ROPE, Margaret Hope
As Margaret Hope Ransome, she was born at Westerfield House, Ipswich on 6 March 1907, daughter of Bertram Coleby Ransome, an agricultural ironfounder, and his wife Phyllis Margaret Packard (2 May 1878-15 April 1970), daughter of Sir Edward Packard, who married at Bramford, Ipswich on 29 April 1899. Margaret was educated at Ipswich High School for Girls where she was awarded the Junior Art Prize and studied part-time at Ipswich School of Art, in life drawing, heraldry, metal work and illumination 1927-1930 and one of her illuminations was purchased by the then Princess Royal. She married in 1932, Humphrey Gooch Rope (10 July 1904-11 August 2003) and in 1939 was living at Mill Bank, Bramford, Ipswich with one of their children Jonathan Humphrey Packard (30 March 1934-2 January 2003). In 1959 Margaret returned to oil painting, attending both the Ipswich School of Art and Belstead House, Ipswich. A member of the Ipswich Art Club from 1965 and exhibited from Knole House, Claydon, Ipswich in 1978, two paintings 'Holiness' and 'What! No Cheese' and one picture the following year, in 1980 she exhibited from 48 Church Street, Orford, Woodbridge, Suffolk 'Mr Wally Green' and her oil 'Three Sisters' was exhibited at the Club centenary in 1974. Margaret Hope Rope died at Orford, Suffolk on 10 October 1998.