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John Nunn Bolton Irish Oil Rev. E. Muckleston 1897

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John Nunn Bolton Irish Oil Rev. E. Muckleston 1897 %%alt5%% %%alt6%%
This is a wonderful portrait by the Irish artist John Nunn Bolton 1869-1909 of the eccentric and colourful character, the Reverend Edward Muckleston MA 1819-1913, a truncated version of whose extensive biography we will give below. The painting is inscribed with the name of the sitter to the lower left hand corner, as shown and is signed to the lower right and dated 1897, although due to the darkness of this corner, this has proved impossible to photograph, but is dimly visible in the main photo. Reverend Muckleston is shown is his 84th year, wearing his black silk MA gown with crimson lined hood and sporting mutton chop sideburns.

John Nunn Bolton was born on the 25th July, 1869 in Dundrum Glencullen in what is now the Republic of Ireland. He was the son of Henry E. Bolton a clever amateur landscape painter. He studied at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin and at the Royal Hibernian Academy. He won the Taylor Scholarship with his picture of Old Leinster Market, Dublin. He moved to Warwick, where his landscapes and marines were much appreciated. He also painted portraits and miniatures., and, in fact, in the 1901 Census he lists himself as a portrait painter.

On 20th December, 1899, he married Florence Annie Francis 1874-1932, herself an artist and art teacher, who has one portrait in the National Collection at artUK.org. Between 1901 and 1908, they had four children, John Robert born 1901, Eileen Mary, who became a botanist, artist and stained glass artist, Dorothy Joyce 1903-1981, who move to the USA and Fredereick Rothwell 1908-1987. Reverend Frederick Rothwell Bolton was Dean of Leighlin in the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the ecclesiatical province of Dublin from 1963-83.

John was involved in the Warwick Pageant as a property master and designer and was for a short time a master at Leamington School of Art, before being obliged to give up all his classes due to ill health in the November, prior to his death at the young age of 39 on 11th February 1909. His widow was left to look after four young children, which she did while earning a living as an artist. They lived at various addresses in High Street Warwick. He is buried, along with Florence eventually, at the Birmingham Road Cemetery in Warwick.

John exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy (47 works), Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham (3) Leeds and Manchester Art Galleries and at the Royal Academy (1). Obviously due to his early death, his work only rarely comes to the market. He is listed in The Dictionary of British Artists (Collectors' Club), A Dictionary of Irish Artists by Strickland 1913, and the Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Christopher Wood. The record price for one of his paintings is £8,433 at Sotheby's in the USA for a large (55" x 37") landscape

Edward Muckleston was born on 6th June 1819 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, the first child of Edward Muckleston an Army Officer, who had retired and was on half pay, and his wife Elizabeth nee Jeffreys. His father had inherited lands and wealth from his father and the family was regarded as one of the ancient families of Shropshire. He was baptised on 7th July 1819 at St Mary’s church, Shrewsbury, Shropshire and had two siblings, Elizabeth born 17th September 1820, and Mary Louisa born 9th May 1825.

He attended Shrewsbury School, entering in 1832 and leaving in 1838 and was educated under the famous headmasters Dr. Samuel Butler and Dr. Benjamin Hall Kennedy.

Edward went on to attend Worcester College at Oxford University, matriculating on 28 Feb 1839 aged 19, achieving his BA in 1845 and his MA in 1847 aged 28.

He was made a Burgess of Shrewsbury in 1840.
Clerical Appointments

He was ordained and admitted in to Holy Orders by the Lord Bishop of Lichfield at Eccleshall Church on 27th December 1846.

He initially took on some temporary curacies, between 1846 and 1848 he was Curate of Welsh Hampton a small village in Shropshire followed by Mackworth in Derbyshire 1848 to 1850, and in 1852 he is recorded as curate of Stanley also in Derbyshire.

In 1852 he had been appointed surrogate perpetual curate of Ford in Shropshire, a position he held until 1860. Perpetual curates were often poorly paid, and it is therefore not surprising that Edward took on other positions.

In 1857 he received a handsome silver ink stand and a bible from “the poorer parishioners and a few other friends on the retirement from the curacy of Kings Heath, Worcestershire”. This was, “in consideration of his indefatigable services rendered by him to the poor during his twelve-months’ residence amongst them.

In 1860 he left the curacy of Ford to take up a position at Warsop in Nottinghamshire where he remained until 1865.The reason for him leaving Ford may be explained by an article which appeared in newspapers on 5th May 1860 where the headline read “An Extraordinary Charge Against A Clergyman”

“At Cruckton near Shrewsbury, on Friday week, the Reverend Edward Muckleston, Incumbant of Ford Salop, was charged with having, on the 4th instant, maliciously cut and damaged three trees, at Ford the property of the Reverend Robert Lingen Burton minister of St Giles Shrewsbury. At the same petty sessions, a short time since, the Reverend defendant was convicted of damaging the same trees and was fined. From that and other circumstances there seems to have existed a bad feeling between the two parties. The properties of plaintiff and defendant adjoin and the three trees in question grow near the hedge of the defendant. Early on the 4th inst. it was noticed by one of Mr Burtons tenants that the trees were barked and cut down on one side three or four feet and certain peculiar footmarks were discerned near the trees. The parish clergyman was suspected of having done the deed. He had left home about six that morning and on the following night returned home. On his way home, a police officer who had been on the look for him, accosted him, and they fell in to conversation. The officer mentioned the affair of the trees and asked him to show him his boots. He consented, and it was found that the boots and the footprints corresponded in every particular. The defendant attempted to show that he was in his home after 10 on the night of the 3rd of April and did not leave it until 6 o’clock on the morning of the 4th and that he had no such things as a billhook, the instrument with which the damage complained of had evidently been committed – The magistrate considered the charge proved and fined the defendant 3 shillings damage and £5 including costs”.

