Moira Forsyth (1905 – April 1991) was an English

stained-glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

artist. Her father was Gordon Forsyth a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

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, porce ...

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, Staffordshire, Hanley, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in ...

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

. 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 in Guildford, Surrey, England. Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow, Earl Onslow donated the first of land on which the cathedral ...

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Norwich and the mother church of the dioc ...

and Eton College Chapel.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 and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

with other artists, such as Wilhelmina Geddes,

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 an ...

, 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, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

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

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

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 city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, Forsyth moved to

Farnham, Surrey Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the administrative counties of England, county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the ...

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

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 university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

, 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 a leading 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 Dipl ...

. 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 Wilhelmina Geddes 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 (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

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 in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

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 English 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