Samuel Lucas (1805-1870): artist, farmer, anti-slaver

Samuel Lucas, self portrait (pastel drawing)

Samuel Lucas was a Quaker, a vigorous opponent of slavery, a businessman who had a huge influence on the development of Hitchin, and an artist. An exhibition that ran from 9 September to 12 November 2023 aimed to show the range of his artwork.

Samuel was born in 1805, the middle of the three children of William Lucas and his wife Ann. He was educated at the Hitchin Free School in Tilehouse Street and the Quaker School at Fishponds in Bristol. Apprenticed aged 14 to Thomas Lidbetter, a ship–owner in Southwick (Sussex), perhaps inspired his interest in marine paintings. After Lidbetter’s business went bankrupt in 1822, his apprenticeship continued with John Harris, a corn–merchant at Wapping.

Apprenticeship completed in 1826, Samuel managed London business for relatives in Gloucestershire until he became a partner at George Milward & Co., a firm of corn–merchants in London. He returned to Hitchin in 1834 to start work at the family brewery, leaving the day to day running to brother William. Samuel farmed too, but with an interest in wildlife inculcated by his father.

Samuel made several visits to Norfolk to court Matilda Holmes. They married in 1837. She had been a pupil of John Bernay Crome, the watercolourist, and there are diary references to her sketching, but it seems that none of her work survives. Samuel and Matilda had six children, but she died in 1849, following the birth of their daughter, fittingly named Matilda.

Samuel married again in 1862, to Elizabeth Manser of Hertford. This was her first marriage, and she was 46. She was a kindred spirit: her obituary states ‘Her own cultured mind and sympathetic soul were shown in many a poem treasured by her friends.’ It was clearly a happy marriage, as her poems show her delight.

Shortly after their marriage, Samuel began to paint at an amazing rate: two thirds of his finished watercolours were painted in or after 1862. However, in 1865 he suffered a stroke, and after this was unable to manage his own affairs. He died in 1870 and is buried in the Friends’ Burial Ground at the top of Brand Street in Hitchin.

There are many watercolours and many pen sketches of wildlife. Samuel’s artistic ability seems to have been innate. The pen sketches are swift and economical and many were later worked up into watercolours. Samuel visited art exhibitions and commented on them in his diary, and lectured in Hitchin on the history of art – his brother commented that the lecture was largely inaudible!