James Cavanah Murphy (1760–1814) was an Irish architect and antiquary.

Life

Murphy was born at Blackrock, Cork, and was originally a bricklayer. He made his way to Dublin to study, and his name appeared in a list of the pupils of the drawing school of the Dublin Society about 1775, as working in miniature, chalk, and crayons. Later he practised in Dublin. In 1786 he was one of seven architects who were consulted on additions to the House of Commons, and he and another carried out the execution of

James Gandon James Gandon (20 February 1743 – 24 December 1823) was an English architect best known for his work in Ireland during the late 18th century and early 19th century. His better known works include The Custom House and the surrounding Beresford ...

's design for the work. In December 1788,

William Burton Conyngham William Burton Conyngham (1733 – 31 May 1796) was an Irish politician and improver. Life He was born William Burton, the second son of Francis Burton and Mary Conyngham, sister of Henry Conyngham, 1st Earl Conyngham. In 1781, his name was ...

commissioned Murphy to make drawings of

Batalha Monastery The Monastery of Batalha ( pt, Mosteiro da Batalha) is a Dominican convent in the municipality of Batalha, in the district of Leiria, in the Centro Region of Portugal. Originally, and officially, known as the ''Monastery of Saint Mary of the V ...

in central Portugal. He was back in Dublin in 1790, and was in England at the end of the year. In 1802, he went to Cadiz, where he remained for seven years studying

Moorish architecture Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture which developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus (on the Iberian peninsula) and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia (part of the Maghreb). The term "Moorish" com ...

, with some diplomatic duties. Settling again in England in 1809, Murphy took out a patent in 1813 for a method of preserving timber and other substances from decay. He spent his time in preparing his notes on Moorish architecture for the press, but died on 12 September 1814 in Edward Street,

Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square in the much la ...

, London (later Lower Seymour Street), when only part of his major book had been published.

Works

Murphy's published works were: * ''Plans, Elevations, Sections, and Views of the Church of Batalha. ... To which is prefixed an Introductory Discourse on the Principles of Gothic Architecture'', twenty-seven plates, London, 1795, 1836. A history and description of the church by Manoel de Sousa Coutinho, translated by Murphy, is on pp. 27–57. A German translation of the ''Discourse on Gothic Architecture'', as ''Ueber die Grundregeln der gothischen Bauart'', by Johann Daniel Edward Wilhelm Engelhardt, was published in Darmstadt in 1828. * ''Travels in Portugal'', London, 1795. A German translation by M. C. Sprengel was published at Halle in 1796 as vol. vi. of an ''Auswahl derbesten auslandischen . . . Nachrichten'', and a French translation by Lallemant in Paris, in 1797. * ''General View of the State of Portugal'', London, 1798. * ''Arabian Antiquities of Spain'', London, 1813–16, embellished with 110 plates from drawings by Murphy. The work was edited and the descriptions written by

Thomas Hartwell Horne Thomas Hartwell Horne (20 October 1780 – 27 January 1862) was an English theologian and librarian. Life He was born in London and educated at Christ's Hospital until he was 15 when his father died and he had to work. He then became a clerk ...

, who saw it through the press. A ''History of the Mahometan Empire'', by John Shakespear, Horne, and John Gillies, and intended as an introduction to Murphy's book, was published in London in 1816.

Thomas Crofton Croker Thomas Crofton Croker (15 January 1798 – 8 August 1854) was an Irish antiquary, best known for his ''Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland'' (1825–1828), and who also showed considerable interest in Irish song and music. ...

mentioned that Murphy left a large collection of notes and drawings. A large folio volume of his drawings of arabesque ornaments went to the library of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...

Family

Murphy was unmarried, and his estate of £5,000 was administered in November 1814 by his sister, Hannah, wife of Bernard McNamara.

Notes

External links

Plans, Elevations, Sections, and Views of the Church of Batalha

Travels in Portugal

Arabian Antiquities of Spain
;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, James Cavanah 1760 births 1814 deaths Architects from County Cork Irish antiquarians Irish draughtsmen 18th-century Irish architects 19th-century Irish architects