James Forsyth
James was born in Kelso, Roxburghshire, in 1827 to Adam Forsyth and Agnes Buckham. James was the first of four children they had together.
According to the two marriage certificates we have of James he records his Father as an architect. I can find no record of Adam Forsyth and
it appears that he died sometime early in James’ life.
The 1841 Scottish census has James aged 14 living at Bridge St, Kelso, with his Mother and three younger siblings, the last of whom, William, was
born in 1834. James is recorded as an apprentice ‘gilder and carver’ and newspaper reports I have found suggest that James was an apprentice
of James Mein & Co, a well respected Kelso based cabinet maker. These reports state that James worked in Edinburgh before leaving Scotland for
good some time in the late 1840’s
The next trace I can find of James is working with the architect Anthony Salvin, and another young sculptor John Birnie Phillips, at the renovation of
Wells cathedral in the late 1840’s and early 1850’s. The 1851 census has him living in the High St of Wells, married to a Scottish woman called Margaret
Sometime before 1853 James had moved to London and set up in partnership with the Belgium sculptor Theodore Phyffers at Landsdowne yard, Guilford St, London. I can find only one site so far accredited to the two of them and the partnership was dissolved in March 1855
Until 1879 James lived at 8 Edward St London. I don’t know what happened to his first wife Margaret but he married again in 1860, and had
four children with Eliza Hastie until her untimely death in 1867 (probably due to the birth of their fourth child.) James re-married again in 1868, and went
on to have four more children with Ann Hardie
In the mid 1870's James opened studios at 23 Baker St, London, which were later expanded to include an art gallery. In 1879, he had built for himself and
family a detached house and adjoining studios on the Finchley Road,next to the Finchley and Frognal railway station. This was, at that time, in open countryside Some time after this his mother Agnes moved in with him and stayed in Finchley until her death in 1892
James and two of his sons worked from those studios until his death, aged 83, in 1910, although the last work I can find attributed to him is dated 1899.
James is buried in Hampstead cemetery in the same grave as his third wife and Mother
According to the two marriage certificates we have of James he records his Father as an architect. I can find no record of Adam Forsyth and
it appears that he died sometime early in James’ life.
The 1841 Scottish census has James aged 14 living at Bridge St, Kelso, with his Mother and three younger siblings, the last of whom, William, was
born in 1834. James is recorded as an apprentice ‘gilder and carver’ and newspaper reports I have found suggest that James was an apprentice
of James Mein & Co, a well respected Kelso based cabinet maker. These reports state that James worked in Edinburgh before leaving Scotland for
good some time in the late 1840’s
The next trace I can find of James is working with the architect Anthony Salvin, and another young sculptor John Birnie Phillips, at the renovation of
Wells cathedral in the late 1840’s and early 1850’s. The 1851 census has him living in the High St of Wells, married to a Scottish woman called Margaret
Sometime before 1853 James had moved to London and set up in partnership with the Belgium sculptor Theodore Phyffers at Landsdowne yard, Guilford St, London. I can find only one site so far accredited to the two of them and the partnership was dissolved in March 1855
Until 1879 James lived at 8 Edward St London. I don’t know what happened to his first wife Margaret but he married again in 1860, and had
four children with Eliza Hastie until her untimely death in 1867 (probably due to the birth of their fourth child.) James re-married again in 1868, and went
on to have four more children with Ann Hardie
In the mid 1870's James opened studios at 23 Baker St, London, which were later expanded to include an art gallery. In 1879, he had built for himself and
family a detached house and adjoining studios on the Finchley Road,next to the Finchley and Frognal railway station. This was, at that time, in open countryside Some time after this his mother Agnes moved in with him and stayed in Finchley until her death in 1892
James and two of his sons worked from those studios until his death, aged 83, in 1910, although the last work I can find attributed to him is dated 1899.
