One of my recent history items concerned the inventors of the ‘Eastbourne Chair’, an invalid chair patented in 1899 by Dr Astley Roberts and Fanny Sophia Smith of Eastbourne. 

It was not difficult to find details about Astley Roberts as he was a prominent local doctor but I couldn’t find any information about Fanny Smith, either on Ancestry or the British Newspaper Archives.  When I posted the item on line, John Pitcher shared a picture of an Eastbourne Chair which was once on display at  the Eastbourne Local History Museum in the Towner Art Gallery in Old Town.  The item mentions that the co-inventor of the chair was ‘Fanny Smith, a spinster of ‘Travencore.’  I had a lead.  Looking at directories I ascertained that Travencore was a Guest House at 12, Wilmington Square, Eastbourne.    

I then searched the Newspaper Archives for ’12, Wilmington Square’ and one entry stood out.  In March 1899 there was a grand exhibition of Art and Industry at Eastbourne Town Hall. Awards were given for the best paintings and one of the prize winners was listed as “Miss F. Tysoe Smith – 12, Wilmington Gardens.  She won second prize in the ‘Fine Arts – Oil Paintings’ category for a water colour painting titled ‘Figures’. Guess who was one of the judges? It was Dr Astley Roberts !

The next piece of evidence is a legal notice from the Eastbourne Gazette of April 1900. This tells us that the partnership between Albert Donegan and Fanny Smith, boarding house keepers of 12, Wilmington Square had been terminated. 

Now I had a potentially new surname ‘Tysoe-Smith’. Searches reveal that the Tysoe-Smith family were frequent visitors to Eastbourne in the 1880s. They usually stayed at the Seaview Guest House but in May 1898 Miss Tysoe-Smith is shown as a visitor to Travancore – maybe she liked it so much she took over running the business with Mr Donegan?

So we know that Fanny Sophia Tysoe Smith was a boarding house keeper, an amateur artist and an inventor!

A google search for ‘Tysoe Smith artist’  came up trumps – there are several paintings on-line by a ‘Frances Tysoe Smith’  (1853-1927) – Of course! Fanny was obviously a nickname for Frances!

One of Fanny’s paintings was recently sold by Richard Taylor Fine Art who conveniently gives a brief biography of the artist. “Frances Tysoe Smith was a fine maritime painter. She was one of the principal women artists active in St Ives between 1907 and 1927 . She is listed as a painter of flowers and landscapes who lived in Wales and Cornwall and exhibited at the RBSA, Birmingham, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, the London Salon and the Royal Academy.”  Wow she must have been good!

Fanny was born in 1853 at Hinchwick House, Condicote near Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cottwolds. This is a fine Grade II listed building described by Heritage England as a ‘Gentleman’s Country Farmhouse’  Her father was a wealthy farmer William John Tysoe Smith (1829-1975) and her mother was Sarah Sophia Byrd. (This is clearly where the name Sophia comes from).

Census records show that in 1881 Miss Smith was the principal of The Mount School for Ladies in Oxford Road, Banbury. (listed as Fanny Smith). She is still running the school  ten years later (this time listed as Frances Smith.) We know that between 1898 and 1900 she was living in Eastbourne as boarding house keeper.  The 1901 census however, shows her living at Montpelier, a house in Llandrindod Wells, Wales.  I was pleased to see her occupation is shown as “Artist and Lodging House Keeper”. She employed three maids. 

The business obviously flourished as the 1901 census shows the Montpelier Guest House is now listed as a hotel with no less than eight members of staff.   In September 1901 the Llandrindod Urban District Council declined planning permission for ‘Miss Tyso-Smith’ to build a corrugated iron artist’s studio at her house. (Radnorshire Standard 18^th September 1901)

I still had a little doubt in my mind. Could ‘Frances Tysoe-Smith of Llandrindod Wells’ really be the same as ‘Fanny Sophia Smith’ of Eastbourne, the inventor of the Eastbourne Chair?   At last I found an advertisement that cleared it up for good.  In 1903 the Radnorshire Standard carried several advertisements for the EASTBOURNE INVALID CHAIR.  (Easily moved up or downstairs by 2 maid servants – no oscillation – The very thing for nervous patients – Light and strong – Specially adapted for wheeling upstairs)  For price and particulars apply to Miss Tysoe Smith, Montpelier, Llandrindod Wells. Yes they were one and the same. 

In the early years of the 20^th century Fanny established herself as an artist at St Ives and became moderately successful owning a studio known as the ‘Blue Studio’.She later returned to Llandrindod Wells and spent her last years living in the Midland Bank Chambers. She died  aged 74 years on 15^th January 1927 at Ye Wells Hotel in the town. 

I am pleased that I have discovered more about this interesting lady, known in Eastbourne as an inventor, in Llandrindod Wells as a hotelier and in Cornwall as an artist.  I would love to know more!

In the mean time, as a result of my first item, I have been contacted by Dr Astley Robert’s great-grandson who now lives in Suffolk. He is actually in the process of restoring one of his great-grandfathers Eastbourne Chairs and even has some of the original design drawings. I hope there is more information on the Eastbourne Chair to share with you in the future. 

My thanks to Elizabeth Doak and John Pitcher for nudging me to do this research!