In 1865 he was appointed perpetual curate of Haseley in Warwickshire, a position he held for the rest of his life. The advowson of Haseley belonged to his brother in law, William Lyon Esquire, who had married his sister Elizabeth some 20 years earlier.

Edward married relatively late in life. On 27th July 1871, at the age of 52, at St George’s Church, Hanover Square, London, England, he married Emily Holmes who, aged 26, was the eldest daughter of a deceased medical doctor. The marriage was widely reported.

“MUCKLESTON – HOLMES. – On the 27th inst., at St George’s, Hanover-square. London, by the Rev. Canon Robinson, assisted by the Rev. H. Cautley Holmes, MA uncle of the bride, and the Rev. F P Morgan Payler, MA., the Rev. Edward Muckleston, MA rector of Haseley, Warwick, only son of the late Capt. Muckleston, J.P. for the county of Salop, to Emily, eldest daughter of the late Trafford Holmes, MD of Southedge House, Hipperholme, Yorkshire.”

Emily was the eldest of two sisters, her mother had died when she was only 2 years old and her father when she was 14. It is unlikely that Edward married Emily for money as according to the Probate Calendar he father’s estate was worth under £300. A trust was however set up for Emily and her sister Julia in 1868 and she did have her own money which she subsequently left to her daughter on her death. Her estate was valued at just under £5000 at this time.

The couple had two children Mabel Emily born in 1872 and Charles Edward born in 1875. Charles was to follow his father in to the church. Despite the late marriage it was to last 42 years.

In her obituary it was reported that she was much beloved in Haseley, that she was for many years organist at Haseley Church and that for many years she was a member of the Warwickshire Board of Guardians.

His death on 26th November 1913 was widely reported and the newspapers who had covered many a trial and conflict spoke highly of him. Regarding our comment that he was a colourful character, his entire biography is too long to list, but we will print off a copy for the purchaser of the painting. We will however, give a timeline of his various peccadilloes below.
Date Event
06 June 1819 Born in Shrewsbury Shropshire
07 July 1819 Baptised at St. Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
1832-1835 Attended Shrewsbury School
28 February Matriculated (officially admitted to) Oxford University
1840 Made a Burgess of Shrewsbury
1845 Achieved a BA at Oxford University
27 December 1846 Ordained and admitted to Holy Orders by the Bishop of Lichfield
1846-1848 Curate of welsh Hampton, Shropshire
1847 Achieved a MA at Oxford University
1848-1850 Curate of Mackworth in Derbyshire
21 June 1851 His father dies and he inherits property, lands and lordships
1852 Curate of Stanley in Derbyshire
April 1852 He administers the oath at the Shropshire Quarter Sessions
1852-1860 Vicar of Ford in Shropshire
1857 Curate of Kings Heath, Worcestershire
1860 Convicted of damaging a neighbours trees
1860-1865 Curate of Warsop in Nottinghamshire
May 1862 Edward attempts to sue the Great Western Railway Company
1863 Defendant in the case of Tittensor v Muckleston
1865-1913 Rector of Haseley in Warwickshire
September 1867 Appears in court and is found guilty of fare dodging on the railway
November 1867 Bought himself off another charge of fare dodging by donating to the Railway Employee benevolent fund
1868 Purchased a lead mine
1869 Taken to court by the Building Society who held the mortgage on the lead mine
1869 Declared bankrupt
1870 Lands, property, lordships and contents of his wine cellar sold to pay creditors
27 July 1871 Marriage to Emily Holmes
12 June 1872 Daughter Mabel Emily is born
28 June 1873 Edward's mother dies
7 October 1875 Son Charles Edward is born
1875 Once again in court for fare dodging on the railway
1875 Court case Gubbins v Muckleston where he refused to pay for washing being carried out
1881 Court case Mucklestone v Rawlins where he attempts to claim for breach of contract
1881 Court case Mucklestone v Dorsett where he attempts to claim for manure being removed from his land
1881 Court case Edwards V Mucklestone where he had refused to pay for weeding
1890 He is a director of George Gunn (Limited) Cereal Food Manufacturers - who went bankrupt the same year
1891 He is taken to court by a firm of solicitors
1897 He had a window added to Haseley Church to both honour his mother and to celebrate Queen Victorias jubilee
1898 He sued the Warwickshire corporation for flood damage
1898-1913 He is growing quality sugar beet
1899 He is a member of the Warwickshire Board of Agriculture
26 November 1913 Death of Edward
01 December 1913 Edward is buried in Haseley churchyard

The painting is framed in a 3 3/8" gilt frame and slip and will be supplied wired and ready to hang and with a copy of the subject's biography.

Image size: 29 1/8" x 25 1/8" - 74cm x 63.8cm

Framed size: 36 5/8" x 33" - 93cm x 83.85cm

Medium: Oils on canvas

Condition: Very good. The canvas is clean and taut and there is no paint loss. There is some craquelure, primarily on the black gown at the top and the red section. The frame is in very good condition with only minor age related wear.
Price
£0  UK
$0.00  USA
0.00  EU
 The price has been listed in British Pounds.
Conversion rates as of 14/MAY/2024. Euro & Dollar prices will vary and should only be used as a guide.
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 SOLD Price confidential so please don't ask. Thank you.
 
Date 1897  Late Victorian Antiques Material Oil Painting on Canvas Origin Irish Item code as237a1727 Status Sold

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John Nunn Bolton Irish Oil Rev. E. Muckleston 1897
 
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