The Sanctuary Kennels from 1980

In 1980 Margaret won no trophies or CCs, but Mrs. M. Poolman won The Zephyr Trophy at the Club Championship Show with Sanctuary Monagh of Marumac. Whilst Margaret was getting settled into such a different life without her partner of so many years, Mr. & Mrs. Hollis were kindly taking care of the breeding she wanted to continue. On June 29th there was a litter by Sanctuary Lugard ex Royden Jarmaine, of two dogs (Sanctuary Alert and Moidart) and three bitches (Sanctuary Dolomite, Eleanor, and Iona). On September 20th there was a litter by Ch. Royden Finnegan ex Royden Penelope, with four dogs (Sanctuary Brian Borona, Magnus, Slaine, and Toby Tobias) and four bitches (Sanctuary Delia, Lucinda, Morag, and Sweet Nell). In February of 1981 another bitch - Sanctuary Maude - from this litter was registered.

Sanctuary Lugard, sire of the June 29th litter	Sanctuary Maude at a year old

In 1981 Margaret judged at Manchester. Mr. & Mrs. Saunders won the Van Brunt Points Cup - Dog with Sanctuary The Bard of Erindale, and the Sanctuary Points Cup - Bitch with Sanctuary Flora of Erindale (from two of the 1979 litters). Flora won the CC at South Wales.

On March 16th, 1981 there was a litter by Sanctuary Lugard ex Cleveragh Clare, with four bitches (Sanctuary Aisling, Fillniach, Lady Jane, and Nuala) and two dogs (Sanctuary Mor, and Niall). Then on April 7th another litter by Lugard ex Sanctuary Lydia, with five bitches (Sanctuary Ailne, Brekke, Martha, Meave, and Rhona) and four dogs (Sanctuary Cador, Cu Allaid, Donegal Prince, and Sir Galahad). On April 26th a litter of four dogs (Sanctuary Benedict, Liath, Luke, and Tor) and two bitches (Sanctuary Merry Meg and Sasha), by Lugard ex Royden Penelope. Sanctuary Lydia appeared in the Sanctuary advertisement in the Irish Wolfhound Club Year Book for 79-80-81. Lydia was from the January 9th, 1979 litter. George Cosham was Margaret's kennelman and general aide.

Sanctuary Lydia with George Cosham handling

l to r: Sanctuary Lydia, Sanctuary Sweet Briar, Ch. Sanctuary Mona, and Sanctuary Lugard

In 1982 Sanctuary Lydia won the Non-Champion Cup Bitch at Crufts, and Mr. & Mrs. Saunders won the Van Brunt Points Cup Dog with Sanctuary The Bard of Erindale and the Sanctuary Points Cup Bitch with Sanctuary Flora of Erindale, for the second year running. Flora won the CC at Birmingham National, and The Bard won the CC at S.K.C.

Sanctuary Flora of Erindale with Mrs. Saunders

In February 1982 Margaret registered Killykeen Sauron, bred by Mr. A. Killykeen-Doyle, by Killykeen Mr. Gerry ex Dunleary Emier, wh. June 19th, 1980. His name was then changed to Killykeen Sauron of Sanctuary. In May she registered two dogs (Sanctuary Brigadier, and Sanctuary Sir Hector), and one bitch (Sanctuary Kelly's Pride), by Sanctuary Toby Tobias ex Cleveragh Clare, wh. March 13th. In June she registered three dogs - Sanctuary Logan, Romantic Knight, and Simply Great - by Sanctuary Toby Tobias ex Royden Jarmaine, wh. March 3rd. In September there was the registration of three bitches - Sanctuary Mary Maguire, My Lucinda, and Sheelagh, by Killykeen Sauron of Sanctuary ex Royden Penelope, wh. August 12th.

Out for a run at Hollesley Farm

In 1983 there were no trophies won, but Mrs. Saunders' Sanctuary Flora of Erindale won the CC and BoB at Border Union, attaining her championship. Margaret judged at Blackpool, but she had lost interest in showing when May died. 1983 was the year when Monica Harrison died and was buried with her sisters and May Atfield in Limpsfield churchyard.

Margaret Harrison at Hollesley Farm with Sanctuary Lugard and Royden Penelope in the background

In April 1983 Margaret registered two dogs - Sanctuary Pheneas and Sir Bartholomew - by Killykeen Sauron of Sanctuary ex Sanctuary Sweetbriar, wh. February 26th, 1983. In June Mrs. J. Bunce registered Sanctuary Katy O'More, by Sanctuary Mighty Monarch ex Ch. Sanctuary Mona, wh. July 18th, 1976, and bred by Misses Harrison & Atfield. In September Margaret registered four dogs - Sanctuary Captain John, Knight Errant, Noble Gift, and Silver Sword - and three bitches - Sanctuary Dancing Kate, Lovely Lydia, and Margaret May - by Sanctuary Lugard ex Royden Penelope, wh. July 11th. Also a litter by Sanctuary The Bard of Erindale ex Sanctuary Maude, wh. July 3rd, with three dogs - Sanctuary Gold Knight, Magestic Maestra, and Thane Harald; and one bitch - Sanctuary Sweet Bracken. In October there was the registration of a litter by Killykeen Sauron of Sanctuary ex Sanctuary Lydia, wh. July 30th, with three dogs - Sanctuary Bregawn, Imperial Salute, and Kings Glory - and two bitches - Sanctuary Bruna, and Princess Sun.

