THE end of January this year was the 100th anniversary of the death of a remarkable Wantage lady called Jane Cook who, in her time, was a well-known portrait painter, artist and illustrator.

Jane Elizabeth Robins, as she then was, was born on September 27, 1835, in Marylebone, London, the youngest daughter of John Robins and his wife Mary Ann (née Snell).

The family was relatively wealthy, John Robins being a businessman.

His main business was connected with the canal system in this country – owning many barges and investing in new canals, particularly in the north.

From about 1840 railways began to threaten canals, as they could not only carry more than the canals but could transport people and goods far more quickly than the walking pace of the canal boats.

This threatened investors in the canals. John Robins was one of these and refused to adapt to the new situation therefore in time this damaged the family’s finances.

Young Jane, therefore, was initially self-taught by visiting the British Museum and the National Gallery.

In the early 1850s she attended Coney’s School of Art in Bloomsbury and began selling her sketches and paintings.

One of her first major commissions was for a miniature of the Countess Gleichen and her first picture was exhibited and sold in the 1861 Academy Exhibition.

This was a portrait of one of the young Mahratta Princes then on a visit from SW India.

This was followed by a miniature of the Baron Henri van Doorn, the youngest son of the Queen of Holland, and a portrait of Maria Pia Queen of Portugal.

On June 30, 1866, at Hampstead, Jane married Henry Cook a schoolmaster at Penrose’s Preparatory School at Exmouth.

Shortly after the marriage, Henry was appointed headmaster at King Alfred’s School in Wantage where the couple moved to the following year.

The family was completed by two sons Theodore (later Sir Theodore) and Arthur. The former became a noted journalist, art critic and sportsman.

It was at this time that Jane gave up her promising career to help her husband in the task of improving the standards, extending the accommodation and increasing the number of scholars at the school.

Jane Cook became the moving spirit behind the annual school play which was looked upon as the greatest event of the year in the way of Wantage entertainments.

Jane’s sister Louisa also joined the school teaching the younger boys at a house at the corner of Newbury Street and Ormond Road.

Sadly Henry died in 1885, and his wife designed a stained glass window to his memory in the parish church.

However before he died, Henry had helped to restart his wife’s career as an artist when he showed his friends Robert Sawyer and Walter Bird, from Autotype Co, paper cuttings that Jane produced to amuse her children to tell stories and nursery rhymes.

This led to the production of 12 designs from nursery rhymes which were produced in a book called ‘A Sculptor Caught Napping’ proceeds of which went to help with the development of the school.

Further portraits of local personalities such as Edward Ormond and Lord Overstone followed.

The latter brought Jane into contact with Lord and Lady Wantage, and Harriet Loyd (Lady Wantage) became a great friend.

It was at her instigation, in 1885, that Jane Cook became involved in making sketches for the Lockinge Revels held that year to commemorate Sir Robert Lindsay becoming Lord Wantage.

These were reproduced by the Autotype Company, and a set of them are held by the Vale and Downland Museum. Other work that Jane undertook included illustrations for her son Theodore’s books on Rouen and Provence.

As time went on, Jane began to have trouble with her eyesight and towards the end of her life Jane Cook became virtually blind.

Her last work was the book ‘The Wings of the Wind’ which is in the form of a long religious poem and was illustrated by her niece Muriel Perrin.

This was sold in aid of the Red Cross during the First World War. Jane Cook died on January 23, 1920, and was buried at Chain Hill Cemetery Wantage.