Benjamin Burstall
Born 15 October 1835
Died 14 January 1876
Active: 1857 - 1876
Country of birth and death: England
Sculptor, architectural sculptor, stone carver
Born in Holbeck, West Riding, Yorkshire. He was the son of Nathaniel Burstall (1801-54, born in Hull died in Hunslett), a master mariner and ship owner.
Benjamin became a sculptor between 1851 and 1857 (aged 14 he had no occupation, but by the time he married six years later he was working). He entered into a partnership with Matthew Taylor (1837-89) working under the name of Burstall & Taylor, Sculptors. The firm is listed in several Leeds City directories from the 1860s and 1870s. Their business was located in Cookridge Street near Woodhouse Lane.
Amongst the known projects that Burstall & Taylor executed were the stone carving for: the renovation of St. Stephen's Church, Kirkstall (1864); the building of the Church of St. Mary, Hunslet, Yorkshire (1864); the building of St. Oswald's Church, Fulford, Yorkshire (1866); the building of Christchurch Congregational Church, Ilkley, Yorkshire (1868); the renovation of the Parish Church of Sandal, Wakefield, Yorkshire (1873); and the main staircase and portico of the Bolton, Lancashire, Town Hall, including the recumbent lions flanking the stairs as well as additional external and internal sculpture (1870).
Benjamin Burstall died at the age of 40 of consumption and was buried in Leeds General Cemetery with his parents in plot 4653. Matthew Taylor of Leeds, Sculptor was named as one of the executors of Burstall's will. It is presumed that Taylor continued the business successfully after Burstall's death.
This record includes information submitted by Kurt Etchingham.
Wealth at death: £600 0s. 0d.
Probate date: 4 March 1876
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited. Click here for more information.
Locations
Address Carlton Cross Street Leeds England | View on map
1861 (Circa)
Address 8 Lofthouse Place Leeds England | View on map
1871 (Circa)
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at Leeds Mechanics' Institution, Yorkshire Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures, Leeds, 1875
'Group'
Personal and Professional Connections
Partner to Matthew Taylor
1860 (Circa) - 1876
The partnership ended at Burstall's death in January 1876.
Descriptions of Practice
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
'Sculptor'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871
'Sculptor (employing 2 men, 2 boys)'
Sources
Catalogue of the Yorkshire Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures, Leeds, 1875
1875
Cat. Nos. G7, G23, p. 288
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1841
2010
HO107
Piece number 1344
Book number 12
Folio number 38
Page number 3
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
2005
HO107
Piece number 2315
Folio 308
Page 14
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
2005
RG09
Piece number 3387
Folio 109
Page number 24
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871
2004
Class: RG10; Piece: 4560; Folio: 13; Page: 24; GSU roll: 847140
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915
2006
BENJAMIN
Last name BURSTALL
Gender Male
Birth day -
Birth month -
Birth year 1836
Age 40
Death quarter 1
Death year 1876
District Leeds
County Yorkshire
Volume 9B
Page 359
Country England
Record set England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Civil Deaths & Burials
Collections from Great Britain, England
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
2010
Name: Benjamin Burstall
Death Date: 14 Jan 1876
Death Place: Yorkshire, England
Probate Date: 4 Mar 1876
Registry: Wakefield
England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1970
2013
Benjamin
Last name Burstall
Birth year 1835
Birth date 15 Oct 1835
Place Leeds
Denomination -
Father's first name(s) Nathaniel
Mother's first name(s) Maria
County Yorkshire
Country England
The National Archives reference TNA/RG/5/139
Description Certificate nos: 7501-8000, Vol 15
Record set England & Wales Non-Conformist Births And Baptisms
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Baptisms
West Yorkshire, England, Marriages and Banns, 1813-1921
2011
Name: Benjamin Burstall
Marriage Age: 22
Event Type: Marriage
Birth Year: abt 1835
Marriage Date: 3 Oct 1857
Marriage Place: Leeds, St Peter, Yorkshire, England
Parish: Leeds, St Peter
Citing this record
'Benjamin Burstall', 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=msib5_1206656594, accessed 28 Sep 2023]
