Catherine Mawer

Last updated

Catherine Mawer
St Mark Low Moor (104).jpg
Self-portrait of Catherine Mawer aged about 53 years [1]
Born1803
Bilton, Harrogate
Died11 April 1877, aged 74
7 Oxford Place, Leeds
Resting placeFormer St Mark's churchyard, Woodhouse, Leeds
NationalityBritish
Notable work
 Mawer memorial, 1854
Architectural sculpture at:
St Mark's, Low Moor, 1857
Mechanics Institution, Halifax, 1857
Holy Innocents, Dewsbury, 1858
Leeds Town Hall, 1858
Font at:
St Peter, Barton, 1859
Style Gothic Revival
Neoclassical
Movement Aesthetic movement
Romanticism
Gothic Revival
Neoclassicism
Spouse(s) Robert Mawer
Memorial(s) Mawer memorial

Catherine Mawer (1803 - 11 April 1877) was an architectural sculptor who worked alongside her husband Robert Mawer, then following his death in 1854 she ran the family stone yard as a master sculptor at Great George Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, until 1859. The other master sculptor in her 1854–1859 company, which was known as Mrs Mawer, was her nephew William Ingle who supervised the stone yard and onsite works from 1854. Her apprentices were Matthew Taylor, Benjamin Payler, and her son Charles Mawer. All the apprentices later had independent careers as sculptors. After her son came of age in 1870, she continued working alongside Charles and her nephew William in the partnership Mawer and Ingle at the same address. Catherine was a founder member of the Mawer Group, which comprised all of the above Leeds architectural sculptors. During her lifetime, the Mawer group produced some strongly lifelike and often unflattering portraits, full of movement, including portraits of men with overhanging moustaches and cavernous mouths. These portraits continued after the deaths of Robert Mawer and William Ingle, but stopped appearing at her death in 1877. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that this style of work was her own.

Contents

Personal life

Catherine Mawer's father was Anthony Scriven, alehouse keeper, [2] and her mother was Elizabeth Scriven (1767 – 2 December 1841). [3] Catherine was born in Bilton, Harrogate in 1803, and baptised in Knaresborough on 27 February 1804. [4] She had a sister Mary Ann Scriven (d. Tadcaster 15 March 1861). [5] Catherine married Robert Mawer at Ripley, West Riding of Yorkshire on 15 May 1837. [6] She was the mother of Charles Mawer, who was present at her death. [7]

Catherine died on 11 April 1877 aged 74, at 7 Oxford Place, Leeds, of old age, having had bronchitis for five days. She was buried on 14 April 1877 with Robert in the churchyard of St Mark, Woodhouse, Leeds. [7] [8] At her death she left effects worth less than £1,500. [9] [10]

Career

Portrait of Catherine (ca.1851) by Robert Mawer St James Boroughbridge 2016 (43).JPG
Portrait of Catherine (ca.1851) by Robert Mawer
Retrospective portrait of Catherine (ca.1873) by Benjamin Payler Queens Hotel Barnsley in 2017 (1).JPG
Retrospective portrait of Catherine (ca.1873) by Benjamin Payler

She worked as a top sculptor alongside her husband Robert Mawer. [11] She was a partner in Mawer & Ingle, but she does not describe herself as a stone carver in the 1861 and 1871 Censuses, although her son does so. [12] [13] [14] [15] She is credited by the Leeds Intelligencer for her Caen stone carving in 1857, however, [16] and by other newspapers for other work between 1854 and 1859, listed below. In 1856 she summonsed an apprentice to court for disobeying orders, but her case was dismissed. The apprentice was Matthew Taylor, who was "exceedingly clever at his business." [17] The case sheds some light on the conditions of work for apprentices at the stone carving works: [18]

"On Saturday (19 February 1856), at the Leeds Court House, Mrs Mawer, widew of the late Mr Mawer, stone-mason, near the new Town-hall, summoned one of her apprentices to show cause why he did not obey her lawful command to go into the country to work. Mr. Horsfall appeared for Mrs Mawer, and Mr. Ferns for the apprentice. The case was brought into Court for the purpose of deciding the legality of the apprentice's claim for 2s. (equivalent to £9.68 in 2016) [19] a week for expenses when from home performing his employer's work. It appeared that Mrs Mawer paid him 8s. (equivalent to £38.72 in 2016) [19] per week, and by reason of his proficiency in his business he was frequently sent into the country to carve stone in churches and churchyards, and on such occasions his railway fare was paid, and 6d. (equivalent to £2.42 in 2016) [19] per night allowed for lodgings. Mr. Horsfall called several master stone-masons, who proved that the custom of the trade was to allow 6d. per night only when apprentices or journeymen were sent into the country to work. Mrs Mawer had, however, made occasional presents to the apprentice; but he now claimed 2s. per week for expenses. Mr J. Hope Shaw decided that, although the apprentice's indenture compelled him to obey all the lawful commands of his employer, yet, if the means were withheld whereby he could perform such command, he could not be punished for refusal. It was the same when a witness was subpoened; if a reasonable sum were not tendered to him for expenses, he could not be punished if he failed to obey the command. The sum of 2s. per week for expenses when an apprentice was away from home, the Bench considered a reasonable sum; and that not having been paid, they were of opinion that it was not a disobedience requiring punishment. The summons was therefore dismissed." [18]

