Walter Bertram Potter (1872 - 1918)

Born 14 Mar 1872 in Kensington, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Greater London, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Welsh (Scott) Potter — married 28 Nov 1902 in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Died 22 Jun 1918 at age 46 in Ancrum, Roxburghshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Biography

Walter Potter is Notable.

Bertram Potter was an accomplished artist and farmer. As such he shared the vocations of his more famous sister Beatrix Potter, the illustrator and author of the classic children’s books.

Bertram grew up in a wealthy and sheltered household in London, with his older sister as his closest childhood companion. They both particularly enjoyed family holidays that took them far away from London - to the countryside of the English Lake District, and to Perthshire in Scotland. He attended Magdalen College at Oxford University, where he graduated with a BA in Classics.

It appears that, just as did Beatrix, he heard the call of the North country and of rural life. He married Mary Welsh Scott on November 28, 1902 in Edinburgh. About a year later, the couple purchased Ashyburn Farm near the village of Ancrum, in the Scottish Borders.

Mary Potter came from the nearby town of Hawick. As a former mill worker, she came from a social milieu that would have horrified Bertram’s and Beatrix’ parents. Bertram kept his marriage to Mary secret for over a decade before he informed his parents.

The result of his honesty, coupled perhaps with the delay in revealing his marital status, was that his father wrote him out of his will.

In 1914, Bertram attempted to enlist in the armed forces. He was not accepted, possibly due to the important role small farmers played in the war effort.

Bertram Potter exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy. Many of his surviving paintings and etchings depict the countryside near his farm. Some of his artwork can be seen at Hill Top house, his sister’s former property near Ambleside, Cumbria, England

He was generally a popular figure in the village and surrounding area. The Potters hosted an annual New Year’s Day football match in Ancrum, Scotland as well as occasional musical evenings.

Bertram died suddenly of a stroke after working in his garden. He was buried in the parish cemetery outside Ancrum, Scotland near the remains of the Old Parish Church, which was abandoned in 1890.

His widow Mary continued to live at the farm for many years afterwards. Mary’s sister-in-law Beatrix enjoyed her occasional stays at Ashyburn well into the 1930's.

Sources

https://artuk.org/discover/artists/potter-walter-bertram-18721918

Secondary Source: Family Tree https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/2T1R-F5D

Find A Grave: Memorial #183684488 Walter Bertram Potter

England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957; Walter Bertrand Potter; Probate Date: 3 September 1918; Probate Place: Ancrum, Roxburghshire, Scotland, United Kingdom; Death Date: 22 June 1918; Beneficiary's Name: Mary Welsh Scott Or Potter; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPLC-1DDX

"England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2XHT-NB9

"England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9HN-VWX