Mary Eily De Putron
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mary Eily de Putron (1914–1982) was an Irish and
Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...
stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
artist and
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
who also served in the WAAF during World War II.


Early life and education

Putron was born to Annie Kate Shaw and Cyril de Putron at
Bushy Park, Dublin Bushy Park () is a large, , suburban Urban park, public park in Terenure, Dublin, Ireland. Location Although situated mainly in Terenure, and listed by the city council with that address, it stretches to the borders of Rathfarnham and Temple ...
on 8 July 1914. Her parents met while her father was stationed in Dublin as a captain in the
Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, and the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wars. It had many diffe ...
. He was originally from
Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...
. de Putron was their only child. They spent the early years of their marriage in Ireland and only moved to the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...
when Colonel de Putron retired from the army. de Putron was educated in Ladies' College in
St Peter Port St. Peter Port () is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. Peter Port is a small tow ...
until 1931.


Archaeology

After school de Putron became an archaeological assistant and worked with Vera Collum on the Le Déhus dolmen and the Delancey Park excavations in
Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...
,
Mortimer Wheeler Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, CH Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire, CIE Military Cross, MC Territorial Decoration, TD (10 September 1890 – 22 July 1976) was a British archaeolo ...
and Tessa Verney at
Verulamium Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. The major ancient Roman route Watling Street passed through the city, but was realigned in medieval times to bring trad ...
, the Roman site in
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
. In 1933 she took a job as researcher at the National Museum in Dublin. She had first worked in Dublin on the
Islandbridge Island Bridge (), formerly Sarah or Sarah's Bridge, is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey, in Dublin, Ireland which joins the South Circular Road to Conyngham Road at the Phoenix Park. Island Bridge and the surrounding area (often known ...
dig where items were exposed during the building of the
Irish National War Memorial Gardens The Irish National War Memorial Gardens () is an Irish war memorial in Islandbridge, Dublin, dedicated "to the memory of the 49,400 Irish soldiers who gave their lives in the Great War, 1914–1918",Dúchas The Heritage Service, Visitors Guide ...
there. At just 20 years old de Putron was elected member of the Archaeological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. She continued to work on digs in Ireland such as
Poulawack Cairn Poulawack Cairn is a prehistoric burial cairn located in the Burren area of County Clare, Ireland. Location The cairn is located in the townland of Poulawack, in the civil parish of Carran; it is situated on private property. There is also a c ...
, the stone cashel at
Cahercommaun Cahercommaun (), sometimes ''Cahercommane'' is a triple stone ringfort on the south-east edge of the Burren area, in Kilnaboy, near the rural village of Carran, in County Clare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It was built in the 9th century. Fe ...
and the
crannog A crannog (; ; ) is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually constructed in lakes, bogs and estuary, estuarine waters of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Unlike the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, which were built ...
s in
Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain ...
,
Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...
and
County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
with Joseph Raftery on the Harvard Archaeological Expedition. When not working on digs de Putron was illustrating artefacts at the museum, including working with the resident artist Eileen Barnes. With the Third Harvard University Archaeological Mission to Ireland coming to an end in October 1935, de Putron left to study archaeology at
University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
. She graduated with a Diploma in June 1938. After that she worked for some time in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and Guernsey with
Ralph Durand Ralph Anthony Durand (7 September 1876 – 20 December 1945) was an award-winning writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction. Much of his early writing was inspired by his travels in Australia and Africa. He served in the Boer War and World ...
and
Margaret Guido Cecily Margaret Guido, (née Preston; 5 August 1912 – 8 September 1994), also known as Peggy Piggott, was an English archaeologist, prehistorian, and finds specialist. Her career in British archaeology spanned sixty years, and she is recogni ...
. She also worked closely with
Dorothy Liddell Dorothy Liddell, MBE (1890–1938) was a pioneering woman archaeologist and mentor to both Mary Leakey and Mary Eily de Putron. Early life Born Dorothy Mary Liddell to Emily Catherine Berry and her husband John Liddell at Benwell, England in ...
and
Christopher Hawkes Charles Francis Christopher Hawkes, FBA, FSA (5 June 1905 – 29 March 1992) was an English archaeologist specialising in European prehistory. He was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford from 1946 to 1972. He was ...
. Liddell was unwell by then and requested that the work be completed by de Putron when she died. Despite the outbreak of war later the reports were completed and validated by later work.


