Moira Forsyth (1905 – April 1991) was an English

stained-glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

artist. Her father was Gordon Forsyth a Scottish

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

designer, stained-glass artist, and teacher. They both made works for the St. Joseph's Church in

Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is often referred to as the "mother town" of Stoke on Trent. T ...

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. She made her name for her stained-glass works, such as those found at

Guildford Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford, commonly known as Guildford Cathedral, is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England. Richard Onslow donated the first of land on which the cathedral stands, with Viscount Bennett, ...

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites. The cathedral ...

and

Eton College Chapel Eton College Chapel is the main chapel of Eton College, a public school in England. The chapel was planned to be a little over double its actual length, but this plan was never completed owing to the downfall of the founder Henry VI. A plaque ...

.Hughes, Fred. (20 December 2008)
"Father and daughter left legacy to Mother Town."
''The Sentinel''. Retrieved 12 September 2012. Most of her work life centred on The Glass House studio in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

with other artists, such as

Wilhelmina Geddes Wilhelmina Geddes ''HRUA'' (25 May 1887 – 10 August 1955) was an Irish stained glass artist who was an important figure within the Irish Arts and Crafts movement and also the twentieth century British stained glass revival. Notable works includ ...

Mary Lowndes Mary Lowndes (1857–1929) was a British stained-glass artist who co-founded the stained glass studio and workshop Lowndes and Drury in 1897. She was an influential leader in the Arts and Crafts movement, not only for her stained glass work a ...

, and Alfred J. Drury. She also made and exhibited ceramics and created a large ceiling mural for the St Joseph's Catholic Church in Burslem, Staffordshire.

Personal life

Moira Forsyth was born in 1905 in

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

, to Gordon Forsyth. Her father's career took the family to the

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

area by 1911,''Architects and Artists F-G: Moira Forsyth.''
Sussex Parish Churches – Architects and Artists. Retrieved 11 September 2012.''Moira Forsyth: designer of Emanuel School chapel windows.''
Emanuel Alumni. Retrieved 12 September 2012. although they returned to Staffordshire after the First World War. After training and her professional career in

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Forsyth moved to

Farnham, Surrey Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tribu ...

. She was initially trained in pottery and taught it, as well as making murals, but she was primarily known for her stained-glass designs and work. She worked in the Ministry of Town and Country Planning during the years of World War II. She died in April 1991. Her requiem was held at Farnham's St Joan of Arc Church where Forsyth was a member."Moira Forsyth"
''Catholic Herald.'' 26 April 1991. Retrieved 12 September 2012.

Education and career

, Forsyth studied ceramics in 1921 at the

Burslem School of Art Burslem School of Art was an art school in the centre of the town of Burslem in the Potteries district of England. Students from the school played an important role in the local pottery industry. Pottery was made on the site of the school from th ...

, where her father was principal. While there, she also created and exhibited her works, including an exhibition in 1925 at

White City White City may refer to: Places Australia * White City, Perth, an amusement park on the Perth foreshore * White City railway station, a former railway station * White City Stadium (Sydney), a tennis centre in Sydney * White City FC, a football clu ...

Fair, "to worldwide acclaim". Orders began coming in from around the world.''Untitled stained glass window panel.''
The Stained Glass Museum. Retrieved 12 September 2012. The following year she opened up her own studio for ceramics design, but due to the

1926 general strike The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 to 12 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British governm ...

when the kilns were not operating, she needed to close down her work place.''FORSYTH Moire 1905-1991.''
Stoke Museums. Retrieved 12 September 2012.E. Lomas (1 January 2001).
Guide to the Archive of Art and Design: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
'. Taylor & Francis, pp. 96–97. . Retrieved 12 September 2012. She then attended the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

, after having received a scholarship in a national contest. One of her instructors was

Martin Travers Howard Martin Otho Travers (19 February 1886 – 25 July 1948) was an English church artist and designer. Travers was born in Margate, Kent, educated at Tonbridge School, entered the Royal College of Art in 1904, and was awarded its Diploma in A ...

. Taking up an interest in stained glass while there, glasswork became her professional aspiration. Forsyth then moved to the

area where she first worked at St Oswald Studios and then at The Glass House studio where she worked with

and the studio owners

and Alfred J. Drury. During her career she was a member of the International Society of Christian Artists and Society of Catholic Artists member and president. There are more than 1,000 historical files about Moira Forsyth, dating from 1877 through 1989, at the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

in London. These include family certificates of birth and death (1877 to 1976) and papers directly related to her, including business and family correspondence, applications for commissions or memberships, drawings and sketches, project files, photographs and more.

Works

Forsyth received prestigious commissions for cathedrals as well as for schools and parish churches. She has been described as "one of England's most notable stained glass artists". Her work reflected use of slab glass, cross-hatching and colours of the Arts and Crafts movement. This is a list of some of her more important works.

Exhibitions

Forsyth frequently exhibited at art galleries and the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

Awards

Forsyth received the Queen's award for lifelong services to the arts.

Notes

References

External links

Moira Forsyth's Artwork for St. Joseph's Church, Burslem

The Moira Forsyth Windows at Holy Family Church, Farnham, Surrey
plus great biographical information, references and links ;Images
"Benedictine Window", Norwich Cathedral

"Benedictine Window" detail, Norwich Cathedral

Moira Forsyth Glass, Norwich Cathedral

St Benet Biscop detail, Norwich Cathedral

Crucifix, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church

Ashton-under-Lyne, St Michael, Nativity
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forsyth, Moira British stained glass artists and manufacturers Alumni of Burslem School of Art 1905 births 1991 deaths People from Stafford Female Catholic artists Catholic decorative artists Catholic stained glass artists