Sir Henry Cheere, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Henry Cheere, 1st Baronet (1703 – 15 January 1781) was a renowned English
sculptor and monumental mason of the eighteenth century, and older brother of John Cheere
, also a notable sculptor.
, Surrey
(now part of London
), Cheere was apprenticed in 1718 to mason-sculptor Robert Hartshorne, an assistant to William
and Edward Stanton. By 1726 he had established his own sculptor's yard near St Margaret's, Westminster
, was joined by Flemish
sculptor Henry Scheemakers (from c.1729 until Scheemakers' departure from England c. 1733; Scheemakers d. 1748) and took on many apprentices.
In 1743, Cheere was appointed "Carver" to Westminster Abbey
, an appointment which led to his creation of at least nine monuments in the Abbey. He also purchased more property in the area surrounding the Abbey and took on civic offices including acting as a director of the Westminster Fire Office (in 1745–47, 1760–62), Controller of Duties for the Free Fish Market of Westminster
(from 1749), Justice of the Peace
(c. 1750) and deputy lieutenant
for the county of Middlesex
.
In July 1748, Cheere joined William Hogarth
and other artist friends, including Thomas Hudson
, Joseph
and Alexander Van Aken and Francis Hayman
, on a trip to Paris
, and then on to Flanders
and the Netherlands.
In 1750, he was appointed a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
. He was knight
ed on 10 December 1760 and created 1st Baronet
Cheere, of St Margaret's, Westminster on 19 July 1766. Cheere was one of a group who unsuccessfully attempted to promote an English
academy of arts (prior to the establishment of the Royal Academy
).
He retired from business and sold the contents of his workshop in March 1770.
According to the Pevsner Buildings of England series guides, Henry Cheere was “the first English-born sculptor to match the virtuosity of the continentals” and “formed his style on the small, crisp, curvaceous shapes of the French sculptor [Roubiliac], though his monuments never approached Roubiliac’s in ease and inventiveness. Much of his work is unsigned, as is his commonly considered c.1760 masterpiece at Shadoxhurst, Kent.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sculptor and monumental mason of the eighteenth century, and older brother of John Cheere
John Cheere
John Cheere was an English sculptor, born in London. Brother of the sculptor Sir Henry Cheere, he was originally apprenticed as a haberdasher from 1725 to 1732.-Life:...
, also a notable sculptor.
Personal life and career
Born in ClaphamClapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
(now part of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), Cheere was apprenticed in 1718 to mason-sculptor Robert Hartshorne, an assistant to William
William Stanton (mason)
William Stanton was an English mason and sculptor. He is known particularly for monumental masonry.-Life:He was son of Edward Stanton, and nephew of the mason Thomas Stanton...
and Edward Stanton. By 1726 he had established his own sculptor's yard near St Margaret's, Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, was joined by Flemish
Flemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
sculptor Henry Scheemakers (from c.1729 until Scheemakers' departure from England c. 1733; Scheemakers d. 1748) and took on many apprentices.
In 1743, Cheere was appointed "Carver" to Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, an appointment which led to his creation of at least nine monuments in the Abbey. He also purchased more property in the area surrounding the Abbey and took on civic offices including acting as a director of the Westminster Fire Office (in 1745–47, 1760–62), Controller of Duties for the Free Fish Market of Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
(from 1749), Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(c. 1750) and deputy lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for the county of Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
.
In July 1748, Cheere joined William Hogarth
William Hogarth
William Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
and other artist friends, including Thomas Hudson
Thomas Hudson (painter)
Thomas Hudson was an English portrait painter in the 18th century. He was born in 1701 in the West Country of the United Kingdom. His exact birthplace is unknown...
, Joseph
Joseph Van Aken
Joseph Van Aken, a Flemish artist, who was born in 1709 at Antwerp, who passed a great part of his life in England. He was employed by eminent landscape painters to paint the costumes of the figures in their pictures, in which he was very skilful, and thereby acquired the name of'Schneider van Aken'...
and Alexander Van Aken and Francis Hayman
Francis Hayman
Francis Hayman was an English painter and illustrator who became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768 and later its first librarian....
, on a trip to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and then on to Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
and the Netherlands.
In 1750, he was appointed a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
. He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed on 10 December 1760 and created 1st Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
Cheere, of St Margaret's, Westminster on 19 July 1766. Cheere was one of a group who unsuccessfully attempted to promote an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
academy of arts (prior to the establishment of the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
).
He retired from business and sold the contents of his workshop in March 1770.
Death and legacy
Upon his death, his son William Cheere succeeded him as 2nd Baronet, but died unmarried in 1808. Sir Henry also had a daughter, Charles Cheere (1735-1799).According to the Pevsner Buildings of England series guides, Henry Cheere was “the first English-born sculptor to match the virtuosity of the continentals” and “formed his style on the small, crisp, curvaceous shapes of the French sculptor [Roubiliac], though his monuments never approached Roubiliac’s in ease and inventiveness. Much of his work is unsigned, as is his commonly considered c.1760 masterpiece at Shadoxhurst, Kent.
