7 Gower Street, Camden
St Giles' Church, Wrexham
Wallington Hall, Northumberland
Cartmel Priory, Lancashire
St Mary's Church, Hendon
On 17th December 1825 Thomas Woolner was born to Thomas Woolner and Rebecca Leeks in Hadleigh, Suffolk. He received his first education at Ipswich, but in his boyhood his father removed to London on obtaining an appointment in the post office.
After 1837 William Behnes [aged 42] was tutor to Henry Weekes [aged 29] and Thomas Woolner [aged 11]. So great was Woolner's promise that Behnes agreed to receive him without a premium, on condition that, when sufficiently advanced, he should work for him at something less than the usual rate of pay. He continued with Behnes four years, and in December 1842, at his master's recommendation, entered the schools of the Royal Academy, continuing to be employed by Behnes in his spare time.
In 1843, aged only 17, Thomas Woolner [aged 17] exhibited his first work, a model of Eleanor of Castile sucking the poison from the arm of Prince Edward, the future King Edward I, In 1844 a life-sized group, representing The Death of Boadicea was exhibited in Westminster Hall. In 1845 he gained the Society of Arts' medal for a design representing Affection, a woman with two children. In 1846 a graceful bas-relief of Alastor was exhibited at the academy. The now well-known statuette of Puck, afterwards cast in bronze for Lady Ashburton, was exhibited at the British Institution in 1847, when it attracted the attention of Tennyson.
In September 1847 the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was formed at 7 Gower Street, Camden [Map], the home of John Everett Millais 1st Baronet [aged 18]. The seven founder members were Millais, brothers Dante Gabriel Rossetti [aged 19] and William Michael Rossetti [aged 17], William Holman Hunt [aged 20], James Collinson [aged 22], Frederick George Stephens [aged 19] and Thomas Woolner [aged 21].
1855. Ford Madox Brown [aged 33]. "The Last of England". Modelled by himself and his wife Emma Matilda Hill [aged 25]. Inspired by the departure to Australia of his friend Thomas Woolner [aged 29].
The Diary of George Price Boyce 1861. May 29. Went down to Epsom by rail and walked to the course. Met Woolner [aged 35] and a brother sculptor, Burnett, John [aged 31] and William [aged 33] Millais, Mr. Abraham Salomon [aged 38] and Mrs. Abraham Salomon and Miss Salomon. Tom Taylor and a lady. When the 18 horses were running for the Derby Stakes and I and Woolner and Burnett were against the ropes on the side the horses took, and we were struck by the thunder and tramping rush of their progress—that was in truth a sublime moment. In the evening adiourned to Cremorne which was densely thronged by men and women in all states of hilarity and inebricty. Met Munro [aged 35] and Ormsby, Poynter, Du Maurier, Millais and Jopling and others.
On 9th September 1863 Ellen Mary Palmer died. Monument in St Giles' Church, Wrexham [Map] sculpted by Thomas Woolner [aged 37].
Ellen Mary Palmer: she was born to William Henry Roger Palmer 4th Baronet. On 25th May 1857 Archibald Peel and she were married.
On 6th September 1864 Thomas Woolner [aged 38] and Alice Gertrude Waugh were married. He had previously proposed to her sister Fanny Waugh [aged 31]. They had two sons and four daughters.
Around 1865 . Unknown Photographer. Photograph of Thomas Woolner [aged 39].
In 1866 [his son] Hugh Woolner was born to Thomas Woolner [aged 40] and [his wife] Alice Gertrude Waugh.
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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1867 . Thomas Woolner [aged 41]. "Civilization", Wallington Hall, Northumberland [Map].
In November 1875 William Holman Hunt [aged 48] and Marion Edith Waugh [aged 28] were married at Neuchâtel, Switzerland since marrying your late wife's sister was illegal in England - see 1835 Marriage Act. She his [his sister-in-law] first wife's younger sister contrary to English Law; an example of Married to Two Siblings. His brother-in-law Thomas Woolner [aged 49] considered the marriage immoral; they never spoke again.
After 6th May 1882. Cartmel Priory, Lancashire [Map]. Monument to Frederick Charles Cavendish [deceased]. Sculpted by Thomas Woolner [aged 56]. Marble effigy on alabaster tomb chest. See Phoenix Park Killings.
On 7th October 1892 Thomas Woolner [aged 66] died somewhat suddenly, following an internal complaint from which he seemed to be recovering. He was buried in the churchyard at St Mary's Church, Hendon [Map].