Blue plaque in Leeds

Blue plaque for Catherine Mawer Mawer Group of sculptors blue plaque (3).jpg
Blue plaque for Catherine Mawer

On 11 July 2019 Leeds Civic Trust unveiled two blue plaques At the Henry Moore Institute, commemorating the work of Catherine Mawer, William Ingle and the rest of the Mawer Group. [20] These plaques are affixed to Moorlands House in Albion Street and 30 Park Place, both in Leeds. [21] [22]

Works by Catherine Mawer

Mawer memorial, Woodhouse, after 1854

Mawer memorial, heads and urn removed by 2015 Robert and Catherine Mawer gravestone 001.jpg
Mawer memorial, heads and urn removed by 2015

This memorial to Robert and Catherine Mawer, in the churchyard of the Church of St Mark, St Marks Road, Woodhouse, Leeds, is Grade II listed. The sculptor is not recorded, however when Robert died, Charles at age 16 was in the early stages of his apprenticeship, and this is a mature work, so it was probably executed by Catherine. It was created before Catherine's death, because her memorial was added after Robert's, in a bolder and slightly different hand. There are additional inscriptions on the gravestone, to Catherine's mother and sister, Elizabeth and Mary Ann Scriven (died 1841 and 1861 respectively). Between 1987 when the monument was listed, and 2015 when it was photographed by Geograph, the urn and the heads of the two angels were removed. Historic England describes the monument thus, as of 1987: [23]

"Ashlar and carved stone. Shaped podium, a stepped circular console-bracketed base supports 2 almost human-size angels who are draping the inscribed column (surmounted by an urn) with a garland of flowers. Half the urn has split away." [23]

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Mawer memorial at Wikimedia Commons

Susannah Blesard monument, St Mark, Woodhouse, 1856

Initialled spandrel on Blesard memorial Susannah Blesard Memorial 020.jpg
Initialled spandrel on Blesard memorial

This monument is in a Grade II listed building. St Mark's church was designed by architects Peter Atkinson and Richard Hey Sharp in 1823, [24] consecrated on 13 January 1826, [25] and closed in 2001. [26] It was bought by Gateway Church in 2008, and reopened on 5 June 2014. [27] [28] Catherine Mawer was responsible for the Susannah Blesard tomb in 1856. [29]

The Blesard monument was placed under a three-light stained glass window designed by Michael and Arthur O'Connor of London, illustrating the Last Supper and "Our Lord blessing little children". In 1856, the Leeds Intelligencer described the Susannah Blesard tomb: [29]

"A beautiful monument ... which has been executed in Caen stone, is in the perpendicular style of architecture, and is erected under the north-east window of the church. The design consists of one sepulchre arch, enriched with double foliated hanging tracery, the spandrels filled in with foliage, and the monogram "S.B." with deep moulded jamb and arch mould, with ornaments and scriptural text. The spandrels above the arch are filled in with cut diaper work, the whole being surmounted with an enriched cornice and Tudor flower. The buttresses at the side are diapered, with niches and rich crocketed canopies, terminating with a carved capital and angels in a kneeling attitude. The base of the tomb, where the recumbent figure is usually placed, is filled in with quatrefoil pannelling and scriptural text - on the edge of the moulding. At the back of the recess is the following inscription, in emblazoned mediaeval letters: Susannah Blesard ... died 31st of March, 1855 ... The monument has been designed by Messrs Dobson and Chorley, [30] architects, Leeds, and the whole has been executed by Mr. Mawer (sic) [31] of this town, and is a work which will bear close inspection."(Leeds Intelligencer, 18 October 1856) [29]

Commons-logo.svg Media related to St Mark, Woodhouse at Wikimedia Commons

Former St Mark's, Low Moor, Bradford, 1855−1857

Font by Catherine Mawer, Low Moor St Mark Low Moor (90).jpg
Font by Catherine Mawer, Low Moor

This is a Grade II listed building on Huddersfield Road, Low Moor, Bradford, [32] designed by Mallinson & Healey, [33] in Early Decorated style with an 80-foot spire. The stone carving throughout the church was executed by Catherine Mawer. The foundation stone was laid on 19 November 1855, [34] [35] and the building was consecrated on 11 March 1857 by the Bishop of Ripon. [16] It closed in 2002 and as of 2017 had been developed into flats and offices. [36] In 2011 an application was made to turn part of the graveyard into a car park. [37]

