Joseph Herbert Morcom ARCA (1871 - 1942)

Born 31 May 1871 in Minera, Denbighshire, Wales, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Marjorie Rosa (Tindall) Morcom — married 10 Aug 1915 in Little Bowden, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom

Died 28 Feb 1942 at age 70 in Leicester, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Joseph Morcom ARCA was born in Minera, Denbighshire, Wales.

Joseph was a renowned sculptor and stone mason. He was the second son of Joseph Morcom and Ann Evans. His three younger brothers died at relatively young ages. His older brother was an architect and his sister, a hospital matron apparently specialising in the care of patients with tuberculosis and related illnesses.

His father was a lead mine captain from a line of a Cornish mining family from Gwennap. His grandfather had relocated his family to Anglesey so that he could take up the post of mine agent at the Parys mountain mine. In his turn, his father took a similar post in the lead mines at Minera where his mother's family came from. She was the daughter of the bailiff who worked for the Burtons of Minera Hall.

Personal Life

Joseph was born on 31st May 1871. His birth was announced in the local paper^[1] and registered in the Apr-May-Jun quarter of 1873 in Wrexham. ^[2]

He attended the local grammar school but on the death of his father at the beginning of 1880 ^[3] he had to transfer to Minera village school.

Later in the year his brother John was born and his brother Llewelyn died.

The 1881 census shows that the family had left Minera and were now living at 4 York Street, Wrexham Regis, Denbighshire. Joseph (age 10), Scholar, was the son of widowed Ann C. Morcom was a Dealer in Fancy Goods.^[4]

By 1891 the family had relocated to Liverpool and were living at 77 Oxford Street, Liverpool. Joseph and two of his brothers were working. ^[5]

Brothers Reginald and John both died in the next 10 years and sister Edith had left the family home to pursue her nursing career. Only Thomas and Joseph remained with their mother and in 1901 their home was at 76 New Ferry Road, New Ferry, Lower Bebington, Cheshire, England. ^[6]

Joseph (age 44), son of Joseph Bickford Morcom, married Marjorie Rosa Tindall (age 34) on 10 August 1915 in Leicester St Nicholas, Leicestershire, England.^[7]

Career

Joseph was apprenticed to a local stonemason at the age of 14. His occupation in 1891 is described as a carver in stone and marble^[5] and by about this time, he began working for Norbury, Paterson and Co', a firm of architectural sculptors and carvers. He also enrolled at the Liverpool School of Art where he became assistant modelling master in 1904.

Joseph was initiated as a freemason into the Buckingham & Chandos Lodge, Rock Ferry Cheshire on 12th February 1901. His brother was already a member.^[8]

The 1901 census describes him as a sculptor and teacher of marble and wood carvery. ^[6]

In September 1904 at the age of 33 he became assistant modelling master at the Liverpool School of Art but at the same time was apparently working on a number of projects with C. J. Allen, who was head of the sculpture department.

Joseph had been made a member of the Liverpool Academy of the Arts by 1905 was awarded ‘National Medal for Success in Art’ by the Board of Education, South Kensington in the same year. In October 1906 The Liverpool Courier reported him to be a ‘rising young Liverpool sculptor’. In 1909 he won first prize in the sculpture section of the Eisteddfod.

Portrait Bust of a Young Woman

One of his projects with C.J.Allen took him to Leicester where they worked carving panels or stone friezes for Parrs bank at 2 St Martin's and in 1910 he was appointed to the post of modelling master at Leicester School of Art.

In 1914 he was asked to additionally take over the woodcarving classes. In the same year he acquired the business of Pearson and Shipley, stonemasons and monumental sculptors. He brought in George Quayle who had been a fellow student at Liverpool to run the masonry side of the company and set up his works in a large yard at Turret Gateway, Newarke, Leicester.

He continued with his teaching career until the summer of 1919, but returned to teach at Leicester again in 1928 for about another seven years.

