Sophy Gray

File:George Anglican Cathedral00.jpg

St Mark's Anglican Cathedral in George, which Gray designed

Sophy Gray or Sophia Gray (5 January 1814 – 27 April 1871), was a diocesan administrator, artist, architect, horsewoman and the wife of Cape Town bishop Robert Gray. Born at Easington in Yorkshire, the 5th daughter of county squire Richard Wharton Myddleton of Durham and Yorkshire, she died at Bishopscourt, Cape Town on 27 April 1871 and was buried in the graveyard of St Saviour's in Claremont. wrote "the constant companion of (Robert Gray's) travels, the untiring amanuensis and accountant, the skilful designer of churches, the brightness and stay of his home life at Bishopscourt."

England

Sophy and her two sisters were raised in an affluent family, owning estates in North Riding and Durham. They were well-read and proficient riders from an early age, qualities that helped foster their friendship with the young Robert Gray. Sophy married Robert Gray in 1836 after a six-month engagement, when he was rector of Whitworth, Durham. Their honeymoon gave young Sophy a taste of things to come when she and Robert set out on a lengthy horseback trip, visiting the family holdings in two counties. For nine years their lives at Old Park and Whitworth, and the urban parish of Stockton remained fairly untroubled, but all this changed dramatically when Robert was placed on a shortlist for one of three new colonial bishoprics. He was chosen for the Cape of Good Hope.

South Africa

In 1847 Sophy and Robert travelled to Cape Town where he was to establish a new colonial diocese, increase the number of clergy and establish new churches and schools. There were only ten Anglican churches in South Africa at that time. With his death 25 years later, this number had risen to 63. Having grown accustomed to the high standard of living enjoyed by bishops, including an episcopal palace, the Grays emigrated to the Cape with a retinue of servants, furniture and even an episcopal carriage.

The couple settled on the farm Boschheuvel, originally named Wijnberg and later renamed Bishopscourt, the original owner having been Jan van Riebeek, first Dutch Governor of the Cape. The farm lay on the slopes of Table Mountain, well-watered and with dense woodland. Here Sophy, using the old slave quarters, started a school for her five children and those of the community. Despite disliking social engagements, she kept open house to a constant stream of church officials and dignitaries, as well as managing Robert's diocese that included the Cape, Orange Free State, Natal and the islands of Tristan da Cunha and St. Helena.

Sophy Gray had brought along architectural plans of churches that could be adapted to the design of churches and schools for the new Anglican parishes that were to be established throughout South Africa. Both Sophy and her husband favoured the neo-Gothic style of church architecture which was fashionable in Britain at that time and advocated by the ecclesiologists, and disliked the Romanesque style. Even so, Sophy and Robert Gray felt that church design should not stick slavishly to the Early English Period, but should show some diversity.

She not only filled the role of architect, but kept records of the synods, their meetings and official ceremonies. She also kept records of correspondence and church chronicles. Being a competent horsewoman, she joined her husband on all but two of his extended trips. Her artistic skills were shown by the numerous water-colours and sketches she did, frequently used to illustrate her husband's journals. In all, the bishop would hardly have managed without her able assistance and knowledge. As if in recognition of her contribution, there is a stained glass window in St George's Cathedral, depicting her wearing a green riding habit and bonnet, though usually she wore a felt hat and plain riding dress, beneath which were close-fitting riding breeches of Chamois leather.

Capetonian Desmond Martin's doctoral thesis dealt with the churches established by the Grays. Of more than 50 churches built in South Africa during Robert Gray's bishopric, at least 40 were designed by Sophy. In 2005 Martin published a book titled "The Bishop's Churches" and illustrated with his water-colours and line drawings of her 40 churches, including St Paul's, Rondebosch, St Saviour's, Claremont, St Peter's, Plettenberg Bay, St James, Graaff-Reinet and St Jude's, Oudtshoorn.

Churches designed by Sophy Gray

Church	Town	Year	Location	Image
St Paul's ChurchTemplate:Efn	Eerste River, Western Cape	1848
St James' Church	Graaff-Reinet	1848
St Paul's Church	Rondebosch, Cape Town	1849		File:St Paul's Church Rondebosch.jpg
St George's Church	Knysna	1849		File:St George's Church, Knysna 1849.JPG
School Chapel	Beaufort West	1849		File:School Chapel, Beaufort West 1849.JPG
Christ Church	Colesberg	1849
St Mark's Church	George	1849
Holy Trinity Church	Caledon	1850		File:Holy Trinity Church, Caledon.JPG
St Saviour's ChurchTemplate:Efn	Claremont, Cape Town	1850
Holy Trinity Church	Belvidere, Knysna	1851		File:Belvedere Chapel, South Africa.jpg
St Peter's Church	Pietermaritzburg	1851		File:00000-St Peters Church2-Pietermaritzburg-s.jpg
Christ ChurchTemplate:Efn	Swellendam	1852
Christ Church	Beaufort West	1852		File:All Saints Anglican Church Beaufort West 7.JPG
St James, The Great, Anglican Church	Worcester	1852		File:Anglican Church on Market Square (Worcester, Western Cape, May 2009).jpg
St John the Baptist Church	Louvain Farm, Schoonberg near Herold	1853
All Saints Church	Somerset East	1854		File:All Saints Church, Somerset East 1854.JPG
St Paul's ChurchTemplate:Efn	North End, Port Elizabeth	1854
St Matthew's Church	Riversdale, Western Cape	1854
School Chapel	Mossel Bay	1855
St Andrew's ChapelTemplate:Efn	Newlands, Cape Town	1856
Armstrong Memorial ChapelTemplate:Efn	St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown	1856
St Peter's Church	Cradock	1857
Church of St Mary the Virgin	Woodstock, Cape Town	1859
All Saints Church	Bredasdorp	1859
St Andrew's Chapel	Ceres	1860
St Jude's Church	Oudtshoorn	1860		File:St Jude Church.JPG
Constantia ChapelTemplate:Efn	near Cape Town	1860
All Saints Chapel	Durbanville	1860
St Mary's Church	Robertson	1861
St Thomas' Mission Station	Rondebosch, Cape Town	1864
St John's Church	Clanwilliam	1864
St Mark's ChapelTemplate:Efn	District Six, Cape Town	1865
St Patrick's Church	Umzinto, KwaZulu-Natal	1868
St Augustine's ChapelTemplate:Efn	Fraserburg	1869
St Luke's Mission ChurchTemplate:Efn	Swellendam	1869		File:St Luke's Mission Church.JPG
St John's Church	Victoria West	1869		File:St John's Church, Victoria West 1869.JPG
All Saints Church	Uniondale	1869		File:Uniondale, All Saints Church.JPG
St Mildred's Chapel	Montagu	1870
St Peter's Church	Plettenberg Bay	1879
St Matthew's Church	Willowmore	1880

See also

• Women in architecture