William Edward Barnsley (7 February 1900 2 December 1987) was an English designer and maker of furniture, teacher and important figure in the 20th-century British craft movement. Born in

Duntisbourne Rouse Duntisbourne Rouse is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It lies in the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 70. History Toponymy The vill ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, he was the son of

Sidney Barnsley Ernest (born Arthur Ernest Barnsley (1863 –1926) but known as Ernest Barnsley) and Sidney Howard Barnsley (25 February 1865 – 25 September 1926) were Arts and Crafts movement master builders, furniture designers and makers associated with Erne ...

who trained as an architect with

Norman Shaw Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the g ...

, and the nephew of Ernest Barnsley. These two family members were leading figure heads of the Arts and Crafts movement along with their friend,

Ernest Gimson Ernest William Gimson (; 21 December 1864 – 12 August 1919) was an English furniture designer and architect. Gimson was described by the art critic Nikolaus Pevsner as "the greatest of the English architect-designers". Today his reputati ...

. Edward Barnsley was educated at

Bedales School Bedales School is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school in the village of Steep, near the market town of Petersfield in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1893 by John Haden Badley in reaction to the limitations of conven ...

, and as a young man, worked on the building of the school's Grade 1-listed Library, which was designed by Gimson. Barnsley's most celebrated work is possibly the archbishop's throne and lectern in Canterbury Cathedral. He was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services to design in the

1945 New Year Honours The 1945 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1945 for the Britis ...

. He died in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, aged 87.''England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnsley, Edward 1900 births 1987 deaths Arts and Crafts movement British furniture designers People educated at Bedales School People from Duntisbourne Rouse People from Gloucestershire Commanders of the Order of the British Empire