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    • James Works
    • William Works
  • James
    • 1850's >
      • Wells Cathedral, Choir stalls
      • St Margarets, Angmering
      • Wells Cathedral, Pulpit
      • Wells Cathedral, Monument to Dean Jenkyns
      • St Margaret's Church, Angmering, Pulpit
      • Wells Cathedral, Organ
      • St Mary, Etchingham, pulpit
      • St Thomas's Church, Wells
      • Sherborne Abbey, Reredos
      • Sherborne Abbey, Stalls
      • St Mary's Church, Dunkeld
      • The Flora Fountain, Witley Court
      • Blenheim Palace Chapel
      • Church of St Peter and St Paul, Coleshill
      • St Mary's Church, Blymhill
    • 1860's >
      • St Dionysius church, Market Harborough
      • The Perseus and Andromeda Fountain, Witley Court
      • 29 Fleet Street, London
      • St Mary's, Singleton
      • Font at St Michael and All Angels Church
      • Pulpit of St Michael and All Angels, Witley Court
      • St Mary's, Deerhurst
      • Holy Trinity Church, Ventnor
      • St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick
      • St Leonard's Church, Bridgnorth
      • St Marys, Buckland St Mary, Somerset
      • Lincoln Cathedral, Memorial tomb
      • Weston Park, Staffordshire
      • St John's Chapel, Hurstpierpoint College
      • Kensal Green Cemetery, Monument to General Forster
      • St John the Baptist, Frome, Via Crucis
      • St Johns, Frome, Reredos
      • St Johns, Frome, Saints
      • Holyrood church, Southampton
      • Market place, Dudley
      • Stalls and Bishop's throne, Chichester Cathedral
      • Cloverley Hall, Shropshire
      • St Johns, Leeds
      • St Andrew's Church, Kelso
    • 1870's >
      • The Fearon Fountain, Loughborough
      • St Andrews, Hingham
      • Nave pulpit at Worcester Cathedral
      • St Wendreda's Church, March
      • St John's, Frome, Pieta
      • St John's, Frome, Medallions
      • St Mary's Church, Melbury Sampford
      • St Marys, Axminster
      • St Paul's cathedral, Memorial
      • Monument to Lord Lyttelton, Worcester Cathedral
      • Tyntesfield, Private Chapel
    • 1880's >
      • St Mary's, Buckland, Cross
      • St Peter's Church, Coggeshall
      • St Paul's cathedral, Afghan campaign
      • Sherborne Abbey, Digby monument
      • St James, Sussex Gardens, London
      • Monument to Bishop Fraser, Manchester Cathedral
      • St Mary's Church, Warwick
      • Monument to Earl of Dudley, Worcester cathedral
      • St Bartholomew's, Penn
      • St Mary's, Buckland, Reredos
    • 1890's >
      • Monument to Dean Elliot, Bristol Cathedral
      • Monument to Bishop Pelham, Norwich Cathedral
      • Monument to Bishop Atlay, Hereford
      • Sherborne Abbey, pulpit
  • William
    • 1850's >
      • St John the Baptist, Eastnor, Worcs
      • Malvern Parish School, Great Malvern
      • St Peter's, Bushley
      • St Mary's, Hanley Castle
    • 1860's >
      • Eastnor Castle Great Hall
      • St John the Baptist, Eastnor
      • St Peter & St Paul, Rock
      • St John the Evangelist, Storridge
      • Imperial Hotel, Malvern
      • Elmslie House, Malvern
      • Lloyds Bank, Worcester
      • Great Malvern Station
      • Holy Trinity, Stratford
      • Cross for Catholic area of Worcester Cemetery
      • Cirencester Corn Hall
      • Christ Church, Llanwarne
      • Fald stool, St Leonard's Newland
      • George Cornewall Lewis Monument
      • St Leonard's, Newland, Cross
      • St Laurence, Alvechurch, Boulton Memorial
      • St Swithin's, Worcester
      • Davenham Bank, Great Malvern
      • Wesleyan Chapel, Malvern
      • St John's Church, Feckenham
      • Wykeham House, Oxford
      • St Edburga's, Leigh, Worcs
      • Worcester Cemetery, Charles Hastings
      • Gloucs bank, Hereford
      • James Wilson memorial, Malvern
      • St Peter's Church, Upton on Severn
