William Forsyth
Born 1834 (Circa)
Died 5 June 1915
Active: 1851 - 1915
Country of birth: Scotland
Country of death: England
Sculptor, carver, gilder
Born in Kelso, Scotland. He was the son of Adam Forsyth, mason, who probably died in the early 1840s. Like his older brother, the sculptor James Forsyth (1827-1910), he was raised by his mother Agnes (born c.1811), a 'seemster'. William seems to have served his apprenticeship alongside Edward Logsdail (born c.1830 in Poplar) in St. Pancras, London under the wood carver Henry Hubbard (born c.1814 in St Pancras, London).
He established a practice in Worcester c.1858 after working at nearby Eastnor Castle. During his time at Eastnor, William met his first wife, Elizabeth Cobham, whose uncle ran the local inn. He worked with his brother James on the extensive renovations for Witley Court, Worcester in the late 1850s. Witley was owned by William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley who also had property near Kelso where he probably first encountered the Forsyth brothers. William Forsyth remained in the area for the rest of his career, establishing a successful sculpture business in Tything Street. In the early 1870s, William was employing twelve men and three boys. Three of his sons, Adam (born c.1855 in London), William (born c.1864), and Charles G. (born c.1869) also became carvers and sculptors. Adam worked from his own workshop in Malvern and collaborated with his father. Ellen Forsyth, his oldest daughter, married John Mercer Marshall (1852-1944 born in Brighton), a mason and marble carver. John Mercer was the son of John Marshall (1816-90 born in Boxgrove, Sussex) a builder and mason who worked with Sir Giles Gilbert Scott on various projects, including on the restoration of the spire at Chichester Cathedral c.1864.
Includes information from Elizabeth Moncrieff, Diana Forrow and notes supplied to the Henry Moore Institute archive by Bernice Forsyth. There is a website for the Forsyth brothers, research by Elizabeth Moncrieff, with lists of their works at: http://www.theforsythbrothers.com/ (accessed 14 November 2014).
Wealth at death: £2,826 19s. 5d.
Probate date: 14 July 1915
Locations
Address 26 William Street St Pancras London England | View on map
1851 (Circa)
Address Burcot House Chesnut Street Worcester England | View on map
1861 (Circa)
Street name given as 'Chesnut' in Census Returns, may be a mis-spelling of 'Chestnut'
Address 6 Tything Street Whistones Worcester England | View on map
1871 (Circa) - 1915
Around 1881 Forsyth also occupied number 5 Tything Street. This was both a home and business address.
Personal and Professional Connections
Aunt/uncle of James Nesfield Forsyth
Employed Herbert Henry Martyn
1861 (Circa) - 1863 (Circa)
Employed as a journeyman carver until he left to work for Boulton. One of his first projects was carving in the Great Hall of Eastnor Castle [see Whitaker (1985) p. 12 with corrections from Elizabeth Moncrieff.]
Mother/father/parent of Adam John Forsyth
Sister/sibling of James Forsyth
Descriptions of Practice
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
'Wood Carver App[rentice]', also Edward Logsdail (born c.1830), 'Wood Carver App[rentice]' both serving under, Henry Hubbard (born c.1814, in St Pancras, London), wood carver
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
'Master Sculptor, employing 1 Man'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871
'Sculptor, employing 12 Men, 3 Boys'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881
'Sculptor' also his son William (born c.1864), 'Sculptor Carver'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
'Sculptor' employer
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901
'Sculptor, Marble & Stone' employer working at home, also his son Charles G. (born c.1869), 'Sculptor, Marble & Stone', worker at home (employed in the family business)
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911
'Sculptor (Stone & Wood)' employer
Sources
1841 Scotland Census
2007
Name: William Forsyth
Age: 7
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1834
Gender: Male
Where born: Roxburghshire, Scotland
Civil parish: Kelso
County: Roxburghshire
Address: Bridge Street
Parish Number: 793
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
2005
HO107 piece 1493 folio 238 page 36
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
2005
RG09 piece 2108 folio 96 page 38
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871
2004
RG10 piece 3049 folio 4 page 2
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881
2004
RG11 piece 2915 folio 5 page 1
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
2004
RG12 piece 2328 folio 8 page 9
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901
2005
RG13 piece 2779 folio 124 page 7
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911
2011
RG14PN17629 RG78PN1079 RD377 SD1 ED10 SN4
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915
2006
Name: William Forsyth
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1834
Year of Registration: 1915
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
Age at Death: 81
District: Worcester
County: Hereford and Worcester, Worcestershire
Volume: 6c
Page: 168
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
2010
Name: William Forsyth
Probate Date: 14 Jul 1915
Death Date: 5 Jun 1915
Death Place: Worcester, Worcestershire, England
Registry: Worcester
Citing this record
'William Forsyth', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=ann_1302179512, accessed 26 Sep 2023]