In 1857 the Leeds Intelligencer and Bradford Observer said: [16]

"On the south side of the nave, in the second bay, is a deeply-recessed doorway of three orders, resting upon capitals and shafts. The tympanum is richly carved in stone, and bears the inscription, The lord is nigh unto all that call upon him, and the symbol of St Mark the Evangelist - the Lion ... The Font stands on the West. It is of cup or goblet form, and rests upon four shafts of dark grey marble. It is of admirable workmanship and does ample justice to the well-earned reputation of Mrs Mawer, of Leeds. The font bears the following scripture legend, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. [38] ... The pulpit, which is placed at the North side of the chancel arch, is octagonal, each side bearing a trefoil, which carries a four-foiled circle ... The chancel arch is of three orders, the moulding resting upon deeply carved capitals and shafts ... The roof of the nave is composed of arched ribs which run down the walls and rest upon carved stone brackets. The roofs of the transepts and chancel vary in construction, whilst the four meeting at the intersection are formed of arched braces, resting upon carved stone corbels." (Leeds Intelligencer, 14 March 1857) [16] [39]

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Former church of St Mark, Low Moor at Wikimedia Commons

New Hall for Halifax Mechanics Institution, 1855−1857

Marlborough Hall Mechanics Institute Halifax 018.jpg
Marlborough Hall

This is a Grade II* listed building in Crossley Street opposite the Town Hall, Halifax. [40] It is now known as Marlborough Hall. It has carved corbels on the ground floor, which once held lamps. The first floor has arched windows with carved tympanums, and massive columns between, which are topped with Corinthian capitals. It was designed by Lockwood & Mawson. Tenders were accepted on 11 April 1855, including: "Ornamental masonry work: Mrs Mawer, £125.00." [41]

In 1857 the Leeds Intelligencer said: [41]

"The ground storey, to a height of twenty feet from the causeway, consists of pannelled and moulded ashlar piers, from the centre of each of which springs a moulded and carved bracket, supporting a handsome lamp and globe ... The windows between are circular headed. with carved imposts, archivolts and keys, and elaborate semicircular panels in the window heads." (Leeds Intelligencer 17 January 1857) [41]

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Marlborough Hall, Halifax at Wikimedia Commons

Church of the Holy Innocents, Thornhill Lees 1858

Portrait of Queen Victoria representing the State on the porch Holy Innocents Thornhill 031.jpg
Portrait of Queen Victoria representing the State on the porch

This is an unlisted building, although the vicarage and its gates and piers are listed and dated 1858. [42] [43] It stands on Savile Road, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, and was designed in the Early Decorated style by Mallinson & Healey, of Bradford. It was consecrated on Wednesday 23 June 1858. All the stone carving was executed by Catherine Mawer. It contains many windows by William Wailes on the north and east side of the chancel, in the tower, and at the east end of the aisles. [44] It also contains the St George's window from St Mary's, Savile Town, and the building was renovated in 1928. [45] The church was threatened with closure in 2010 due to low congregation numbers. [46] However it is now an Anglo-Catholic church. [47] [45]

In 1858 the Leeds Intelligencer said: [44]

"The porch is entered by a foliated arch, and over the principal door is carved the text, How amiable are Thy Tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts ... Near the principal entrance stands the font, of Caen stone, with marble pillars, and an elaborate oak cover of buttress and canopy work, terminating in a pelican in her piety ... Under the east window is an elaborate reredos, of Caen stone, with marble pillars, by Mawer of Leeds, who also executed the font and the whole of the carving."(Leeds Intelligencer 26 June 1858) [44]

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Church of the Holy Innocents, Thornhill Lees at Wikimedia Commons

Town Hall, Leeds, 1853-1858

Portrait of Robert Mawer with feather in his cap, on Leeds Town Hall Leeds Town Hall (1).JPG
Portrait of Robert Mawer with feather in his cap, on Leeds Town Hall

This is a Grade I listed building. [48] It was designed by Cuthbert Brodrick and the foundation stone was laid on 14 August 1853. [49] It was opened by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on 7 September 1858. [50]

The carving in the most prestigious position, in the tympanum over the main entrance, is the sole contribution by Thomas of London, the "sculptor of the Houses of Parliament." The artisan credited for the general carving work on the building is "Mrs Mawer, Leeds", who lived next door. She was responsible for the huge Corinthian capitals and the ornamental turrets on the roof. [50] However Robert Mawer was working on the "large keystones carved with Mythical heads" or "giant masks", [48] between 1853 and 1854, when he died. [51] Thomas Whiteley, the stonemason associated with Robert Mawer, also worked on the building; he was not a sculptor. [52] The carvings are in Rawdon Hill millstone grit. [48]