Works
- monument to Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and KestevenRobert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and KestevenRobert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, 1st Marquess of Lindsey, PC was a British statesman and nobleman.Bertie was born to Robert Bertie, 3rd Earl of Lindsey and Elizabeth Wharton...
(c. 1728; EdenhamEdenhamEdenham is a village in Lincolnshire, England situated about north-west of Bourne on the A151. The village is part of the civil parish of Edenham Grimsthorpe Elsthorpe & Scottlethorpe.-The Village:...
, LincolnshireLincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
) (with Henry Scheemakers) - statue of Queen Caroline for The Queen's College, OxfordThe Queen's College, OxfordThe Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
- statue of Christopher CodringtonChristopher CodringtonChristopher Codrington , British soldier, bibliophile and colonial governor, was born on the island of Barbados, West Indies, in 1668...
for All Souls College, OxfordAll Souls College, OxfordThe Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.... - monument to Lord Chief JusticeLord Chief Justice of England and WalesThe Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary and President of the Courts of England and Wales. Historically, he was the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor, but that changed as a result of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005,...
RaymondRobert Raymond, 1st Baron RaymondRobert Raymond, 1st Baron Raymond PC was a British judge.Robert Raymond was the son of the judge Thomas Raymond. He was educated at Eton and Christ's College, Cambridge. Said to have been admitted to Gray's Inn aged nine, he became a barrister in 1697 and was admitted at Lincoln's Inn in 1710...
(d. 1732) at Abbots LangleyAbbots LangleyAbbots Langley is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Hertfordshire. It is an old settlement and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Economically the village is closely linked to Watford and was formerly part of the Watford Rural District...
, HertfordshireHertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and... - gateposts to Sausmarez ManorSausmarez ManorSausmarez Manor is a historic house in Saint Martin's, Guernsey.- The Original Manor House :The first mention of the de Sausmarez family in Guernsey is at the consecration of the Vale church in 1115 followed by a letter dated 1254 in which Prince Edward, Lord of the Isles, afterwards King Edward I,...
, GuernseyGuernseyGuernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet... - memorial to Capt Philip de Sausmarez in Westminster Abbey (c. 1747)
- monument to Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy (1666-1732) in Westminster Abbey
- Equestrian statuette of the Duke of Cumberland (c. 1746 - 1770) - in National Army MuseumNational Army MuseumThe National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
- bust of Nicholas HawksmoorNicholas HawksmoorNicholas Hawksmoor was a British architect born in Nottinghamshire, probably in East Drayton.-Life:Hawksmoor was born in Nottinghamshire in 1661, into a yeoman farming family, almost certainly in East Drayton, Nottinghamshire. On his death he was to leave property at nearby Ragnall, Dunham and a...
in National Portrait Gallery - memorial to Sir John Brownlow, 5th Bt of Humby, Viscount Tyrconnel and Baron CharlevilleJohn Brownlow, 1st Viscount TyrconnelJohn Brownlow, 1st Viscount Tyrconnel KB , known as Sir John Brownlow, 5th Baronet, from 1701 to 1718, was a British Member of Parliament....
, in church of St Peter & St Paul, BeltonBeltonBelton may refer to:* Belton, Texas* Belton, South Carolina* Belton, Missouri* Belton, Montana, known today as West Glacier, Montana* Belton, Ontario* Belton, North Lincolnshire* Belton, Lincolnshire** Belton House* Belton, Leicestershire...
, Lincolnshire - monument to architectArchitectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Thomas ArcherThomas ArcherThomas Archer was an English Baroque architect, whose work is somewhat overshadowed by that of his contemporaries Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor. Archer was born at Umberslade Hall in Tanworth-in-Arden in Warwickshire, the youngest son of Thomas Archer, a country gentleman, Parliamentary...
, in church of St Mary, Hale, HampshireHale, HampshireHale is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It lies on the border of the New Forest, overlooking the valley of the River Avon. The village is about north-east of the town of Fordingbridge, and about south of the city of Salisbury... - marble statue of barristerBarristerA barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
Sir George Cooke (1645–1740) of HarefieldHarefieldHarefield is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London, England. It is situated on top of a hill, northwest of Charing Cross, near the Greater London boundary with Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the north...
(c. 1744-1749) - in private collection - monument to James Cooper (d.1743) and his wife in AllSaints, West HamWest HamWest Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
, EssexEssexEssex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west... - monument to the Earl of KildareRobert FitzGerald, 19th Earl of KildareRobert FitzGerald, 19th Earl of Kildare PC , known as Robert FitzGerald until 1707, was an Irish peer.-Background:...
in Christ Church Cathedral, DublinChrist Church Cathedral, DublinChrist Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland... - equestrian monument to King William IIIWilliam III of EnglandWilliam III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
(c. 1757), in Petersfield, HampshirePetersfield, HampshirePetersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth, on the A3 road. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct Line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth and London. The town is situated on the... - memorial to Robert Davies Esq. of Llanerch (c1736), in Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Mold, FlintshireMold, FlintshireMold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...