My wife, Brenda King, who has died aged 77 of ovarian cancer, had a passion for the history of textiles. She wrote three books describing the influence of Indian silks on British textile design and the achievements of the Victorian industrialist Thomas Wardle and his wife, Elizabeth, the founder of the Leek Embroidery Society.
She always felt that she had “discovered” Wardle, an under-recognised polymath, whose involvement with William Morris had never received the recognition she felt it deserved. Her passion for textiles took her far and wide, especially to India, where she once featured in an article in the Times of India about Wardle’s travels to Kolkata.
Brenda had an enduring relationship with the Textile Society, which brings together textile professionals and enthusiasts, for more than 30 years, becoming its chair for 10, a position she left only last November. Friends in the society described her as a “life force” and “the best example of a role model”. Brenda spent the last 20 years raising awareness of the Wardles and the Textile Society. She relished every minute.
Born in Fazakerley, Liverpool, Brenda was the eldest of four children of Mary (nee Boyes), a nurse, and James Duffy, an engineer. Following the death of her father, and to support the family finances, she left Blessed John Almond secondary school at 15 with no qualifications to work at the Dunlop Rubber Company in Speke.
She later qualified as a dental nurse and worked at Guy’s hospital in London, where I met her when I was a dental student. Brenda took her first O-levels at Morley College and became a tutor dental nurse. When I got a job in Huntingdon, she moved there with me and we married in 1972. She took more O-levels and found work as an unqualified social worker.
A move to Macclesfield, and a continued desire to learn, led Brenda and her friends to persuade Macclesfield College to establish its first creche, enabling mothers to continue their education. Brenda gained a BA in design history with practice from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), coinciding with her 40th birthday, before embarking on her master’s in design at Liverpool University, specialising in “textile designs by fine artists”. She was awarded her PhD, aged 57, from the Royal College of Art in London, in 2001.
Brenda lectured at North Staffs University and MMU, and on the MA course in museum and heritage studies at the University of Salford. Her first book about the Wardles, Silk and Empire, was published in 2005, followed by Dye, Print, Stitch (2009) and The Wardle Family and Its Circle (2019).
She was an avid Guardian reader and a committed feminist, never afraid of defending her corner. She was also incredibly caring, supportive and a good listener as well as being a trendy dresser with a particularly enviable collection of scarves.
She is survived by me and our daughters, Emma and Bethany.