In 1858, the Leeds Intelligencer said that: [49]

Thomas's tympanum over the main door "represents Leeds in its commercial character." [To complement this], "The large panels [by Mawer] on each side of the entrance doorways are filled in with bold and classic scrolls and foliage, in the centre of each of which is a child bearing the fleece, having beneath the fasces and other emblems of Power and Justice, and above the caduceus of Mercury.(Leeds Intelligencer 11 Sep 1858) [49]

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Leeds Town Hall at Wikimedia Commons

Memorial tablet, John the Baptist Knaresborough, 1859–1860

Samuel Powell memorial Samuel Powell memorial (5).JPG
Samuel Powell memorial

In November 1859, a tender of £18 from "Mr Mawer" was accepted for a memorial tablet dedicated to Samuel Powell. Charles Mawer was only 20 years old and not yet able to be a partner in the company. William Ingle was 30 years old, but his name was not mentioned for the tender, so it must have been still Catherine Mawer's company. [53] In 1860 the memorial was "placed on the south west pillar of the central tower of the parish church", and the Leeds Mercury commented: [54]

"The tablet is a neat specimen of workmanship, and reflects great credit on Mr. Mawer (sic), has been highly approved of by those who have seen it, and will no doubt give satisfaction to the subscribers generally. It is about nine feet high and four wide, and projects about eight inches from the wall. It is executed in Caen stone, bearing a white marble tablet, illuminated with mediaeval characters. The design is by Mr. Joseph Fawcett, architect, Sheffield." [54] (Leeds Mercury 22 March 1860)

In the same year, the Yorkshire Gazette reported: [55]

"The base is corbelled out from the wall, and is adorned with lillies and vines. The arch over the tablet is carried on two small columns, one foot high, with caps foliated with lillies and strawberry leaves. The arch is decorated with tooth and other mouldings, and has rich trefoil cuspings with the eyes filled in with polished Sienna marble. The spandril over-arch is covered with creeping foliage, consisting of the passion flower and the vine gracefully entwined, and surrounding in a sunk trefoil panel with illuminated monogram in the centre, relieved against a diapered background. The upper part is finished by a rich label moulding springing from bosses of ivy leaves on each side, and terminating in a finial of similar character, and enriched with running ivy at the top, and thorn leaves in the hollow moulding of the under side. The monument has been neatly executed, at a small cost, by Mr. Mawer, sculptor, Leeds." [55] (Yorkshire Gazette 24 March 1860)

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Samuel Powell memorial, John the Baptist, Knaresborough at Wikimedia Commons

St Peter, Barton-upon-Humber, restoration 1859

Delicate frieze on font at St Peter, Barton Font at St Peter Barton-Upon-Humber (35).jpg
Delicate frieze on font at St Peter, Barton

This is a Grade I listed building; part of the tower dates from the 10th century, and other parts of the building are 13th and 14th century. [56] The building was restored internally, with "sundry alterations to the tower and roof," by Cuthbert Brodrick and reopened in 1859. The Hull Packet gave this description in 1859: [57]

"The pulpit, which is of elaborate design, stands on a pedestal of Caen stone, and is of hexagon shape. It stands on the north of the chancel arch ... The font, on the left hand as you enter the church by the south side porch, is a very beautiful work of art; it is of octagon shape, and [its stand is] covered with encaustic tiles on the top and sides. The font itself is made of Caen stone, and very elaborately carved with the emblems of the Four Evangelists in bold relief, and an inscription running round the top part in old character. The inscription is, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God." [58] The font is, we understand, the gift of the vicar. The carving has been done at Leeds, by Messrs. Mawer, from sketches by the architect." [57] (Hull Packet, 3 June 1859)

Commons-logo.svg Media related to St Peter's Church, Barton-upon-Humber at Wikimedia Commons
Commons-logo.svg Media related to St Mary Barton-Upon-Humber (pulpit) at Wikimedia Commons

St Stephen's Church, Bowling Old Lane, 1859–1860

Apse of St Stephen, West Bowling St Stephen, West Bowling (4146762187).jpg
Apse of St Stephen, West Bowling

This is a Grade II listed building. [59] The church in Newton Street, West Bowling, Bradford, [60] [61] was designed by Mallinson and Healey of Bradford. The foundation stone was laid on 2 July 1859, and the building was consecrated on Tuesday 24 April 1860 by the Bishop of Ripon. This was one of seven churches for which Charles Hardy was a major benefactor. This building of 611 sittings had a nave with aisles, a chancel with a hexagonal apse, and a tower with belfry at the north-west corner. The 27-inch bell was of cast steel, by Naylor and Vickers of Sheffield. Over the main entrance, which was via a recessed doorway on the north side, was the inscription: "Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust" (Psalm 40:4). There were four dormer windows on each side of the nave roof instead of a clerestory. The first incumbent was the Rev. T.A. Stowell M.A., who was previously the curate of Bolton, in Calverley. [62]

