After extensive restoration work, Mary Markendale’s portrait is back to Ordsall Hall.
Mary Markendale was the wife of Ellis Markendale and lived at Ordsall Hall from 1815 until 1864. Mary was born in Rylstone, Yorkshire in 1790 to Benjamin Shears and Mary Atkinson. In 1813 she married Ellis Markendale and moved to Ordsall Hall in the 1820’s. Many of their ten children were born at the hall.
The portrait was painted when Mary was in her early 60’s and has been critically assessed as a superior piece of work compared to that of her husband, Ellis.
Mary is wearing a black silk or satin gown; with a white linen shirt and large batiste embroidered under sleeves surrounding her wrists. On her left-hand Mary is showing her wedding ring, as well as a beautiful gold and garnet cross pendant necklace. Covering her head is a lace bonnet, trimmed with light pink ribbon.
She is seated in the Oriel Window in the Great Hall of Ordsall Hall. The view behind shows the hall’s gardens, and the original brick archway that used to exist from the mid-18th century.
When the portrait was acquired by the museum it was in a very bad condition having been stored in an outbuilding in a farm in Cumbria. The canvas had a layer of grime, with numerous tears and punctures. The paint was flaking away, and many sections had lost its paint entirely.
Following a donation campaign devoted to the restoration of the painting it has now been fully cleaned and repaired.
Work undertaken at Lancashire Conservation Studios included removing the surface deposits, the old varnish layer and overpaint from previous restorations. Where the paint was peeling away these were carefully flattened by adhesives and low heat. Tears and punctures were repaired using small tabs of non-woven polyester fabric and textile welding powder. Once lined, the painting was re-stretched onto its original wooded stretcher using copper tacks. Areas of paint losses and tears were filled in, textured and retouched to match.
Several coats of varnish, which will remain clear and not yellow, were applied to the painting to give an even semi matte finish. The frame was cleaned and a new inner slip frame was made allowing the painting to sit better in the frame.
The Markendale’s were tenants of Ordsall Hall between 1815 and 1871. They were prosperous local butchers and farmed the surrounding land. Ellis’s father John was the first Markendale to live at Ordsall Hall and on his death in 1838 Ellis took on full responsibility of the business.
When they first moved to the hall they lived in only one part of the building, the other rooms being rented by other tenants. It was not until 1850 that they took on the tenancy of the whole hall and became the sole residents of the manor house. It is likely that these two portraits was a direct response to Ellis’s and Mary’s newfound status and commissioned to reflect their prominence in society.