      • St Mary's, Dilwyn
      • St George's, Barbourne, Worcester
      • St Leonard's, Agnes Raymond
      • St Mary's church, Twyning
      • St Phillips, Hallow
      • St Nicholas, Droitwich, Font
    • 1870's >
      • St Mary's Church, Elmbridge
      • St John's Churchyard, Claines
      • St Nicholas, Droitwich, Pulpit
      • St James, West Malvern
      • Malvern Wells cemetery, Lucas Memorial
      • Oliver Mason monument, The Priory Church
      • Holy Trinity Church,Malvern
      • Christ Church, Catshill
      • St John's Church, Charlton
      • Malvern Cemetery buildings
      • Upton cemetery, Major Martin
      • Sir Henry Lambert, Malvern cemetery
      • Priory Court, Malvern
      • Holy Trinity, Malvern, pillars
      • Monument for Wheeley Lea Family, Powick
      • The Hoppickers, Worcester
      • St John's, Claines, William Mence
      • Brinton Fountain, Kidderminster
      • WB Williamson tomb, Astwood cemetery
    • 1880's >
      • St George's RC, Worcester, Altars
      • St Leonards, Newland,Columns
      • Marion Yorke grave, Worcester Cathedral cloisters
      • Worcester cemetery, Cross for Nash
      • Malvern cemetery, Tomb for Fisk
      • St James, Harvington, Woodward cross
      • St James, Harvington, Florence Mary
      • St Mary Magdalene, Worcester, Font
      • Compton Building, Worcester
      • Harriet Wood, Worcester Cathedral cloisters
      • Oakhampton House, Bust of Henry Crane
      • St Leonard's, Newland, Piscina
      • St Leonard's, Newland, Sedilia
      • St Mary's churchyard, Shrawley
      • Revd Barry grave, Worcester Cathedral Cloisters
      • St Helen's church, Worcester, Window for Dr Nash
      • 29th Regiment Memorial, Worcester Cathedral
      • Memorial to William Bourne
      • Dean Yorke Memorial, Worcester Cathedral
      • Oakhampton House, Chimney-piece
      • St Clements church, Worcester, Font
      • St Barnabas, Worcester
      • Wells school, Malvern
      • St John's, Claines, Beachamp tomb
      • St Bartholomew's, Grimley
      • Whitbourne Hall Lodge, Worcs
      • Allsopp Tomb, Hindlip Hall
      • Malvern cemetery, Cross for Roper Curzon
      • St James, Harvington, Cross for AHW Ingram
      • St Michael's, Stourport
      • Walter Holland Tomb, Astwood cemetery
      • Congregational Sunday School, Worcester
      • Perrins Family Tomb, Worcester
      • St John's Church, Claines, Cross for LJ Curtler
      • Reredos, St Marys, Welford
      • Co-Operative Society, Worcester
      • St Leonard's, Newland, Pulpit
      • St Peters church, Ombersley
      • Flora statue, Chateau Impney, Droitwich
    • 1890's >
      • Worcester cemetery, Lewitt memorial
      • St John's churchyard, Claines, Lavie memorial
      • Malvern Wells cemetery Chapel
      • St Clements church, Worcester, Reredos
      • St Clements Church, Worcester, screen
      • E.W.Elmslie Memorial
      • St Ann's Well, Malvern
      • Worcester Grammar School Extension
      • Tomb of Thomas Rowley-Hill, Astwood cemetery
      • Canon Douglas, Salwarpe
      • Pitchcroft Gates, Worcester
      • St Matthias, Malvern
    • 1900's >
      • Temperance Drinking Fountain, Malvern
      • John Corbett tomb, Stoke Prior churchyard
      • Cross for G.Shaw, St Matthias, Malvern Link
      • Cross, Malvern Wells
      • Hook Severn, Worcs, Bromley Memorial
  • Jean Edwards Archive
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theforsythbrothers

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


 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 )
Picture

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


A photograph of William Forsyth aged around 50 ( Photograph courtesy of Elizabeth Moncrief )
Picture
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
Picture

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