George Horsfield
Encyclopedia
George Horsfield was a British architect and archaeologist. He was Chief Inspector of Antiquities in Transjordan
from 1928-1936. Horsfield began the initial clearance and conservation of Jerash
in 1925, and excavated at Petra
with his future wife, Agnes Conway
in 1929.
, Yorkshire, England on 19 April 1882 to Richard Marshall Horsfield, a leather manufacturer, and his wife Sarah Ellis Smart. He attended Leeds Grammar School
from 1895-1901, when he moved to London to train in architecture in the office of noted Gothic architect George Frederick Bodley
. After Bodley's death in 1907, Horsfield moved to the United States to work for the architectural firm Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson, where he was based in the Manhattan office of Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, a partner in the firm.
Horsfield returned to the UK in 1914 at the outbreak of war and volunteered for service in the Royal Naval Brigade. He saw action in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, after which he was commissioned into the 7th West Yorkshire Regiment and took part in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. After contracting trench fever
he was sent back to England to recover, and eventually declared fit for garrison duty overseas. Posted to India in 1918, Horsfield, now Major Horsfield and attached to the Royal Engineers, became the Chief Architect for Military Works, Rawalpindi
, and Simla
.
In 1923, Horsfield became a student at the recently established British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem
. Its first Director, John Garstang
, valued Horsfield's architectural background.
Transjordan
The Emirate of Transjordan was a former Ottoman territory in the Southern Levant that was part of the British Mandate of Palestine...
from 1928-1936. Horsfield began the initial clearance and conservation of Jerash
Jerash
Jerash, the Gerasa of Antiquity, is the capital and largest city of Jerash Governorate , which is situated in the north of Jordan, north of the capital Amman towards Syria...
in 1925, and excavated at Petra
Petra
Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
with his future wife, Agnes Conway
Agnes Conway
Agnes Ethel Conway was a British historian and archaeologist who worked in the Middle East from 1929-1936. She was noted for her work with her husband George Horsfield at Petra and Kilwa, and produced detailed studies of the history of her father's castle, Allington, in Kent which had been owned...
in 1929.
Personal life
George Horsfield was born in Meanwood, LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Yorkshire, England on 19 April 1882 to Richard Marshall Horsfield, a leather manufacturer, and his wife Sarah Ellis Smart. He attended Leeds Grammar School
Leeds Grammar School
Leeds Grammar School was an independent school in Leeds established in 1552. In August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physically united in September 2008....
from 1895-1901, when he moved to London to train in architecture in the office of noted Gothic architect George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
. After Bodley's death in 1907, Horsfield moved to the United States to work for the architectural firm Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson, where he was based in the Manhattan office of Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, a partner in the firm.
Horsfield returned to the UK in 1914 at the outbreak of war and volunteered for service in the Royal Naval Brigade. He saw action in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, after which he was commissioned into the 7th West Yorkshire Regiment and took part in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. After contracting trench fever
Trench fever
Trench fever is a moderately serious disease transmitted by body lice. It infected armies in Flanders, France, Poland, Galicia, Italy, Salonika, Macedonia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt in World War I Trench fever (also known as "Five day fever", "Quintan fever" (febris Quintana in Latin), "Urban trench...
he was sent back to England to recover, and eventually declared fit for garrison duty overseas. Posted to India in 1918, Horsfield, now Major Horsfield and attached to the Royal Engineers, became the Chief Architect for Military Works, Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, and Simla
Simla
-Politics/History:Simla , the summer capital of British India, often refers generically to the government of the British Raj.-Places:* Shimla , city in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh...
.
In 1923, Horsfield became a student at the recently established British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem
British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem
The British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem was established in 1919. The London-based Palestine Exploration Fund was instrumental in its foundation. The first Director was British archaeologist John Garstang, and among its earliest students was architect-archaeologist George Horsfield, later...
. Its first Director, John Garstang
John Garstang
John Garstang was a British archaeologist of the ancient Near East, especially Anatolia and the southern Levant....
, valued Horsfield's architectural background.
Further reading
- Horsfield, G. and Conway, A. 1930. Historical and Topographical Notes on Edom: with an account of the first excavations at Petra. The Geographical Journal 76 (5), pp. 369-390.