Milestones

Betty Blencowe (1916- 2005)

Miss Elizabeth (Betty) Blencowe died earlier this year at the age of 89. She was the great-grand-daughter of the Rev'd Thomas Blencowe, second son of John Jackson Blencowe and Louisa Ann Biker of Culworth. While his elder brother, John Jackson Blencowe II, inherited Marston House, Thomas became vicar of Marston St Lawrence and later married Ellen Bathurst. Betty, who was very proud of her Blencowe ancestry, was the last of her line, as her brother, John, was tragically killed in 1939 in a motor cycle accident while in the Army, while her sister, Margaret, or Muffle, also never married. Muffie was ill for many years and Betty spent the prime of her life caring for her sister in Weston-super-Mare.

Betty's great love was music. She was a generous patron of the Bath Philharmonia Orchestra and the Bath Music Festival, and until poor health prevented her getting around, she regularly attended their concerts.

As an example of the affection with which she was held in the musical world of her home county, Somerset, I quote these extracts from an article from the Weston Mercury of the 3rd June 2005.

“A spectacular seafront show is being dedicated to one of Weston's longest standing arts supporters, Betty Blencowe, who died earlier this year at the age of 89. The Seaside Proms, part of ‘Party on the Prom’, will be staged in her memory.

‘Party on the Prom’ will feature two concerts, supported by the Weston and Somerset Mercury, held on the Beach Lawns on August 6 and 7, Betty held the record for attending the most shows at The Playhouse, Weston, and was a patron of Bath Philharmonia.

She supported live music, opera, musicals, plays and variety shows alike.

She was a wonderfully shy and quiet person who never courted publicity about her support for the many arts projects in the town and she will be sadly missed by many.”

I can't quite agree with her being ‘shy and quiet’, for whenever we visited her she seemed to bubble over with interest in all that was happening in the world, and I know she was much loved in the retirement home where her life ended. She will indeed be sadly missed.

Peter Blencowe,
Walderton, October 2005.