William Albert Pinker

OBE 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 ...

(9 May 1847 – 5 June 1932) was an English stonemason and museum technician at the British Museum, serving in the Department of Antiquities from 1873 and as foreman of masons from 1894.

Biography

Pinker was born on 9 May 1847, in the village of

Box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...

, Wiltshire, the fifth of nine children born to James Pinker (1810–1878) and Mary Chandler (1814–1882). He came from a long line of stonemasons and quarrymen, including his father, who worked in the Box Quarries mining

Bath stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...

. From the age of around 6, Pinker joined his father and older brothers in the quarries, working as a "labourer".Source Citation Class: RG 9; Piece: 1281; Folio: 59; Page: 14; GSU roll: 542788 Description Enumeration District : 4d Source Information Ancestry.com. 1861 England Census atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1861. Data imaged from The National Archives, London, England. The National Archives gives no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the information provided. Images may be used only for purposes of research, private study or education. Applications for any other use should be made to The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU. Source Description This database is an index to individuals enumerated in the 1861 Census for England. The census contains detailed information on each individual who spent the night in each household including name, relationship to the head of the family, marital status, age at last birthday, gender, occupation, and birthplace. Additional information about the dwelling and property was collected. Each name in this index is linked to actual images of the 1861 England Census. In the mid-1860s Pinker left Box and travelled to London, where he found employment as a mason in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

. Shortly afterwards, he met Jane Harris. They married on 31 December 1876 in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

. They would go on to have three daughters: Jennifer "Jenny" (1878–1970), Florence (1881–1929) and Rose (1884–1976). Pinker became employed at the British Museum on 18 November 1872, and would go on to work there for just under 60 years. From 1 January 1873 he worked for the Department of Antiquities, and was foreman of masons from 1894. He undertook many highly skilled tasks, not only for the Department of Antiquities but also for other areas of the British Museum. He played a significant role in situating fragments of the Elgin Marbles, and also advised during the construction of the model of the

Mausoleum of Halicarnassus The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus or Tomb of Mausolus ( grc, Μαυσωλεῖον τῆς Ἁλικαρνασσοῦ; tr, Halikarnas Mozolesi) was a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC in Halicarnassus (present Bodrum, Turkey) for Mausolus, an ...

Alexander Stuart Murray Alexander Stuart Murray, FBA (8 January 1841March, 1904) was a Scottish archaeologist. He was known for excavations on Cyprus. Life Murray was born at Arbroath, and educated there, at the Royal High School, Edinburgh and at the Universities o ...

commented that Pinker's work was "more appropriate to a sculptor's assistant than to a mason." He retired on 5 April 1932, due to failing health. Two days before his death, he was granted an OBE in the

1932 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1932 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King. The ...

by King George V. Pinker died on 3 June 1932, at the age of 85. His life was the subject of an obituary in '' The Times.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinker, William 1847 births 1932 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire Employees of the British Museum People from Wiltshire