When Joseph's older brother, Tom came home from Canada, towards the end of the 1920s. Joseph employed him to make advertising models in papier mache in a new enterprise for the business. Moulds would sometimes be taken from original models and hundreds would be produced to help advertise various wares in commercial outlets. This part of the business lasted until Tom returned to Canada.

Joseph continued with his commission work after he stopped teaching but by 1939, with the approach of another world war, there was very little demand for ornamental work and their were only three people left working at the Turret Studios.

Joseph died in 1942 and his son David took leave from the army to see to his father's affairs and close the business.

Works

There is no complete catalogue of Joseph's sculpture and monumental work but his output was prolific. He created many First World War memorials for the villages of Leicestershire and neighbouring counties as well as individual graveyard monuments. The memorial stone marking the grave of his parents and brothers in Wrexham Cemetery is one of his own design. ^[9]

Queniborough War Memorial

His larger commissions included a scaled down copy of the Statue of Liberty, created for the directors of Lennard's shoe manufacturing company who had visited the States. The statue was mounted on top of the company's building and the company was renamed Liberty Shoes.

His public works included producing a bronze cast to replace the damaged statue of John Biggs at Welford place and he produced works for churches such as the Church of St James the Greater in Leicester. Most of the cinemas built in the Leicester area in the 1930s include work by Joseph Morcom in their decoration.

Some examples of his smaller, portable private works are now housed in Wrexham Museum, in the David Morcom Collection.

Later Years

In the 1939 register Joseph (age 68), Sculptor, was the married head of household at 9 Gullet Lane, Blaby, Leicestershire, England.^[10]

Joseph died on 28 February 1942 in Leicestershire, Leicester, England and his funeral took place at St Bartholmew's Church, Kirby Muxloe, his home village in Leicestershire.

His estate passed probate on 26 September 1942 in Leicester, England.^[11]

Probate:

Morcom Joseph Herbert of Northridge 9 Gullet Lane Kirby Muxloe Leicestershire died 28 February 1942 Probate Leicester 26 September to Marjorie Rosa Morcom widow. Effects £5336 6s 2d

Two years later Joseph's youngest child, Flying Officer Stephen B. Morcom, was shot down and killed whilst flying in a raid over France. After the war, his name was added to the war memorial, along with that of other local casualties of the Second World War, in their home village of Kirby Muxloe. This was one of the many memorials created by Joseph at the end of the First World War.^[12]

Research Notes

• A second announcement of Joseph's birth appeared in the local paper but this gave his date of birth as 19th June. ^[13] Thisannouncement seems to have been an error.
• Joseph received the British War and Victory medals for serving in the Great War. He was a serjeant with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry Labour Corps.

His service numbers were 240478 and 581434.^[14]

Sources

• Joseph Herbert Morcom Sculptor by Alan McWhirr - Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and History Society 80 (2006) Pages 123 - 149 Leicester University (accessed 7 May 2023)