Weather-worn portrait of Robert Bickersteth by Catherine Mawer St Stephen West Bowling (134).JPG
Weather-worn portrait of Robert Bickersteth by Catherine Mawer

The Leeds Intelligencer reported: [62]

"The font, which is at the west end of the nave, is of Caen stone, octagonal, supported on marble pillars, and enriched with carvings of the evangelistic symbols. Around the base is the legend: As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). It is the work of Mr. (sic) Mawer, of Leeds, and does great credit to his taste and skill." (Leeds Intelligencer 28 April 1860) [62]

In 1859 when the commission was taken up, Robert Mawer was dead and Charles Mawer had not completed his apprenticeship, so it is reasonable to suppose that the author of the font was Catherine Mawer. As of 2018 the original Caen stone font is not visible; in the nave is a smaller, late nineteenth century Derbyshire alabaster font without the Evangelists' symbols or any inscription. In 1887 the building was enlarged and renovated by architect M. Brayshaw; a Caen stone and alabaster reredos and a chancel window by Powell were added. [63]

Commons-logo.svg Media related to St Stephen's Church, Bowling at Wikimedia Commons

See also

Related Research Articles

Wool Exchange, Bradford

The Wool Exchange Building in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England is a grade I-listed building built as a wool-trading centre in the 19th century. The grandeur of its Gothic Revival architecture is symbolic of the wealth and importance that wool brought to Bradford. Today it is a Waterstones bookshop as well as a cafe.

Leeds Town Hall Grade I listed building in Leeds, England

Leeds Town Hall is a 19th-century municipal building on The Headrow, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Planned to include law courts, a council chamber, offices, a public hall, and a suite of ceremonial rooms, it was built between 1853 and 1858 to a design by the architect Cuthbert Brodrick. With the building of the Civic Hall in 1933, some of these functions were relocated, and after the construction of the Leeds Crown Court in 1993, the Town Hall now serves mainly as a concert, conference and wedding venue, its offices still used by some council departments. It was designated a Grade I listed building in 1951.

Farmer & Brindley

Farmer & Brindley was a firm of architectural sculptors and ornamentalists based in London, founded by William Farmer (1825–1879) and William Brindley (1832–1919)

All Souls Church, Blackman Lane Church in West Yorkshire, England

All Souls' Church, Blackman Lane, in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England is a large Victorian Church of England parish church. Worship at All Souls is in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England.

Leeds Central Library

Leeds Central Library is a public library in Leeds. Situated in the city centre, on Calverley Street, it houses the city library service's single largest general lending and reference collection and hosts the Leeds Art Gallery.

St Bartholomews Church, Armley Church in Leeds, England

St Bartholomew's Church, Armley is a parish church in the Church of England in Armley, West Yorkshire. The church is one of two Church of England churches in Armley; the other being Christ Church. Worship at St Bartholomew's is firmly rooted in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England with a solemn mass being celebrated weekly.

St Matthias Church, Burley Church in West Yorkshire, England

St Matthias' Church is an Anglican church in Burley, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The church was completed in 1854 and the north aisle and west porch were added in 1886. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Church of St Michael and All Angels, Beckwithshaw Church in North Yorkshire, England

The Church of St Michael and All Angels, Beckwithshaw, North Yorkshire, England, also known as Beckwithshaw Church, is an Anglican church built and furnished between 1886 and 1887 by William Swinden Barber in the Gothic Revival style as part of the Arts and Crafts movement. The stained glass windows in the same style were added in 1892. The church is listed as a Grade II historic structure; it is a pristine and unchanged example of an Arts and Crafts church retaining all its original furnishings, apart from one missing statue. However, in 2018 the church officers gained planning permission for changes which included removing all of the original pews. The first vicar of this church, from 1887 to 1894, was Charles Farrar Forster.

William Swinden Barber English architect (1832–1908)

William Swinden Barber FRIBA, also W. S. Barber or W. Swinden Barber, was an English Gothic Revival and Arts and Crafts architect, specialising in modest but finely furnished Anglican churches. The Barber churches often had crenellated bell-towers. He was based in Brighouse and Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire. At least 15 surviving examples of his work are Grade II listed buildings including his 1875 design for the Victoria Cross at Akroydon. An 1864 portrait by David Wilkie Wynfield depicts him in Romantic garb, holding a flower. He served in the Artists Rifles regiment in the 1860s alongside Wynfield and other contemporary artists.

St Stephens Church, Kirkstall Church

St. Stephen's Church is a Church of England church in Kirkstall, Leeds. The church has been Grade II listed since 5 August 1976.

