http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlesex Sharon Mathieson wrote: > Thanks everyone for all the information. As you have probably guessed, this > Aussie knows nothing about English geography. Is Middlesex near London? Is > it more likely then that James did have a studio in the Tavistock > Street/Road there than in Bedford? Certainly the fact that the other studio > in Theobalds Road is so close indicates that. I guess our sticking point is > the brother Benjamin. I will check again with whatever family members and > see if he was a real brother or a piece of the jigsaw that was cut to fit. > They may not know, or be willing to let go of their preconcieved ideas. > > On Tue, Feb 23, 2010 at 10:51 PM, Norina Pauling <norina@hotmail.com> wrote: > > >> Hi Sharon >> >> >> >> Around 1830 there was something of a gothic/Medieval revival. A number of >> city churches were rebuilt or newly built in the gothic style, along with >> houses & follies. The inside was as important as the outside & older >> churches were also given a facelift. James is described as a Medieval >> decorator in 1851, Master is not mentioned so I agree with Gus that he >> worked for an employer & must have had an apprenticeship of some sort. Trade >> directories of the time might shed some light on a local employer. With this >> skill, whether stained glass, painting, book illustration or wood work >> (Medieval decorator could cover a multitude of crafts) he would have been in >> demand and travelled, so Hitchin may have been one of them. St Marys in >> Hitchin does not mention any direct new work being done then, but James may >> also have restored existing medieval works. >> >> >> >> A letter/email to the church (on website) may provide some info as well as >> the Herts record office. Perhaps there are church records for payment of any >> work carried out, although this may have been covered by the diocese. >> >> >> >> Another lead that might be worth pursuing is the 1851 Great Exhibition, the >> Victoria & Albert Museum hold a large number of catalogues covering exhibits >> from all over the UK (and the world). There must have been a section for >> stained glass in the arts & crafts section. An ancestor of mine won a gold >> medal for lace design at the exhibition. There were over 100,000 exhibits & >> the proceeds built the V&A, Science Museum & Natural history Museum, the >> charity is still going today and funds scolarships etc. >> >> >> >> Hope this is of help >> >> >> >> Kind Regards >> >> Norina >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>> Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:43:31 +1100 >>> From: sharon.mathieson@gmail.com >>> To: BEDFORD@rootsweb.com >>> Subject: [BDF] James WEST >>> >> > >> >>> Hi List, >>> my great great grandfather James West was a writer and an artist >>> specialising in stained glass window design. according to family >>> >> tradition >> >>> his work adorns a number of English churches. The family lived for some >>> years in Tavistock St. Bedford, and subsequently in Islington. There is >>> supposed to be some connection to Hitchin Church in Bedford, and he >>> apparently attended Bishopgate school when he was 10. His studio after he >>> left Tavistock St Bedford was Dartmouth Chambers, Theobalds Rd. WC >>> James had a brother named Benjamin and their father's name was Richard, >>> >> who >> >>> was apparently an ironmonger. >>> I have a copy of the marriage certificate of James West to Ann Margaret >>> Pickford on June 8th 1842, and some census records showing his later >>> >> family >> >>> life, but would like to be able to find out more about his earlier life >>> >> and >> >>> his ancestry. If anyone can help me I would be very grateful, >>> thanks, >>> Sharon >>> New South Wales, >>> Australia >>> >>> >>> >>> The List Guidelines >>> >>> http://bedfordrootsweb.blogspot.com/ >>> >>> The Bedfordshire Surnames List >>> >>> http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~hughw/bedf.html >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>> >> BEDFORD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> _________________________________________________________________ >> Got a cool Hotmail story? 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