James is buried in Hampstead cemetery in the same grave as his third wife and Mother
A drawing of James Forsyth, dated 1898, by his son John Dudley Forsyth. This is probably done as a portrait of James at the age of 70 ( Drawing courtesy of Bernice Forsyth )
William Forsyth
William Forsyth was born in 1834 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the fourth and final child of Adam Forsyth and Agnes Buckham and in the 1841 Scottish census is listed as living at Bridge St, Kelso
William's first known work is in 1849 when he was working with G.E Fox in executing Anthony Pugin’s, in collaboration with Crace & Co, scheme for decorating Eastnor Castle in Worcestershire. William probably came to London in 1848 with his elder Brother James and started an apprenticeship with Crace & Co
In the 1851 census, aged 17, William is listed as a visitor to the household of Henry Hubbard at William St, St Pancras, London and his status is stated as an apprentice wood-carver.
William must have returned to Eastnor several times and he appears to have been engaged by McCann’s of Malvern to work under the architect Sir Gilbert Scott in the restoration of Eastnor Church. This work was so well received by Viscount Eastnor that he invited William to take up residence at Eastnor castle to work on further improvements within the castle
It was during this period that William met Elizabeth Cobham, from nearby Upton-upon-Severn, and married her in 1853 at Upton. It is probably no co-incidence that Elizabeth’s Uncle ran the ‘Somers Arms’ public house that was within walking distance of the castle !
William was still living in London at this time as his first two children with Elizabeth, born in 1855 and 1856, were both registered in London. We also know that William won Second prize in a National wood-carving competition initiated by the recently formed Architectural Museum of London in 1856 and was given his prize by a panel including John Ruskin and Charles Cockerell, Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy. William was 22
It is highly likely that winning this prize brought William to the attention of the architect Edmund Elmslie, who was living in London at this time. This meeting led to various collaborations between the two in Malvern, Worcs. William is reported as residing in St Johns, Worcester and it is at this address that his third child is born in 1858
Sadly Elizabeth died soon after this child was born and William subsequently married Delilah ‘Lucy’ Rushton in 1860, living in Chestnut St, Worcester. They had five children together and moved in above the studios at 5/6 The Tything, Worcester, in around 1861.
William worked from this address until his death, aged 81, on June 5th 1915 and is buried in Astwood cemetery, Worcester
William Forsyth was born in 1834 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the fourth and final child of Adam Forsyth and Agnes Buckham and in the 1841 Scottish census is listed as living at Bridge St, Kelso
William's first known work is in 1849 when he was working with G.E Fox in executing Anthony Pugin’s, in collaboration with Crace & Co, scheme for decorating Eastnor Castle in Worcestershire. William probably came to London in 1848 with his elder Brother James and started an apprenticeship with Crace & Co
In the 1851 census, aged 17, William is listed as a visitor to the household of Henry Hubbard at William St, St Pancras, London and his status is stated as an apprentice wood-carver.
William must have returned to Eastnor several times and he appears to have been engaged by McCann’s of Malvern to work under the architect Sir Gilbert Scott in the restoration of Eastnor Church. This work was so well received by Viscount Eastnor that he invited William to take up residence at Eastnor castle to work on further improvements within the castle
It was during this period that William met Elizabeth Cobham, from nearby Upton-upon-Severn, and married her in 1853 at Upton. It is probably no co-incidence that Elizabeth’s Uncle ran the ‘Somers Arms’ public house that was within walking distance of the castle !
William was still living in London at this time as his first two children with Elizabeth, born in 1855 and 1856, were both registered in London. We also know that William won Second prize in a National wood-carving competition initiated by the recently formed Architectural Museum of London in 1856 and was given his prize by a panel including John Ruskin and Charles Cockerell, Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy. William was 22
It is highly likely that winning this prize brought William to the attention of the architect Edmund Elmslie, who was living in London at this time. This meeting led to various collaborations between the two in Malvern, Worcs. William is reported as residing in St Johns, Worcester and it is at this address that his third child is born in 1858
Sadly Elizabeth died soon after this child was born and William subsequently married Delilah ‘Lucy’ Rushton in 1860, living in Chestnut St, Worcester. They had five children together and moved in above the studios at 5/6 The Tything, Worcester, in around 1861.
William worked from this address until his death, aged 81, on June 5th 1915 and is buried in Astwood cemetery, Worcester
A photograph of William Forsyth aged around 50 ( Photograph courtesy of Elizabeth Moncrief )
William's grave in Worcester ( Order of service courtesy of Elizabeth Moncrief)
Worcester Bowls Club 1909. William Forsyth is the 5th from the left in the first row of standing figures, with hat in hand, aged 76