St Marks Church, Woodhouse, Leeds Church in Leeds, England

Gateway Church in Woodhouse, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England is an Evangelical church. It was the Parish Church of St Mark's, an Anglican church until its closure in 2005. It reopened as Gateway Church in 2014.

Robert Mawer English architectural sculptor (1807–1854)

Robert Mawer was an architectural sculptor, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. He specialised in the Gothic Revival and Neoclassical styles. He created the Neoclassical keystone heads on St George's Hall, Bradford and on Moorland's House, Leeds, and was working on the keystone heads at Leeds Town Hall when he died. He was a founding member of the Mawer Group of Leeds architectural sculptors, which included his wife, Catherine Mawer, his son Charles Mawer, and his apprentices William Ingle, Matthew Taylor and Benjamin Payler, who all became sculptors with their own careers. Many of the buildings enhanced with sculpture by Robert Mawer are now listed by Historic England.

Charles Mawer

Charles Mawer (1839–1903) was an architectural sculptor, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. He was the son of sculptors Robert and Catherine Mawer and the cousin of William Ingle. He was apprenticed to his father, and worked within the partnership Mawer and Ingle alongside his cousin William and his own mother between 1860 and 1871, and then ran the stone yard himself until he formed a partnership with his fellow-apprentice Benjamin Payler in 1881. Following that date, his whereabouts and death are unknown. His last major work for Mawer and Ingle was Trent Bridge, where he carved alone, following the death of William Ingle. He is noted for his work on the rebuilding of the mediaeval Church of St Michael and All Angels, Barton-le-Street, completed in 1871, where he repaired and recreated damaged and missing Romanesque carvings, and for his carving on William Swinden Barber's 1875 Church of St Matthew, Lightcliffe. Charles' last known work ornaments another Barber church: the 1880 Church of St Thomas the Apostle, Killinghall. Charles was a member of the Mawer Group of Leeds architectural sculptors, which included those mentioned above, plus Matthew Taylor.

Mawer and Ingle was a company of architectural sculptors, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, between 1860 and 1871. It comprised cousins Charles Mawer and William Ingle (1828–1870), and Catherine Mawer (1804–1877) who was mother of Charles and aunt of William. The group produced carvings on many Gothic Revival churches and their internal furnishings. They also worked on civic buildings, warehouses and offices. Many of these are now listed by Historic England, and many of the surviving buildings are within Yorkshire. Their work outside Yorkshire included Trent Bridge.

Benjamin Payler

Benjamin Payler, , was a sculptor, stone and marble mason. He was apprenticed to Catherine Mawer, alongside fellow apprentices Matthew Taylor and Catherine's son Charles Mawer. He formed a business partnership at 50 Great George Street with Charles Mawer in 1881. There is no known record of Charles after that. Payler continued to run the business there under his own name. In his day, he was noted for his 1871 bust of Henry Richardson, the first Mayor of Barnsley, his keystone heads on the 1874 Queen's Hotel in the same town, and his architectural sculpture on George Corson's 1881 School Board offices, Leeds. Payler was a member of the Mawer Group, which included the above-mentioned sculptors, plus William Ingle.

Matthew Taylor (sculptor)

Matthew Taylor was a sculptor based in Leeds and Arthington, West Yorkshire, England. He was apprenticed to Catherine Mawer, and was known in his day for bust, medallion and relief portraits, and statues. He exhibited some of these in Leeds Art Gallery during the last decade of his life. Between 1861 and 1876 he worked in partnership with Benjamin Burstall (1835–1876); they executed the sculpture on the Town Hall at Bolton in Greater Manchester. After Taylor's death, in 1905 his work received further recognition when Reverend W.T. Adey praised his carving on William Taylor's gravestone at Woodhouse Cemetery, Leeds, and named it the "Angler's Tomb." That work is now a listed monument. Taylor was a member of the Mawer Group, which included the above-mentioned sculptors, plus Robert Mawer, Charles Mawer, Benjamin Payler and William Ingle.

Benjamin Burstall was a sculptor, architectural sculptor and stone carver, based in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.

William Ingle English architectural sculptor (1828–1870)

William Ingle was an architectural sculptor in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. He specialised in delicately undercut bas relief and small stand-alone stone sculptures of natural and imaginary flora and fauna on churches and on civic, commercial and domestic buildings. He was apprenticed to his uncle Robert Mawer. After Mawer's death in 1854 he worked in partnership with his aunt Catherine Mawer and his cousin Charles Mawer in the company Mawer and Ingle. Notable works by Ingle exist on Leeds Town Hall, Endcliffe Hall, Sheffield and Moorlands House, Leeds. He sometimes exhibited gentle humour in his ecclesiastical work, such as faces peering through greenery, and mischievous humour on secular buildings, such as comic rabbits and frogs among foliage. He died of tuberculosis at age 41 years, having suffered the disease for two years.

