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Constance Naden

Key Hill Brian

Key Hill Brian

Proud Brummie
I found a thread on Friday - which I cannot refind! - referiing to a Blue Plaque for Constance Naden.

Thuis was unveiled by the Lord & Lady Mayoress, at 20 Charlotte Road, Edgbaston on Monday 14/12 at 1300hrs.
There was an attendance of 24 people, mostly the Civic Society, who who issue the plaques.

Constance was only 31 when she died, and was the favourite poet of Gladstone. She had studied at Mson College - one of the first women to do so, and was noted for her knowledge of Physics, Politics, Philosophy, Poetry amongst others.

Having been almost forgotten, she has now been rediscovered as a notable Victorian female poet, and has been the object of much academic study.

The Civic Society has around 80 Blue Plaques, but being typically Brum, there was no press around, so most are unknown to the general public !
 
Thanks for the info Brian it's a pity the press did not attend, especially as the Mayor unveiled the plaque. Here is a drawing of Constance Naden.
 
I have only just discovered this fascinating thread. Constance Naden deserves to be much better known, so it is good to see her life and work receiving attention and critical study.

Archive.org has the following e-texts of works by and about this significant Birmingham intellectual:
Songs and Sonnets of Springtime. London: Kegan Paul, 1881.
A Modern Apostle. London: Kegan Paul, 1887.
Induction and Deduction. London: Bickers and Son, 1890.
Further Reliques. London: Bickers and Son, 1891.
The Complete Poetical Works. London: Bickers and Son, 1894.

William Richard Hughes. Constance Naden: A Memoir. London: Bickers and Son, Birmingham: Cornish Brothers, 1890. Hughes was Treasurer of the City of Birmingham.​
The great statesman William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898) was an appreciative reader of Naden's work. He wrote an article about her for The Speaker (11 January 1890). Can anyone find an e-text?

Dr Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (1810-1897) is well known for his Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (first published in 1870 but in print to this day). His last published work was Constance Naden and Hylo-Idealism: A Critical Study (London: Bickers and Son, 1891). Archive.org has a long list of Brewer's works, but sadly his study of Naden's philosophy is not amongst them. Can anyone find an e-text?

Attached below:
[1] A portrait of Constance Naden (frontispiece of Further Reliques).
[2] The poetic dedication of her first book (Songs and Sonnets of Springtime) to her maternal grandparents, who raised her after her mother's untimely death. This is very touching.​
 
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As has been mentioned Constance is buried at Key Hill Cemetery. Her grave has been located and memorial uncovered but sadly it is smashed to pieces. The volunteers mainly Richard are trying to piece it together but this is nothing like s jigsaw puzzle!

Here is the inscription taken before the damage.
Section P grave 460
In affectonate rememberance of Caroline Ann the beloved daughter of Josiah C. & Caroline Woodhill wife of Thomas Naden who died February 5th 1858 aged 27 years. Josiah Cox Woodhill father of the above born January 12th 1801 died December 27th 1881. Also Caroline relict of the above J.C. Woodhill died 21st June 1887 aged 76 years. Also Constance Caroline Woodhill Naden daughter of Thomas & Caroline Ann Naden died March 23rd 1889 aged 31 years.
 
Thanks Wendy. I'm pleased to hear that the inscription was recorded before the damage occurred. I wonder where Constance's father (the architect Thomas Naden) was buried.

I've been browsing through Constance Naden's works and the Hughes memoir. Considering that she was only 31 when she died, the breadth and depth of her talents are remarkable. She progressed from painting to poetry to the sciences to philosophy and excelled in all these fields. It appears that she was very highly respected in her lifetime and for a while afterwards, but was then almost forgotten until relatively recently. As has been mentioned in earlier posts, in recent years there has been quite a revival of scholarly interest in her life and work.

I must admit that I had never heard of her before, except for the reference to her in the title of Brewer's book. Some of her writings are difficult to come to grips with, but her poems are exquisite.
 
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I've made a correction to post #6: William Gladstone's article on Constance Naden appeared in The Speaker, not The Spectator.
 
In April 1891, Robert William Dale contributed an article entitled "Constance Naden" to the Contemporary Review. This delightful memoir (by someone who knew Constance since childhood) is well written and quite readable, in contrast to some of the more academic writings.

In his article, Dale refers to Constance's poem "Six Years Old" as being "a bit of autobiography". The pleasure of reading this poem is enhanced by the knowledge that we are gaining an insight into the early life of our poet.

Robert William Dale (1829-1895) was the greatly respected pastor of Carr's Lane (Congregationalist) Chapel from 1854 until his death. His biography is available as an e-text at archive.org:
A W W Dale. The Life of R W Dale of Birmingham. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1899.​
Pictured below:
[1] R W Dale (frontispiece to his biography).
[2] His own blue plaque (courtesy of Wikipedia).​
 
Hi. I am a M.Litt student in Victorian Literature at the University of Glasgow, currently researching my dissertation on Constance Naden's aesthetic philosophy and its relationship to her poetry. (For my undergraduate dissertation I focused upon Naden and her atheism).

I'm interested in finding any record of paintings by Naden. I know that she had one 'flower painting' accepted by the Birmingham Society of Artists, I'm not sure exactly which year, probably 1875 or 1876 (she also submitted two paintings the next year that were rejected). There is also a description of an acquaintance visiting her rooms after she dies, which mentions that there were a number of her flower paintings on the walls (although this was when she was living in London). I have emailed the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery archive service enquiring and have not yet received a reply, and would like to consult the Birmingham Society of Artists archives, but the fee of £20 just to make an enquiry has put me off at this early stage in my research!

I would be really interested in finding out more about her artistic endeavours, and appreciate any advice or suggestions. I intend to be in Birmingham during the middle of June to work on archives in the University of Birmingham Library, and would love to look into finding her paintings while I'm there.

It's great that this thread exists, showing that there is more than just an 'academic' interest in Naden and her work! I look forward to your responses. Clare
 
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