Details of Sculptor

Surname

Batchelor

Alternative Surname

First Name

Richard, of Buckingham

Initial of Surname

B

Year of Birth/Baptism

Flourished

1750-60

Year of Death

Biographical Details

On 3 March 1759 Mrs Purefoy of Shalstone, Bucks, signed an agreement with Richard Batchelor, of Buckingham, ‘mason and statuary’, for a marble monument to herself which was to be made in a ‘good, sound substan[t]ial, firm, neat and workmanlike manner ... according to the Pal or Draught ... annexed’ (Records of Bucks, XII, 261ff). This monument, which was erected in Shalstone church, is an architectural work with Corinthian capitals and a broken pediment enclosing a bust of Mrs Purefoy in the centre (1). There were originally two cherubs on the pediment, but a 19th-century vicar, who objected to their nakedness, had them removed. The work cost £93 13s 6d with a further ‘ffive pounds .. on ffinishing the Inscription’ (after Mrs Purefoy’s death) and included £30 for the carving of the ‘bosto’ and the ‘two boys’ in marble (op cit). Batchelor was also employed as a mason on repairs at Buckingham church between 1754 and 1757.
Literary References: Gunnis 1968, 41-2