Sanctuary Mighty Monarch

Sanctuary Mighty Monarch

In 1984 Margaret judged Southern Counties show. In May she registered Sanctuary Mona Mona, wh. Feb. 21st, by Killykeen Sauron of Sanctuary ex Sanctuary Maude. That was all for the year.

In March, 1985 Margaret took on Melanter Connor, by Killykeen Sauron of Sanctuary ex Melanter Eilean, wh. October 16th 1984, bred by Mrs. S. Blackmore, and his name was changed to Melanter Connor of Sanctuary. In May he was transferred to the Officer Commanding the Irish Guards, following on from Sanctuary Cormac of Tara, and was the Regimental Mascot until 1992.

In July 1985 Margaret registered a litter by Killykeen Sauron of Sanctuary ex Sanctuary Princess Sun, wh. May 1st, with four dogs (Sanctuary Gurlius, Igor, Superb King, and the Monarch) and six bitches (Sanctuary Desireable, Merrybelle, Phoebe, Shahreen, Sweet Molly, and Tinkerbelle). In November Sanctuary Oonagh was registered; by Killykeen Sauron ex Sanctuary Maude, wh. October 6th, 1985.

On May 2nd, 1986 there was a litter by Killykeen Sauron of Sanctuary ex Sanctuary Mona Mona, of four dogs (Sanctuary Dancing Brave, Fleet of Foot, Golden Minstrel, and Mister Donovan) and six bitches (Sanctuary Casbah Girl, Fair Rosamund, Flaxon Tina, Grey Desire, Laughing Lisa, and Merry Jane). On July 11th there was a repeat of the Killykeen Sauron/Sanctuary Princess Sun mating, with three dogs (Sanctuary Bold Crusader, Bold Warrior, and Feargal) and three bitches (Sanctuary Bonny Bridgett, Siela, and Sweet Adelaide).

In 1987 there were no litters registered. On February 2nd, 1988 there was a litter by Sanctuary Toby Tobias ex Sanctuary Princess Sun, with three dogs (Sanctuary Cuculan, Knight Legend, and My Noble Lord) and five bitches (Sanctuary Catherine, Loveley Lady, Lydia Too, Minstrel Lady, and Rhuaidh), but this was to be the last of the Sanctuary breeding.

Margaret was on the Committee of the Irish Wolfhound Society for several years and in 1988 was made a Vice President. I used to drive her to the meetings and the various Society events, as Hollesley Farm was not that far away from where we lived.

Margaret's last years at Hollesley Farm were dedicated mainly to working with the Delius Society in order to set up a Delius Museum where all her precious memorabilia could be safely housed and made available to future generations of music lovers. She still gave music classes and became a close friend of the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, who played the cello at the Beatrice Harrison Centenary Concert, held at Wigmore Hall in December 1992. Margaret played the piano for the Pastoral and Reel by Cyril Scott at the Concert.

George Cosham's untimely death and her own failing strength caused her to realise that she could not continue living alone, so she moved to Scotland to live with her very special friends David and Evelyn Mill, taking George's elderly German Shepherd, which was the last of the dogs from Sanctuary, with her. She died December 24th, 1995 and was buried near to Delius in Limpsfield Churchyard on January 8th, 1996.

The following was the Obituary for Margaret Harrison in the Daily Telegraph of February 14th, 1996
MARGARET HARRISON, who has died aged 96, was one of the four Harrison sisters, all leading lights of the British musical scene. They attained celebrity after Beatrice's cello duets with a nightingale were broadcast in the 1920s. George V told her that she had "drawn the Empire closer together through the song of the nightingale and your cello." The sisters showed musical gifts early in life. Beatrice as a cellist, Monica as a singer and Margaret and May as violinists. During their careers, the sisters worked with many international performers and conductors, including Kreisler, Casals, Melba, Beecham, Rachmaninov, Weingartner and Nikisch. They were friends with such composers as Delius, Elgar, Glazunov, Kodaly, Bax, Ireland and Quilter. Several works were dedicated to the sisters, particularly by Delius. Margaret Harrison was born in 1899, the youngest daughter of an Indian Army colonel who gave up his career to help his wife in her single-minded mission to develop their childrens' musical talents. Margaret followed May and Beatrice to the Royal College of Music in 1904, just before her fifth birthday. Though the youngest student it had ever taken, she could play Bach on her arrival. Margaret was taught by Achille Rivarde, a brilliant pupil of Sarasate. In 1908 she and May went to study in St. Petersburg - May with the violin teacher Leopold Auer, and Margaret with his assistant, Nalbandrian. After returning to the Royal College, Margaret made her professional debut at the Wigmore Hall in 1918. During the 1920s, Margaret performed as a soloist, appearing at the Promenade Concerts in 1925. She made several recordings and toured many countries with Beatrice. The two sisters retired from public performance in 1958, and after Beatrice's death in 1965 Margaret did not play again. Her interest in music was revived in 1985, after the publication of Beatrice's autobiography. She started the Harrison Sisters' Players Recital Group, and set up the Harrison Sisters' Trust to conserve the family archive. Margaret had a life-long love of animals, and for 50 years was one of Britain's top breeders of Irish wolfhounds. She would give one to the Irish Guards whenever they needed a new mascot. None of the sisters married. Margaret was buried at St. Peter's, Limpsfield, Surrey, where her grave is among those of her parents and her sisters, along with Frederick Delius and his wife, Jelka, the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Norman Del Mar, and the pianist Eileen Joyce.

For a piece entitled "Airs and Hounds" by Iain Gordon from talks with Margaret Harrison, see the next page.

Updated 3/5/2016