FAQs

Your Cart

Close
Paper Plane Your order qualifies for free standard delivery
Subtotal £0.00
Delivery £0.00
Order Total £0
Checkout Securely

May Morris; Life and Legacy.

27th January 2019

“I’m a remarkable woman, always was, though none of you seemed to think so.” – May Morris.

The quote above has always brought a smile when we think of it. It was written in a letter May sent in 1936 to George Bernard Shaw, a Irish Playwright and seems to reflect the fire May had – perhaps arguably inherited from her father. We like her tenacity she showed throughout her life and this quote seems to reflect that. The fact is, she did a lot for the Arts and Crafts movement and was hugely influential in her father’s business, Morris and Co.

Though she achieved a lot, over time, her influence and prestige seems to have been lost somewhat. It’s a shame because of all she achieved – which was especially important because she was a woman. The things she achieved throughout her life are vast and we wanted to take a closer look at them in this blog. There was a wonderful exhibition at the William Morris gallery in 2017 and it was perfect to cast more of a light on May’s work and life. Our friend Helen Elletson, curator at the William Morris Gallery said, “We talk all the time about [William] Morris being a polymath, but May was multi-talented, just like her father” in a quote to the Financial Times.

May Morris

The daughter of William Morris, we can only imagine the amount of creativity and political talk in the house as May and her sister Jenny grew up. Her mother Jane was a Pre-Raphaelite beauty and modelled in lots of the famous painters art. She favoured the looser more artistic dresses and dressed her daughters in such clothing. They were loose and without corsets, May wrote in her journey aged eight, “I am a great tomboy.” She was home schooled and at age sixteen, attended the National Art Training School which would later become the Royal College of Art.

Morris & Co.

When May was 23, she was put in charge of the embroidery section at Morris & Co. The whole Morris family had a love and talent for embroidery. Her mum and auntie, Bessie Burden were keen at it and were really talented. The ”Burden” stitch is named after the sisters and is a hard one to master for today’s embroiderers. May and her sister were being taught to embroider by the time they were seven and eight respectively.

From the time she was put in charge of the embroidery section, all the new designs were done by herself and John Henry Dearle. When he father died in 1896, she did continue on in the business, but only as an advisory role.

Aside from her career highlights, May also founded the Women’s Guild of Arts in 1907 and remained the president until 1935. It was a direct response to the Art Worker’s Guild; that women weren’t permitted to join until the 1960s. Despite there being many women in the arts, it’s clear they weren’t being represented and acknowledged. So it was forward thinking and blatant gumption that May was showing. May appears to be much like her father; both skilled in the arts and invested in pushing the societal boundaries.

Personally, she fell in love with George Bernard Shaw. They met when they were involved in the Socialist League but the romance wasn’t to be and she married Henry Halliday Sparling. The marriage didn’t last and she remained alone for the remainder of her life.

The Arts & Crafts Movement

It’s clear May’s work ethic came from her father. May was involved in the Arts and Crafts scene throughout the 1890s and 1900s. She took on various aspects of the scene, “She designed jewellery; she wrote a play, White Lies, in 1903; she wrote articles and a book on embroidery: Decorative Needlework, published in 1893.  She taught, and was then in demand on the lecture circuit – in 1910 travelling on a tour of America.  She was an advisor and teacher at the Central School of Arts & Crafts and at Birmingham, where friends and old employees also taught.  She was a regular exhibitor at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society.” – Arts and Crafts Museum.

May wrote many introductions for William Morris’ works, she spent years editing his collected works. Visiting Kelmscott Manor- Morris’ home in Oxfordshire, you will hear about the work she did for the village of Kelmscott. Working to build a village hall (designed by Ernest Gimson) to improve the lives of the workers. May was involved in the WI and many other aspects of the village. Despite her full working life then, it’s clear she took after her father in filling her life full of work and was obviously inspired by how he saw the world with his pioneering views.

There are many accounts of how well she treated her workers. On race day inviting workers to her garden parties and giving annual presents. She died a beloved member of Kelmscott village’s community. It appears she is lately also being recognised for her professional achievements. Though they were perhaps previously overshadowed by her father. At this time in particular it was a huge triumph for her to have achieved all she did as a woman.

Related Articles

Post Title

A Visit to Kelmscott Manor

I thought you may like to see the photos I took on a recent visit to Kelmscott Manor. The weather was perfect for a walk...

Post Title

William Morris February

February “... Noon —and the north-west sweeps the empty road, The rain-washed fields from hedge to hedge are bare ...” (William Morris)

Post Title

Susan’s William Morris Pimpernel Cream Pvc Fabric

Susan has kindly let me have a picture of her table covered with  our William Morris Pimpernel cream pvc  fabric , it is the childrens...

