clayton, ''The Great Temple Show'' in ''The Garden'' 2008, p.452, The Royal Horticultural Society is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural So ...
in 1928 she was awarded an Award of Merit for Begonia Florence Bigland, "a magnificent double-flowered variety
ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is i ...
broad petals of shining apricot colour". In this same year she composed more music, including "Abbey Wedding March" and "Sonning" (dedicated to the bride) for the wedding at St Margaret's, Westminster of John Raymond Ropner to Joan Redhead on 24 July 1928.''Dundee Courier'', 27 July 1928 The bridegroom was the grandson of Sir Emil Hugo Oscar Robert Ropner, 1st Baronet, ship builder and ship owner. It was probably through the shipping connection that Mrs Bigland wrote music for this occasion. Ernest Bigland died at his home on 10 December 1942. Florence continued living there until about 1949, after which she moved to London. She lived her final years at Flat 11, 51 South Street, W1, close to Park Lane. She died there on 24 October 1960, leaving a considerable fortune. In her will she said "I desire to be cremated and my ashes to be scattered by my confidential chauffeur George Upfield over the tree to be indicated by me." It is not known where that was.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parbury, Florence Tyzack 1881 births 1960 deaths People from South Norwood Musicians from the London Borough of Croydon Writers who illustrated their own writing British socialites Writers from the London Borough of Croydon International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement