NEATBY, Hilda Mary

1881 - 1970

As Hilda Mary Fletcher, she was born at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire on 28 June 1881, daughter of William Fletcher (1848-22 December 1918), a mechanical draughtsman, and his wife Jessie née Brown (6 June 1851-14 August 1942), who married at Cirencester, Gloucestershire in 1873. In 1891, Hilda was a 9-year-old scholar, living at 3 Hawes Street, Ipswich with her parents, 42-year-old William and 39-year-old Jessie, with siblings Lilian Maude Crosby 17, who was born at Basingstoke and Conrad William Arthur 12, who was born at Thetford, Norfolk but ten years later they had returned to live at Lincoln where 19-year-old Hilda was a schoolteacher. Hilda exhibited from Lincoln in 1904 at South Kensington Museum. By 1911, Hilda had returned to live at 52 Christchurch Street, Ipswich, a 29-year-old art teacher at Ipswich High School for Girls. She married at Wandsworth, London in 1930, Edward Mossforth Neatby and they came to live at 71 Sidegate Lane, Ipswich. A watercolour landscape painter and a member of the Ipswich Art Club 1937-1970 but had exhibited in 1935 from 71 Sidegate Lane, Ipswich, two watercolours 'House Boat, Felixstowe Ferry' and 'The Derelict, Felixstowe Ferry', in 1937 she had six works on show, an oil 'Walberswick' and five watercolours 'Wenham Place, Great Wenham', 'The Granary Steps, Bridge Farm, Dunwich', 'High Barn, Rottingdean', 'Barns at Tuddenham' and 'Broad Beech, Tuddenham Road' and was a regular annual exhibitor, including in 1942 'Cretingham Church', 'Earl Soham' and 'Farm near Cretingham', in 1943 'The Old Barn', 'Thrashing Tackle', 'Suffolk Farm' and 'Earl Soham', in 1944 'Barley Farm, Winston', 'The Granary', 'Salhouse, Norfolk', 'Barn Interior' and 'Cottage Bunch' showing over sixty works and was still active in the 1960s. She also exhibited at Tibbenham's Art Gallery, Upper Brook Street, Ipswich in 1943 'March Morning', 'A Roadside Pond' and 'The Old Mill, Earl Soham'. Most of her subjects were local views including Walberswick and Aldeburgh. She must have divorced her husband about 1941 about which time William departed from Ipswich and remarried. In 1954 Hilda was a schoolteacher living at Blue Anchor, Dennington, near Framlingham and Hilda Mary Neatby died at 12 Felbridge Court, Woodbridge, Suffolk on 28 October 1970.

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Works by This Artist