Joseph Phelps, born 24th Sept. 1791 died 3rd April 1876, came of an old family which was established for many years at Dursley in Gloucestershire. He was born in Madeira the seventh child of his father, who had emigrated to Madeira in 1784, where he founded the firm of J. and W. Phelps in 1786. Joseph Phelps succeeded his father as head of the firm. He married on 17th Aug 1819, Elizabeth Dickinson, born 16th Nov. 1195 died 14th April 1876, youngest daughter of Captain Thomas Dickinson R.N. (1753-1828) and Frances do Brissac (1760-1854) and sister of John Dickinson (1782-1869) the, founder of the firm of paper manufacturers which still bears his name. Another sister, Anne (1791-1883) married the Rev. Arthur Benoni Evans, and was my great grandmother.

In 1821 Joseph Phelps became the first Treasurer and one of the Founder Members of the Funchal Association, which was formed for the promotion of education in the island. At his own expense he established a school for boys in 1822, which was known as the Escola Lancasteriana.

The Phelps family lived for many years in the Carmo House, Funchal, Madeira, their country house being the Quinta de Praza. During this time they appear to have been the leading English family in Madeira, for it fell to them to house and entertain all the visiting royalties and notabilities, In the last years of her life, Aunt Janey (Jane Phelps, youngest child of Joseph and Elizabeth Phelps) told me that she remembered, as a small child, being brought down to the dining-room after dinner, and sitting upon the knee of the Emperor Napoleon III. and being fed by him with dessert and nuts.

During the early part of the last century Madeira was almost entirely denuded of trees, owing to fire, and the ravages of earlier settlers. Elizabeth Phelps realised that reforestation was essential to the well-being of the islanders, and frequently sent to England for suitable trees, seedlings and seeds, which were planted all over their estates. When she organised their customary enormous picnic parties, each of the guests would be given a seedling tree and required to plant it at the spot before returning home. In after years these clumps of trees grew and flourished, and to within living memory were always known as “Mrs. Phelps’ picnic places.”

Joseph and Elizabeth Phelps had a large family of seven daughters and four sons, the eldest of the family being Elizabeth (1820-1893) the founder of the now famous Madeira Embroidery Industry.

The family owned very large vine growing estates in the island. As the native workers were at that time in a state of great poverty, Elizabeth, (always known in the family as Bella) started in 1854, a little school for the women and girls on their estates in which they wore taught to work embroideries from original designs drawn by Bella Phelps herself. A large folio of these original drawings was in the possession of the youngest member of the family Jane de Brissac Frederica Phelps (1842 - 1926) with whom I went to live immediately on leaving school, and whom I knew intimately during the last years of her life and from whom I leaned most of the information contained in these notes. This folio unfortunately disappeared when her house and possessions were dispersed after her death.

In the early days the embroideries were sold privately among personal friends of the family, and later, on becoming increasingly popular, they were entrusted to an agent in England who handled them on a commercial basis for the benefit of the native workers. A great quantity of the early embroidery was in the possession of members of the family at the time of my birth, and as, by then, most of the older generation had passed away, all this embroidery was sent to my mother by the surviving members, for my use, I being by a long way the youngest female descendant. I well remember being told that the trimmings on my childish frocks and underwear were “real Madeira work”, though at the time it meant little more to me than the discomfort of starched and scratchy frills.

The Phelps’s returned to settle in England towards the end of the last century (1800's), and made their home in one of the big house facing Clapham Common which was at that time one of the smartest and most exclusive residential areas. All the members of the family became very stout with advancing years, and it was a family joke that “a ton of Phelpses" went to Church each Sunday in the family coach.

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