Title

John Barclay Godson: Biography and information on etching 'Cobles at Staithes, Yorks' 1910

Author

Colin Parlor

Source

[Not applicable]

Details

12 August 2010

Publication date

12 August 2010

Type

About the work | Biography

Language

English

Country of context

Australia

Full text

 

John Barclay Godson

Cobles at Staithes, Yorks 1910. Edition of 25.

etching, printed in brown/black ink, from one plate on cream laid paper
plate-mark:15.7 x 26.9 cm ; sheet:19.5 x 31.2 cm
Signed and dated lower right ‘J.B.Godson/ 1911’.
Inscribed lower left ‘To Miss Megson with kindest regards’.
 

 

John Barclay (J. B.) Godson was born in Newcastle in the first quarter of 1882. Between April 1884 and March 1886 the family moved to Leeds. In 1891 John B Godson [aged 9 yrs] lived at 19 Well Close Mount, West Leeds, UK [near St Mark’s Church]. He was the second of five children to William and Mary. In 1901 he was still at the same address and gave his occupation as 'Art Pupil Teacher'. In 1911 his family lived at 10 Estcourt Avenue, Headingley, Leeds but J. B. was living at 27 Paulton Square, Chelsea and he gave his occupation as 'Art Student. John studied etching at the Royal College of Art in London under Sir Frank Short.

On 13 May 1911, giving his occupation as Art Master, J. B. boarded the ship Togariro on a second class ticket from London to Wellington, New Zealand to take up a staff position at Auckland Technical College[1911-1913].
Prior to leaving [1911] he dedicated a copy of ‘Cobles at Staithes’ to Miss Megson.
John Barclay Godson arrived in Australia from Wellington on the Wimaroa 4 August 1914.
In 1916 the Art Gallery of New South Wales bought a print of “Cobles at Staithes, Yorks”, dated 1911.
J. B. travelled back to London from Melbourne, arriving on ss Berrima on 4 February 1920. He gave his occupation as ‘commercial artist’.
In 1920 John Barclay Godson was a founding member of the Australian Painter- Etchers’ Society, exhibiting twelve prints in their inaugural exhibition in 1921, including ‘Cobles at Staithes’.
He married Mary E M Coleman in 1921 in Sydney. She died 1926 along with their son John M Godson at Chatswood NSW.
In 1922 J. B’s etchings sold for 2-3 guineas each [Advert in ‘The Mercury (Hobart Tas.) Friday 20 January 1922]. Over the next few years John exhibited at galleries all over Australia and continued to exhibit etchings through the 1920s and 30s, mostly of architectural and landscape subjects, including a number of waterside scenes.
On 1 July 1927 J. B. arrived in London on P+O ss Moldovia and gave an address at 16 Elma Avenue, Bridlington, Yorks, but on 20 April 1928 set off back to Australia on the P+O ship ‘Cathay’ [second class] He gave an address of 3 Edith Terrace, Chelsea. ‘The Brisbane Courier’ announced the he had work shown in ‘The Print Room at the British Museum’ – the ultimate accolade.
In 1930 J. B. lived at 145 George Street North, Darling Harbour, West Sydney and in 1931 he married Hilda Mary P Kettley at Sydney.
Between 1929 and 1933 JB advertised in Sands Directory with a working address on Alfred Street, North Sydney. In 1933 J. B. and Hilda lived at 52 Phillip Street, King, East Sydney, but by 1936 had moved to 27 Awaba Road, Warringah, Mosman, NSW. The following year [1937] they were at 10 Upper Avenue Road and he gave his occupation as Art Teacher as opposed to artist which he had stated in earlier electoral rolls. At this time J. B. was involved in a court case over the ownership of copyright of some book plates he had designed and printed called ‘The Hippocratic Oath’.
In 1940 J. B. painted a portrait of Mrs R G Gardiner, the daughter of a local dignitary. In 1943 J. B. and Hilda had moved to 10 Warringah Road, Warringah but by 1949 they were living at 46 Smith Road, Bennelong, Artarmon. They were still at this address in 1954. Hilda died in 1955.
John Barclay Godson died in Artarmon, Sydney, New South Wales in 1957, aged 82.

N.B. Staithes is a seaside fishing village in north Yorkshire, where a distinctive fishing boat called a ‘coble’ was made. The town was also popular with artists around the turn of the twentieth century, with many visiting there to live and work.

Miss Megson could be either Emily (44) Art Student living 21 Ebor Place, Leeds or
Dorothy May (17) Pupil Teacher living 223 Harehills Lane, Leeds.

John Barclay Godson’s family in 1891 were:

Grandmother: Agnes Godson, born c. 1819, Scotland.
Father: William Godson, a Superintendent of Musical Instruction for the Leeds School Board, born Liverpool c. 1857, died Bridlington, East Yorkshire, 1939
Mother: Mary Ann McNeil Godson, born c 1854 Renfraid, Greenock, Scotland.
Siblings:
William Godson, born 2nd quarter [qtr] 1881, Newcastle, Northumberland.
Jeanie Barclay Godson, born 2nd qtr 1884, Newcastle, Northumberland, (married William Morris at Leeds, 1919).
Henry Cromwell Godson, born 1st qtr 1886, Leeds, West Yorkshire. Died Fremantle, Australia, 1962
Arthur Heslop Godson, born 4th qtr 1888, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Sources
U.K. Births, Marriages and Deaths 1837-2006.
1891 census of England and Wales.
1901 census of England and Wales.
1911 census of England and Wales.
Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960
UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
New South Wales, Unassisted Passenger lists 1839-1923
New South Wales Government, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Justice a& Attorney General
Various Australian Newspapers 1814-1854 inc. Sydney Morning Herald, The Mercury [Hobart], The Brisbane Courier.
Sands Directory: Sydney and New South Wales 1858-1933.
Electoral registers for New South Wales 1903-1954