Edward Daniel ALSTON of Diss [3741]

  General Notes:

Edward was a brewer of Diss SFK, he presented a painted altar piece of Jesus to Manningtree ESS Church, now in Feering Church (1965), now in Dedham Church ESS 2003. He died aged 69.

Deaths
On the 28th ult., at Palgrave Suffolk E D Alston Esq of Manningtree Essex in the 70th year of his age.
The Times, Saturday, Jul 01, 1843; pg. 9; Issue 18337; col A

Died
28th ult., at Palgrave, in this county, E D Alston, Esq., of Manningtree, Essex, in the 69th year of his age.
Ipswich Journal 1 July 1843

Letter from R.B. Beckett, author of "John Constable and the Fisher's, 18.2.(19)55, to Rowland Wright Alston [3912].
"I have at last succeeded in tracing down the correspondence about the altarpiece. On the 2nd July, 1821, Constable's brother Abram wrote to say that he had heard from a friend that 'Mr. Edward Allstone (Edward Daniel) of Diss had offered to present the parish with an altarpiece for the chapel, value £200 and recommended his brother to apply for the job"

From "John Constable and the Fishers", Page 92. 1822. Letter from J. Constable.
"I am going into Suffolk about an altarpeice - a gift of compunction I hear from a gentleman who is supposed to have defrauded his family - shall add this motto, from Shakespeare, "may this expiate"

Page 113, 1822. Letter from J. Constable.
"My altarpeice, for the chapel at Manningtree is gone by - the man would not have it. He says I had harmed his future - but my brother tells me the whole concern of these brewers was a low sneak to Archdeacon Jefferson who could licence or not their blackguard publick houses and on his death they were glad to get clear of as much of the expence as they had not actually incurred, as they could. This is a loss to me. The frame is L5, being of mahogany without a joint, and of large dimensions."
Photocopy of this on file E L Fenn 2001

Kellys Directory 1894 Manningtree ESS - "A large oil painting representing our Saviour was the gift of Edward Daniel Alston Esq., in 1823"
The painting by Constable was hanging in Dedham Church in 2003, however the following exerpt indicates its future may not be finally there.

Suffolk Record Office, Ipswich Branch:
RECORDS OF ROUSE FAMILY, STEWARD FAMILY AND OTHERS
Catalogue Ref. HB 54
Unidentified clients
FILE - Memorandum of agreement between John Jessupp of Wik (Ess), carpenter, and Edward Daniel Alston and Daniel Constable Alston, merchants and brewers, - ref. HB 54/E54/33 - date: 9 Dec 1834
Ref A2A

THE CONSTABLE TRUST
2003
Works of art often come on to the market but few are intimatelv associated with a place. In the last few years major items have been sold from churches and schools which should never have come on to the market. The Constable Trust has been established to acquire such items which have a relationship with East Anglia and to display them in appropriate settings. The first item the Trust is trying to purchase is John Constable's greatest religious painting, The Ascension.

The altarpiece was commissioned in 1822 by Edward Alston, a brewer and Constable's cousin by marriage, for St Michael's Church in Manningtree, where it hung until the church was demolished in 1965. It was acquired for All Saints', Feering, where it remained until early 1998 when, to raise funds for central heating in the church, the Vicar and Churchwardens of Feering offered the painting at auction.

The canvas was saved by two private buyers for L60,000. This allowed time for the Constable Trust to be formed, for the Trust to purchase the painting, have it restored by the Hamilton Kerr Institute (University of Cambridge) and display it in a church close to Manningtree. Preparations are in hand for the painting to be hung in St Mary's, Dedham, in the heart of 'Constable Country'.

The Constable Trust is therefore charged with the task of finding L70,000 to purchase the painting, restore it and place it on public view. Will you help?

Recent legislation has made it easier than ever to give in a tax efficient way. By signing the enclosed form you will enable The Constable Trust, as a charitable organisation, to claim from the Inland Revenue an extra 28p for every L1 that you give. . . . . and every penny counts.

The Constable Trust became a charity in April 2000 and in the first six months it has raised L23,000. Please consider adding to this success by giving generously.

Please send your donation to: The Constable Trust
North House, The Walls, Manningtree
Essex CO11 lAS

  Other Records

1. Edward Alston: Land owned by Edward Alston, 1834, Friars Meadow Sudbury SFK.
Sudbury July 1834
You have two pieces of Land upon the Common Meadow in this Town containing together 3 Acres belonging to your Farm at Newton in the occupation of Mr John Dyer. I have a client who has a piece of Land adjoining yours & if you are disposed to sell it he would purcnase it
I trouble you with this under the impression that as these pieces are three or four Miles distant from your Farm they are no object to you to retain
You are probably aware that this ideadow is Lammas Land over which the Burgesses of this Town depasture their Cattle & that the owners are only entitled to the Crop of Grass the Land is in consequence of this not improvable beyond the value of the Cut of Grass & the Meadow is subject to Floods
I send you a Plan of the Meadow taken from an Map of the Town, one of your Pieces of Land are at each end of the Meadow.
I shall be obliged by the favor of a reply & am Sir
Your obbt Serv.
Jno Chas Gooday.

Edw. Alston Esq Diss Norfolk

Edward married Elizabeth FREEBORN [3759] [MRIN: 1298], daughter of John FREEBORN of Gt Maplestead [4032] and Elizabeth TOTTMAN [5526], on 17 Jan 1814 in Gt Maplestead ESS. (Elizabeth FREEBORN [3759] was born in 1788 in Great Maplestead and died on 7 Apr 1824.)