Church of All Saints, Harlow Hill Grade II listed church in North Yorkshire, England

The Church of All Saints, Harlow Hill, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, is a grade II listed mission church, or chapel of ease, completed in 1871 on land donated by Henry Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood, within the parish of St Mary. It was consecrated by the Bishop of Ripon in 1871. The building was designed with a round bell tower, in Gothic Revival style, by Isaac Thomas Shutt and Alfred Hill Thompson. After some years of closure due to structural problems, as of 2014 it was being restored for use by a funeral director's company.

John Wormald Appleyard

John Wormald Appleyard was a sculptor and monumental mason based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. He was sixteen years old when his apprenticeship as a stone carver was curtailed due to the death of his grandfather who was training him. He was versatile enough to turn his hand to wood carving, decorative ceiling work, stained glass and marble sculpture besides stone carving, so that from around the age of twenty-one years he was able to maintain a stoneyard and studio in Cookridge Street, Leeds, at least until 1891. He was generally known during his lifetime as a monumental mason. He is mainly known today in Leeds for his wooden Jacquemart figures of Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Richard the Lionheart and the swineherd Gurth, which strike the hours on the Ivanhoe clock at one end of Thornton's Arcade in Briggate. He is also known for his figure of Old Father Time on the Tempus Fugit clock on the Time Ball Buildings, Leeds.

