Reuben Townroe
Born 29 October 1835
Died 16 April 1911
Active: 1875 - 1901
Country of birth and death: England
Sculptor, draughtsman, modeller of brickwork
Born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, the son of a hardware merchant (John Townroe, born in Manchester, c.1811). He worked as an assistant to Godfrey Sykes on the architectural decorations for the South Kensington Museum (V&A) and completed these after the latter's death in 1866. In later years he worked as a modeller of brickwork and a draughtsman. Townroe was a recipient of a grant from the Turner fund in 1909. He died in Chelsea.
Wealth at death: £92 10s. 0d.
Probate date: 8 August 1911
Locations
Address 91 Church Street Chelsea London England | View on map
1875 (Circa) - 1881 (Circa)
Address Pentre Farm Pentre Oswestry England | View on map
1891 (Circa)
Address 48 Gertrude Street Chelsea London England | View on map
1891 (Circa) - 1911
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Beneficiary of Turner Fund (Royal Academy of Arts), 1856-1951
1909
Recipient of Turner Fund in 1909.
Exhibited at The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts (Summer Exhibition), 1768-
1875 - 1880
Exhibited twice, one work each time (portrait medallions)
Personal and Professional Connections
Assistant to Godfrey Sykes
1860 (Circa)
At South Kensington Museum, continued Sykes' work after the latter's death in 1866
Descriptions of Practice
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881
'Artist & Decorator Sculptor'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
'Modeller Brickwork'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901
'Retired Draughtsman'
Sources
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
2005
Class: HO107; Piece: 2337; Folio: 140; Page: 42; GSU roll: 87585-87587
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881
2004
Class: RG11; Piece: 81; Folio: 31; Page: 32; GSU roll: 1341018
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
2004
Class: RG12; Piece: 2118; Folio 146; Page 14; GSU roll: 6097228
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901
2005
RG13 piece 71 folio 118 page 28
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915
2006
Name: Reuben Townroe
Estimated birth year: abt 1836
Year of Registration: 1911
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
Age at Death: 75
District: Chelsea (1841-1981)
County: Greater London, London, Middlesex
Volume: 1a
Page: 211
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
2010
Name: Reuben Townroe
Probate Date: 8 Aug 1911
Death Date: 16 Apr 1911
Death Place: Middlesex, England
Registry: London, England
London, England, Electoral Registers, 1835-1965
2010
Name: Reuben Townroe
Electoral Year: 1891
Parliamentary Division: Chelsea
County or Borough: Kensington and Chelsea p. 26
London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921
2010
London Metropolitan Archives, Holy Trinity, Chelsea, Register of marriages, P74/TRI, Item 016
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
2004
Contribution to South Kensington Museum discussed in: Susan Graves, ‘Sykes, Godfrey (1824–1866)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edn, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26868, accessed 23 July 2010]
Sheffield Parish Records Collection 1538-2005
Day:8
Month:Mar
Year:1837
Surname:Townroe
Forename:Reuben
Father:John
Mother:Mary
Occupation:Nail Mr
Abode:Sheffield
Birth day:29
Birth month:Oct
Birth year:1835
Church:Sheffield St Peter & St Paul (Cathedral)
Place:Sheffield
County:Yorkshire
Comments:
Record source:Sheffield Baptisms
Data provider:Sheffield & District Family History Society
Transcriptions © Sheffield & District Family History Society
The New Sculpture
1983
p. 12
Citing this record
'Reuben Townroe', 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=editor_1276685654, accessed 26 Sep 2023]