World War II

With the start of World War II in 1939 de Putron returned initially home and then went to England where she joined the
Women's Auxiliary Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the British Royal Air Force during the World War II, Second World War. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 181,000 at its peak ...
in the Administrative and Special Duties Branch. Starting as an Aircraftwoman 1st Class she was promoted to Flight Officer by 1943 and was
mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...
in 1945. de Putron was entitled to the
1939–1945 Star The 1939–1945 Star is a military campaign medal instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces for service in the Second World War. Two clasps were instituted to be worn on the medal ribbon, Battl ...
medal as well as the
War Medal 1939–1945 The War Medal 1939–1945 is a campaign medal which was instituted by the United Kingdom on 16 August 1945, for award to citizens of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days ...
. The outbreak of war ended de Putron's career in archaeology. By the time it ended her homeland had been occupied and her father and uncle had died.


Stained glass

During the war de Putron took to sketching in the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
. There she met
Joan Howson Joan Howson (1885–1964) was a British stained glass artist of the Arts and Crafts movement. She trained at the Liverpool School of Art before becoming a student and apprentice to Caroline Townshend. They later developed a lifelong partnershi ...
and the two became friends and collaborators. With Howson she worked on
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
stained glass windows, removing and replacing some of them so that they would not be damaged during the war. Some of those not removed, like in the Chapter House, she helped restore with Howson until 1951. They also worked together on the ante-chapel of
New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...
. She gained attention as a result of this collaboration and as a result began designing and installing windows of her own. She began with the chapel at
Bradfield College Bradfield College is a coeducational public school (independent boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18, in the village of Bradfield, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It is noted for its open-air Greek theatre and its trien ...
in
Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
where she installed window badges in 1950. She did a window in
St Martin's Parish Church, Guernsey St Martin's Parish Church, Guernsey is also known as the Saint Martin de la Bellouse and is located in a dip in an ancient village, in the parish of Saint Martin, Guernsey. The earliest reference to a religious building on the site was in 1048. T ...
and St Mary's Catholic Church,
East Hendred East Hendred is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish about east of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse and a similar distance west of Didcot. The village is on East Hendred Brook, which flows from the Berkshire Downs to join th ...
as well as in the Parish Church at
Stoke Climsland Stoke Climsland is a village in the valley of the River Tamar, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom within the civil parish of Stokeclimsland. The population of the parish including Luckett at the 2011 census was 1,703. An electoral ward of the ...
in
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
. She began to complete windows for churches around the country though many are in the Channel Islands. de Putron set up her studio and workshop in Fontaine Fleurie where she moved after her return to Guernsey. de Putron became a member of La Société Guernesiaise in 1961 and was a member of the council for a period. She was a keen gardener and member of the
Botanical Society of the British Isles The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) is a scientific society for the study of flora, plant distribution and taxonomy relating to Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The society was founded as the Botani ...
. She was co-opted to the sub-committee of the National Trust of Guernsey due to her experience in archaeology and helping of
Charles Brett Sir Charles Edward Bainbridge Brett, KBE, CBE (30 October 1928 – 19 December 2005), was a Northern Irish solicitor, journalist, author and founding member, and first chairman, of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society (UAHS). He was known ...
and the survey of buildings in 1975. She wrote for the local journals - She published the diary of her great-uncle, the Reverend Pierre de Putron in the Review of the Guernsey Society, author of an illustrated book on archaeology in Sussex, an article on the life and work of Joan Howson in the Journal of Stained Glass and, for the Transactions of La Société Guernesiaise, the obituary of Thomas Downing Kendrick, Director of the British Museum.


Legacy

de Putron died of cancer 9 February 1982 at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital in St Martins. Her windows were featured in the Christmas 1993 postage stamps issued by Guernsey. The stamps were designed by Jennifer Toombs. Film of her as a young woman in 1932 is held by the Cinema Museum in London. Entitled "Guernsey March 21st – April 6, 1932. M.V.Thomas stays with Colonel and Mrs De Putron and Mary at Lower Bertozerie" .


References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:de Putron, Mary Eily 1914 births 1982 deaths 20th-century Irish archaeologists Channel Islands Guernsey artists 20th-century Irish women artists People associated with the National Museum of Ireland Women's Auxiliary Air Force officers Irish stained glass artists and manufacturers British stained glass artists and manufacturers Irish women archaeologists 20th-century British archaeologists