Olive Juliet Cockerell

Olive Juliet Cockerell (1868-1910) was an English artist and illustrator trained in the Arts and Crafts school.^[1] She and her partner later became early pioneers of "French gardening" in the UK.^[2][3]

Cockerell was born in Dulwich, London on 13 September 1868, the daughter of Sydney John Cockerell (1842–1877) and Alice Elizabeth (née Bennett).^[4] Her brothers were Sydney Carlyle Cockerell who became director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell,^[5][6][1] the entomologist who settled in the United States, and the bookbinder Douglas Bennett Cockerell.^[7] Their maternal grandfather, John Bennett, was described by members of the Cockerell family as 'abominable' and 'something of a monster'.^[8]

Cockerell studied at Chiswick School of Art in the late 1880s.^[9] She became an artist^[10] and illustrator and her drawings earned the admiration of John Ruskin.^[11](p160) Ruskin kept her letters^[12] and she visited him at Brantwood, his lake district home, early in 1888.^[13] She illustrated children's books authored by A. M. W. Stirling^[14] and by Mary De Morgan (a close family friend of William Morris)^[15]

Cockerell's brother, Sydney, had worked with William Morris from 1892 as his private secretary, was secretary to Morris' Kelmscott Press and, after Morris died in 1896, he was an executor.^[16] This led to Olive visiting Kelmscott in 1901, the home of William Morris and where his wife Jane Morris still spent much of her time. A close and enduring friendship developed between the two women who shared various traits and interests including that for gardening,^[11](p160) Jane Morris wrote that Olive had "promised to come for a long stay in Spring" (of 1902).^[13](p69)

Cockerell's godmother was Octavia Hill who had been a friend of her father and Olive became involved in "slum philanthropy" in the poorer parts of London.^[11](p161) Whilst helping Hill with her work she met Helen Nussey who was carrying out social work in the area.^[17] Cockerell and Nussey became friends and decided to undertake the development a French market garden, growing and selling fresh local fruit and vegetables.^[17]

In November 1906 Octavia Hill wrote to Olive, concerned about her intention of moving to the country to train as a market gardener in what seemed to be a “complete reversal of occupation”.^[2] Cockerell and Nussey started searching for a site to locate the market garden in the autumn of 1907.^[18](p9) Their search started in Hampshire but they eventually chose a site "on the estate of a friend in Sussex", with Chanctonbury Ring visible in the distance.^[18](p12) The garden, c. 2 acres, near Southwater, Horsham, was opened in 1908.^[19]

In the early part of the 20th century French gardening was capturing the interest of the UK public (the King, Edward VII, twice visited a French garden)^[19] and in 1909 Nussey and Cockerell published the book "A French garden in England: a record of the successes and failures of a first year of intensive culture", which Cockerell also illustrated.^[18]

Cockerell suffered a decline in her health and she died of cancer on 24 July 1910 at St. Thomas’s Home (part of St Thomas' Hospital, London).^[20][19]

Her death led to the closure of the market garden which folded in September 1910.^[21][19] Her ashes were scattered onto Coniston Water from Ruskin's boat.^[13](p38)