References

  1. ↑ Note: This 1857 portrait, on the tower of St Mark's Church, Low Moor, Bradford, is paired with a post-mortem portrait of Robert Mawer. She had been widowed for three years, and in that time had completed an elaborate memorial for her late husband.
  2. ↑ "Sureties paid by alehouse keepers at Bilton with Harrogate" (PDF). Fretwell Kangaweb. 1803. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  3. ↑ Information from Robert and Catherine Mawer's gravestone in St Mark's churchyard, Woodhouse, Leeds
  4. ↑ FamilySearch "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," (database 30 December 2014), Catharine Scriven, 27 Feb 1804; citing KNARESBOROUGH-RC,KNARESBOROUGH,YORK,ENGLAND, reference FHL microfilm 0599712 IT 1
  5. ↑ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 18 September 2017. Deaths Mar 1861 Scriven Mary Ann Tadcaster 9c 391
  6. ↑ Robert Mawer married Catherine Scriven on 15 May 1837 at Ripley, York. "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," database, FamilySearch 10 December 2014, Robert Mawer and Catherine Scriven, 15 May 1837 citing Ripley,York,England, reference FHL microfilm 98,551, 207,572, 98,551.
  7. 1 2 "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 20 October 2016. Deaths Jun 1877 Mawer Catherine 74 Leeds vol9b p323. Her death certificate gives her age as 74, and describes her as widow of Robert Mawer, stone carver.
  8. ↑ West Yorkshire, England, Church of England deaths and burials 1813-1985 Burials in the parish of St Mark, Woodhouse, Leeds, 14 April 1877, no.5181, page 644
  9. ↑ Probate granted 7 June 1877 Administration granted to her son Charles Mawer of Great George Street, Leeds, marble and stone mason
  10. ↑ Catherine Mawer, Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 accessed 21 Oct 2016
  11. ↑ The evidence for this is that the unusual habit of carving men's portraits with oversized moustaches and cavernous mouths continues before and after the deaths of Robert Mawer (d.1854) and William Ingle (1870), and ceases after Catherine's death in 1877. From this it is reasonable to conclude that this was a style produced by Catherine. See Wikimedia Commons category Mawer (architectural sculptors).
  12. ↑ United Kingdom Census 1861: Class: RG9; Piece: 3392; Folio: 119; Page: 16; GSU roll: 543124
  13. ↑ United Kingdom Census 1871: Class: RG10; Piece: 4565; Folio: 100; Page: 37; GSU roll: 847142
  14. ↑ White's Directory and Topography of the Boroughs of Leeds and Bradford, 1861, p. 330
  15. ↑ McCorquodale & Co.'s Topographical and Commercial Directory of Leeds and Neighbourhood, 1876, pp. 292, 436, 450
  16. 1 2 3 4 Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 14 March 1857 p6 col6: "Consecration of St Mark's Church, Low Moor, near Bradford"
  17. ↑ Leeds Intelligencer, Tuesday 19 February 1856 p3 col3: Important decision respecting apprentice
  18. 1 2 Leeds Mercury, Thursday 21 February 1856 p3: "Important to masters and apprentices"
  19. 1 2 3 Historical UK inflation rates and calculator
  20. ↑ "Blue Plaque Unveiling: Catherine & Robert Mawer Henry Moore Institute, Leeds". yorkshire-sculpture.org. Yorkshire Sculpture International. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  21. ↑ Hinson, Andrew HUTC (8 July 2019). "Blue plaques to honour Leeds architectural sculptors who left their mark on some of city's most iconic buildings". Yorkshire Evening Post. Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  22. ↑ Drysdal, Laura (12 July 2019). "A trailblazer for Barbara Hepworth - this is why 'forgotten' sculptor Catherine Mawer has been recognised with a blue plaque in Leeds". Yorkshire Evening Post. Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  23. 1 2 Historic England 1256146: Mawer memorial approximately 20 metres south west of tower of Church of St Mark
  24. ↑ Leeds Mercury, Saturday 26 April 1823 p.3 col.4: St Mark's Church, Woodhouse
  25. ↑ Leeds Intelligencer, Thursday 19 January 1826 p.4 col.2: Consecration of St Mark's Church, Woodhouse
  26. ↑ Leeds Daily Photo: St Marks Woodhouse interior after closure, 2001
  27. ↑ Yorkshire Evening Post, 31 May 2014: "Leeds Nostalgia: St Mark’s Church, Woodhouse set for grand unveiling"
  28. ↑ Gateway Leeds: our story
  29. 1 2 3 Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 18 October 1856 p5 col.2: "The late Mrs Blesard"
  30. ↑ Charles Chorley, architect
  31. ↑ Note: Robert Mawer died in 1854, therefore the newspaper meant "Mrs" Mawer
  32. ↑ Listed building Grade II no.1314451
  33. ↑ Yorkshire Indexers: Low Moor St Mark's Church
  34. ↑ Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 21 March 1857 p.6 col.3: Low Moor
  35. ↑ Halifax Courier, Saturday 24 November 1855 p.8 col.5: Low Moor
  36. ↑ South Bradford Local History Alliance record: St Mark's Low Moor
  37. ↑ Telegraph and Argus: "Bradford church in favour as deal would let money be spent in other areas", Kathie Griffiths, 14 February 2011
  38. ↑ Acts 8:37
  39. ↑ Bradford Observer, Thursday 12 March 1857 p5 col.6: "Consecration of St Mark's Church, Low Moor"
  40. ↑ Historic England 1314023: Marlborough Hall
  41. 1 2 3 Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 17 January 1857 p6 col1: "Halifax Mechanics Institution, inauguration of the new building"
  42. ↑ British Listed Buildings: Thornhill Lees vicarage 1134713/English Heritage 340783
  43. ↑ British Listed Buildings: Gates and gate piers to Thornhill Lees vicarage 1183833/English Heritage 340784
  44. 1 2 3 Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 26 June 1858 p2 col.4: "Consecration of the Church of the Holy Innocents, Thornhill"
  45. 1 2 Website of St Saviour Ravensthorpe and Holy Innocents Thornhill Lees with Savile Town
  46. ↑ Dewsbury Heritage Walks: 18. Thornhill Lees parish church & nearby vicarage Church was due to be closed in 2010 due to small size of congregation.
  47. ↑ Church of England: A church near you, Holy Innocents with St Mary, Thornhill Lees
  48. 1 2 3 Historic England 1255772: Town Hall
  49. 1 2 3 Leeds Times, Saturday 11 September 1858 p6 col1: "Our royal visitors and their reception"
  50. 1 2 Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 04 September 1858 "The Queen's visit to Leeds, and the inauguration of the Town Hall"
  51. ↑ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 25 October 2016. Deaths Dec 1854 Mawer Robert Leeds vol9b p233. The certificate describes him as a stone carver.
  52. ↑ Leeds Intelligencer, Tuesday 07 September 1858 p1: "The Queen's visit to Leeds, and the inauguration of the Town Hall" Repeat of the 4 Sept article. Thomas Whiteley is mentioned in credits for work.
  53. ↑ Leeds Mercury, Tuesday 01 November 1859 p3: "Memorial to the late S. Powell, Esq."
  54. 1 2 Leeds Mercury, Thursday 22 March 1860 p4 col2: Knaresborough: the Powell Memorial Fund
  55. 1 2 Yorkshire Gazette, Saturday 24 March 1860 p9 col4: The Powell Memorial Fund
  56. ↑ Church of St Peter 1083103
  57. 1 2 Hull Packet, Friday 03 June 1859 p7 col.3: "Barton, re-opening of st Peter's Church"
  58. ↑ From John 3.5
  59. ↑ Church of st Stephen 1133174
  60. ↑ St Stephen West Bowling, website
  61. ↑ The Church of England: Bowling, St Stephen Bowling
  62. 1 2 3 Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 28 April 1860 p7 col2: St Stephen's Church, Bowloing Old Lane
  63. ↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, Friday 15 July 1887, p6 col7: St Stephen's Church, West Bowling, consecration service
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.