Portrait of An Artist

Etienne Bruno Hamel

By Ian Gibbons

The Hamel family played a prominent role in Tamworth for countless years. Five generations of the family, lived in Tamworth.  The Hamel’s came from France 200 years ago to escape the French Revolution, for after three years of struggle and terror, almost 50 people a day were being put to death by way of the guillotine.  The ruthless Robespierre was one of  the leaders and had targeted the Hamels, whom he had been acquainted with since his youth.  Robespierre made the Hamels a vindictive offer.  That their parents would be saved if their sister were to marry his footman.  The sister agreed for the sake of the family, but immediately after the marriage, their mother and father were guillotined.  She managed to get word to her brother, who had been away from home, that his life was in danger.  Her brother was Bruno De Hamel, an artist, who then managed to change clothes with a young fisherman friend, climbed down the cliffs near Dieppe, into a boat and escaped to England, where he married an English girl and settled in Tamworth.  He was a retailer who owned a glass and china shop in Market Street. 

But it was his son, Etienne Bruno Hamel, who was born in Tamworth in 1796, and a brilliant artist, who left us with a lasting impression.  We have a lot to thank Etienne for, as his wonderful illustrations of Tamworth have given us the information on how the town looked in those days.  Hamel’s impressive work included drawings of Guy’s Town Hall, St. Editha’s Church, general views of Tamworth and of course Tamworth Castle and the Toll Gate at Lady Bridge.  His illustrations of Tamworth first appeared in 1829 as a series of prints, accompanied by a short descriptive text.  The subscribers paid 30 shillings (£1.50), or two guineas (£2.10), depending on the quality of the paper.  They also received an introductory history of Tamworth when the series was complete.  Obviously, the fees were quite expensive in those days.

The illustrations showed the old town in the reign of George IV, when the country was on the threshold of the modern era.  The railways had yet to reach the town and the great house at Drayton Manor was still being constructed.  Etienne combined his artistic talents with business flair and stared a tape-making factory in the town, which bore the family name right up until 1980. E.B. Hamel took an active role in the daily lives of the people of Tamworth and became a member of the Corporation, where he served as Treasurer and was an elected councillor.  He became Mayor of Tamworth in 1847 and again held the Mayor’s Office in 1856.  He died in 1865, but left the town a wonderful legacy in his superb artwork.  Succeeding generations of the Hamel’s continued the family involvement in both the tape-weaving industry and public life.

Picture 1: Etienne Bruno Hamel

Picture 2: 1829 illustration of Market Street and Guy’s Town Hall

Picture 3: Interior of St. Editha’s Church looking towards the main West Door.