The Autograph Tree

Robert Gregory

Artist and Pilot 1881-1918

Robert Gregory was born on 20 May 1881 and was the only child of Sir William and Lady Augusta Gregory. His parents sailed for Egypt when Robert was five months old, but when they returned to Coole, Lady Gregory developed a strong bond with him and they shared a love of animals. Although a wet nurse was employed by the Gregorys, Lady Gregory took care of Robert herself when he was ill. His father, on the other hand, was unable to tolerate any noise created by the child.

When his parents were travelling, Robert was looked after by his nurse and sometimes by the Persse family at their home in Roxborough, or by his maternal grandmother at Taylor's Hill, Galway, where she sometimes lived. During her travels, Lady Gregory always wrote to Robert and found it difficult to be away from him. By the age of seven he was old enough to travel with his mother, and she found him to be a delightful companion. He shared in all her activities and most important for them was the fun they had together.

In 1891 Robert was sent to Park Hill Boarding School in Lyndhurst, Sussex, which was a heartbreaking time for both of them, even though he fitted in well at the school and was a bright student. When his father died in 1892, Lady Gregory and Robert began spending more time together during the school holidays, both in Coole and London. In 1893 Robert was enrolled in Elstree School near London, where he progressed quickly. He later attended Harrow, which pleased his mother, as it was a well-disciplined school. Despite having an excellent school record, Robert didn't excel there and found himself at the lower end of the scale academically. He had been apprehensive when he entered the school, as he was the only new boy starting and did not know what was expected of him. Perhaps this was the reason for his poor performance. At the time, Robert had an interest in politics, but was still too young to become involved; instead he attended Oxford to study Classics.

Robert liked playing cricket, and while he was at home the sport became a ritual at Coole. Games were played regularly on the lawns around the house, where he formed a local cricket team.1 Gort was a stronghold for cricket and this sport thrived, mainly under the patronage of the local gentry. Matches were organised between the other landed gentry estates such as Clonbrock. Venues in Galway city included Eyre Square and the Grammar School on College Road. A great rivalry developed between the various estates and villages, which helped contribute to some thrilling games. The golden era of Galway cricket was between 1870 and 1914, when the county produced no less than twelve international players.

Robert was an outstanding sportsman and excelled in this sport.2 He became friends with Jack B. Yeats during this period, as they both enjoyed riding and playing cricket, and they also sketched together during Jack's visits to Coole. Robert's tutor in Oxford recognised that he was more creative than scholarly and informed Lady Gregory, who then enrolled him for art lessons. Nevertheless, he worked hard at his studies in Oxford and passed all his exams.

When he was twenty-one, the tenants at Coole celebrated his 'coming of age' in style. The roads were decorated with flags, and bonfires were set between Gort and Coole. He fitted into the role of a country gentleman very well and followed in the path of his ancestors, hunting, shooting and holding dinner parties.3 Robert developed an even greater interest in the artistic world and attended the famous Slade School of Fine Art in London. It was there that he met a young art student named Margaret Parry. They fell in love and were married in 1907.4 His best man at the ceremony was another artist, Augustus John.5

The couple spent much of their time abroad, but during summer holidays they would often stay at Mount Vernon, the family holiday home at New Quay in the Burren, Co. Clare.6 This was a wedding gift from his mother.7 Augustus John often joined them there and he was always accompanied by a number of women.8 It was inevitable that Augustus John would become acquainted with Lady Gregory, and his being an artist and a friend of Robert assured him of an invitation to Coole.

Margaret and Robert began spending the winters in Paris and the summers between Coole and Mount Vernon. While in Ireland, Robert sometimes worked as a set designer for the Abbey Theatre and also captured the Burren landscapes on canvas. They had three children, all born in Coole: their first baby, Richard, arrived on 6 January 1909; Anne was born on 13 September 1911 and almost a year later Catherine made her appearance, on 21 August 1912.9

The couple continued to spend as much time as possible in Paris, where they did a great deal of painting, but they always enjoyed returning to the children and Coole. One night, while all the family were in Coole, Robert had a strange experience. There was an enormous chandelier that was lit by some fifty candles hanging in the middle of the dining room, which was used on special occasions. They decided to hold a séance after dinner, but became disturbed by the messages they were receiving and decided it was bedtime. Robert quenched all the candles before retiring, but was awakened early the following morning by a rather annoyed servant. She informed him that they could all have been burned to death as he had neglected to put out the candles. Robert followed her down to the dining room, where, sure enough, all the candles were still alight. He assured her that he had most definitely put them out and remembered the effort he had made to reach all of them. He was even more astonished when he noticed that none of the candles had burned down - they were still at the same level as they had been the night before - and the grease had not melted down from them.

Robert was a good boxer and an excellent horseman. He had a horse called Sarsfield, which he rode regularly in local point-to-point races, and the punters would always have a bet on him because of his successful record. His skills as a rider were certainly put to the test in one race, when the bridle became loose and all hope seemed lost for those who had backed him to win. He lived up to his reputation, however, when he kept the horse on course by using his legs and tapping the animal on either side of the face with the jockey stick. He went on to win the race, much to the delight of the punters. There is another story of him making an enormous jump over the wall surrounding Roxborough during a fox hunt. Astride the same horse, he rode onto a huge rock and from there leapt over the wall, landing safely on the other side. Robert schooled all of his horses himself at Coole.10

While he welcomed Jack Yeats to Coole as an old friend, there was sometimes tension between W. B. Yeats and Robert. Yeats was a regular visitor to Coole and stayed for long periods of time. Although Robert was generally very tolerant by nature, over the years he had come to dislike Yeats. The poet was, for the most part, responsible for this animosity, as he assumed a position that could be seen as head of the household. It didn't help that Lady Gregory also seemed to pay too much attention to Yeats' needs and comfort. Before one visit, Robert told Yeats to bring his own wine and two or three dozen bottles of sherry. This was certainly to make Yeats aware of Robert's feelings about the poet's obvious and selfish consumption of wine and sherry from the family cellar.

Robert continued to paint, taking much of his inspiration from the Burren and Galway Bay. In July 1912 he had his first exhibition in the Baillie Gallery in London. His second and more successful exhibition went on display in July the following year. Over time, his paintings showed continued improvement.11

However, all was not well between Robert and his wife. Margaret was devastated to discover that he had been having an affair with a young married woman named Nora Summers. Nora and her husband were friends of the Gregorys in London and were also regular guests at Mount Vernon.12 When Robert confessed to Margaret, he assured her that the affair was over. He hoped that she would accept what had happened and that they could move on with their lives. Although hurt, Margaret believed him and tried to come to terms with the situation. However, in June 1915 Robert invited the Summers to Coole. During their stay, Margaret caught her husband and Nora together in a situation that she found disgusting. It was clear that the affair was not over and the Gregorys had a terrible row. Robert then told Margaret he was going to enlist for army service, as the Great War was raging in Europe at the time. She pleaded with him not to join up and even told Lady Gregory.

In the meantime, Gerald Summers too had found out about the relationship, so he challenged Robert and a fistfight ensued. It seems that after the affair was thus exposed, Robert stormed off and joined the Connaught Rangers.13 In September 1915 he obtained a commission with the 4th...