1. ↑ Birth Announcement: Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire Shropshire and North Wales Register, 10th June 1871, page 4, Family Notices - Births Morcom
2. ↑ Birth Registration: "England & Wales General Register Office"
   GRO Online Indexes - Birth (accessed 3 May 2023)
   Morcom, Joseph Herbert (Mother's maiden name: Evans).
   GRO Reference: 1871 Apr-May-Jun in Wrexham Volume 11B Page 360.
3. ↑ Death Registration: "England & Wales Death Index"
   FreeBMD Entry Information (accessed 6 May 2023)
   Morcom, Joseph Bickford (Age at death: 35).
   GRO Reference: 1880 Jan-Feb-Mar in Wrexham Volume 11b Page 242.
4. ↑ 1881 Census: "1881 Wales Census"
   Class: RG11; Piece: 5519; Folio: 71; Page: 1; GSU roll: 1342326; ED, institution, or vessel: 28
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 8059 #2472105 (accessed 3 May 2023)
   Joseph H Morcom (10) son, Scholar, in household of Ann C. Morcom (35) at 4 Yorke St, Wrexham Regis in Wrexham registration district in Denbighshire, Wales. Born in Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} 1891 Census: "1891 England Census"
   The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 2914; Folio: 16; Page: 25; GSU roll: 6098024
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 6598 #14554153 (accessed 3 May 2023)
   Joseph H Morcom (19) son in household of Annie C Morcom (46) in Liverpool in Liverpool registration district in Lancashire, England. Born in Minera, Denbighshire, Wales.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} 1901 Census: "1901 England Census"
   Class: RG13; Piece: 3383; Folio: 45; Page: 15; ED, institution, or vessel: 2; Household schedule number: 76
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 7814 #21656404 (accessed 3 May 2023)
   Joseph A Morcom (29) son in household of Ann C Morcom (56) in New Ferry, Lower Bebington in Wirral registration district in Cheshire, England. Born in Minera, Derbyshire, England.
7. ↑ Marriage: "England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991"
   citing Marriage, Leicester St Nicholas, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, page 233, citing the Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland, Wigston, UK.
   FamilySearch Record: QP4W-Q2XN (accessed 7 May 2023)
   FindMyPast Image
   Joseph Herbert Marcon (44) marriage to Marjorie Rose Tindall (34) on 10 Aug 1915 in Leicester St Nicholas, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom.
8. ↑ Freemason Membership: "England, United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers, 1751-1921"
   Library and Museum of Freemasonry; London, England; Freemasonry Membership Registers; Description: Membership Registers: Country Y 2381-2504 to Country Z 2505-2671; Reel Number: 20
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 60620 #498563 (accessed 3 May 2023)
   Name: Joseph Herbert Morcom; Gender: Male; Initiation Age: 29; Birth Year: abt 1872; Initiation Date: 12 Feb 1901; First Payment Year on Register: 1901; Year range: 1887-1909; Profession: Sculptor; Lodge: Buckingham & Chandos Lodge; Lodge Location: Rock Ferry; Lodge Number: 2667; Folio Number: 301.
9. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #133935121
10. ↑ 1939 Register: "1939 England and Wales Register"
    The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: Rg 101/6068f; Line Number: 1; Schedule Number: 211; Sub Schedule Number: 1
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 61596 #36753367 (accessed 3 May 2023)
    Joseph H Morcom (born 31 May 1871), married, Sculptor, at 9 Gullet Lane, Blaby, Leicestershire, England.
11. ↑ Probate: "England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995"
    Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 1904 #18013418 (accessed 3 May 2023)
    "England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957"
    citing Probate, Leicester, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Great Britain.; FHL microfilm .
    FamilySearch Record: 7X78-PZZM (accessed 4 May 2023)
    Joseph Herbert Morcom probate on 26 Sep 1942 in Leicester, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom. Died 28 Feb 1942.
12. ↑ Kirby Muxloe War Memorial - S Morcom Study Lib (accessed 8 May 2023)
13. ↑ Birth Announcement: Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire Shropshire and North Wales Register, 24th June 1871, page 4, Family Notices - Births Morcom
14. ↑ Military: "UK, British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920"
    Army Medal Office (In the Care of the Western Front Association Website); London, England; Wwi Medal Index Cards
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 1262 #369642 (accessed 4 May 2023)
    Name: Joseph H Morcom; Military Date: 1914-1920; Military Place: England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, United Kingdom; Regiment or Corps: Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, Labour Corps; Regimental Number: 240478, 581434.

See Also:

• 'Joseph Herbert Morcom ARCA', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 (accessed 07 May 2023)
• Pares Bank The Story of Leicester (accessed 07 May 2023)
• Wikidata (accessed 5May 2023)
• Statue of Liberty The Story of Leicester (accessed 07 May 2023)
• Statue of Liberty (Leicester) Wikipedia (accessed 07 May 2023)
• Quorndon village memorials Quorndon Cenotaph (accessed 07 May 2023)
• Tolkien’s “bitter winnowing” and the War Memorial at St. Augustine’s Church, Edgbaston Western Front Association (accessed 07 May 2023)
• Wikidata: Item Q61341106
• The Labour Corps of 1917-1918 The Long, Long Trail (accessed 4 Feb 2024)