Did you know we offer a gift wrap service? 🎁 If you’ve got a loved one you’d like to send a floral gift to this year, you can send it straight to their door all wrapped with a note written by the Laura’s Beau elves 🎄🤶🏻 It’s an option on our website only and you can check the gift wrap box at checkout to write your gift tag that we will hand write for you (we also won’t include a reciept or anything of course, but will email it to you instead ✨) Are you giving any William Morris floral goodies to your friends and family this year? 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #morrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #strawberrythief #christmasgiftguide #christmasgifts #floralgift #myfloralhome #myfloraltable #floraltablescape #christmastablesetting
Anyone else started on the mince pies this weekend? 🥧 We’ve been feeling rather festive the last week or so, are you all in the festive spirit yet or waiting until December? 🎄 
📸 features our William Morris Brother Rabbit blue design 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisdesigns #morrisdesign #brotherrabbit #floraldesign #christmastablesetting #christmastablescape #floraltablescape
To brighten up the kitchen with florals, we love hanging our William Morris tea towels on hooks, over the oven door or kitchen sink 🌿 An easy way to add a pop of colour or design ✨ They’re a great Christmas gift this year and come in a whole range of Morris designs to suit everyone’s kitchens 🎁 
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #floraldesigns #teatowel #christmasgiftideas #christmasgiftguide #floralgiftideas #willowbough #willowboughgreen
Use Code: BF15 for 15% at checkout until Monday 27th at midnight 🌛 Happy Shopping ✨ (valid on our website only; www.laurasbeau.co.uk 🌿
•
•
•
#laurasbeau #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #fabrics #morris #preraphaelite #floralinteriors #preraphaelite #upholsteryfabric #curtainfabric #blackfriday2023
🎄 A Christmas table set up using our Red Strawberry Thief licensed William Morris design ✨ We love how perfect it is dressed up for Christmas but can be used all year round accessorised for all the seasons 🌿
•
•
•
#christmas #christmastable #christmastablecloth #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #williammorrisdesign #strawberrythief #preraphaelite
Our virtual craft market is now live! ✨ Only on our Etsy page, you can now shop a limited range different sizes of our licensed William Morris fabrics as offcuts and also, some craft bundles🧵And there is also a pretty fabulous Black Friday deal on everything on our Etsy at the moment! 🌿We're always working to be more sustainable (you can read more about what we do on our blog) and offcuts is a great way for us to reduce waste - some are larger pieces that are various widths and lengths and some are bundles of fabric offcuts. ✨ Accurate measurements are in the listing, and you'll find the full market under a tab on our Etsy. The bundles are brilliant gifts for crafters, quilters and those who you know would like to try a whole range of William Morris fabrics 🎁
We'll keep this tab updated as and when we have fabric ready so keep checking back! Remember, we do sell all our fabric by the half metre if you find a new fave in a bundle 🤍
-
-
-
#etsy #fabriccrafts #sewers #quilters #fabricbundle #craftmarket #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #fabrics #floralfabric #fabricstack #fabricstash
Used for a very special engagement tablescape this past weekend was our timelessly beautiful Charlotte Rose! 🥂💍✨ It’s actually a design from our French archive, we absolutely love it ☺️ If you’re starting your Christmas shopping it’s a wonderful gift idea for them to love using all year round on their table 🥂
•
•
•
#tablescape #tabledecor #engagement #frenchfloral #frenchflorals #floraltable #florals #floraldesign
A wonderful addition to the table, our placemats, available in a range of licensed William Morris designs, set the scene for a whole range of celebrations sat around the table 🥂
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #fabrics #williammorrisfabric #willowbough #tablescape #myfloraltable #floraltable #preraphaelite #williammorrisdesigns
These green tones together are so lovely 🌿 Can you name all of these licensed William Morris designs? Which is your favourite? ✨ If you’d like a sample of any just let us know ☺️
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #preraphaelite #preraphaelites #fabricstash #fabricstack #ukfabric #ukfabricshop #floralfabrics
Functional + stylish, a tea towel thrown over the cooker or sink really does brighten up the kitchen - bringing some florals inside the home! ✨ This is our licensed William Morris Sweet Briar design, we absolutely love this delicate design with soft pink flowers 🌷
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #sweetbriar #teatowelsofinstagram #teatowel #floralfabric #floralfabrics #florals #myfloralhome #preraphaelite #morris #morrisfabric #onlinefabric #fabricdestashuk
A fabric stack full of William Morris licensed designs, which is your favourite? ✨
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabric #fabricdestashuk #fabricshop #fabricseller #fabricstack #strawberrythief
Sitting at the table to admire our latest floral arrangement creation with a cuppa! ☕️ Don’t these colours look absolutely wonderful with our beautiful licensed William Morris design Compton 🧡
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #fabrics #fabricdestashuk #floralfabric #floralfabrics #compton #preraphaelite #tablescape #flowerarrangement #floraltable #flowerarranging #myfloraldays
Back in stock- wonderful Golden Lily pvc fabric 🤩 Its a wipe clean material, so is absolutely perfect for the dining table 🍴 Available by the half metre in length, its 140cm wide, so fits most tables, an easy option whilst not compromising on beautiful William Morris florals! 💐
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #morris #morrisfloral #floraltable #pvcfabric #oilclothfabric #floralfabric #florals #tablescape #tablescapeflorals #preraphaelite #fabrics #onlinefabric
Can’t forget your Strawberry Thief tote if you’re off to the shops! 🛍️
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisdesigns #strawberrythief #france #totebag #totebags #floraltote
Sunday evenings in the Autumn months call out for a cosy fire and treats 🍂 Mallow Wine always looks so beautiful this time of year, the placemats are so handy for protecting surfaces from hot dishes and mugs, plus are so lovely on the tablescapes! 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisdesigns #design #floraldesign #floralfabrics #mallow #preraphaelite #morrisfabric #octoberevening
October calls for pumpkin decorations 🎃 Brother Rabbit looking completely beautiful on the table as always 🌿 It never needs a complex tablescape as the design speaks for itself! 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #williammorrisdesign #design #brotherrabbit #octobertablescape #autumntablescape #floraltable #tablecloth
Florals in the sunshine ☀️✨ Can you name all of our licensed William Morris prints? 🌿
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #williammorrisprint #floralfabric #floralfabrics #onlinefloralfabric #upholsteryfabric #curtainfabric #curtainfabrics #fabricstash #strawberrythief
Off to the beach! 🏝️☀️ Got to have a tote with us that can fit all the snacks, books and suncream! 🦀 Golden Lily in the sun is so beautiful 🐠🐬
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #williammorristote #totebag #goldenlily #beachtote #floraltote #floraltotebag #floral