Salt Spring Island Archives
Maud Lilian Tyrwhitt-Drake was born in 1858 in Victoria, BC. She was one of five children of the Honourable Montague William Tyrwhitt-Drake and Joanna Tolmie. Her father Montague was the first of his family to leave England to settle in British Columbia in 1858.
Montague was one of the many settlers who left in rebellion to the Industrial Revolution taking place in England. This “Arts and Crafts Movement” greatly influenced Maud’s upbringing. Maud reflected her father’s love for the arts. Like him, she became a passionate watercolorist, with a love for natural landscapes. Maud joined the Victoria Sketch Club at its unofficial origins in the 1880s, and travelled all over Vancouver island to paint.
Maud married Arthur Weaver-Bridgman in 1890. The family bought land on Salt Spring in 1910, in WENA,NEC (Beaver Point). They named their home Lyoness Cottage, and lived there from March to September every year. Maud painted the views of their bay hundreds of times. Her children were raised there, and family photo albums were filled with countless boating trips, picnics, and various travels through BC, America, and Europe.
With the arrival of the First World War, Maud’s life changed dramatically. Her son, Montie, left to serve overseas and did not return for about 10 years. She was widowed in 1918 when her husband Arthur fell sick on a trip to Wales, and her daughters were soon married off. Maud was left grieving and very alone, and though the family would still reunite for trips and boat rides, she likely endured long stretches of solitude, where painting was her main pastime.
By the time of her death at 74 years old, Maud had made over 600 paintings of natural landmarks on the West Coast. She was never considered a professional painter, though she dedicated her life to her art. She never went anywhere without paper and a paint palette, and would not hesitate to paint with tea if water was not available.
Her free spirit is apparent by the sheer range of her collection, despite the other mysteries of her character. She wanted a simpler and more fulfilling life than one of material wealth, and her art is proof that she chose to value the natural beauty around her.
Maud Lilian Weaver-Bridgman died in 1943 and was buried in the cemetery in Colwood, close to St. John's Church in Victoria.
Guiled, Brenda. Ruckles World: A History of South-East Salt Spring Island. Salt Spring Island, BC: Kimae Books, 2015
Reynolds, Reg and Tyrwhitt-Drake, Guy: The Life and Paintings of Montague William Tyrwhitt-Drake: Pioneer, Gold Seeker, Artist, Lawyer, Mayor and Judge: Drake & Reynolds, 2019
