James Price Landscape Painter

 During transcription of Shoreham burial registers now published online at Kent Online Parish Clerks Shoreham Burials 1813-1850 I discovered my first reference to a Shoreham based Landscape Painter called James Price. I wrote about his father's career here but the Covid 19 restrictions and the decision to close archives with staff working remotely inhibited my ability to research more about this man. There were a number of census possibilities but James Price is a common British name.

James lived with  the rest of his family in the 1841 census at Shoreham Rectory and is aged 30 and unmarried. He was born at Croydon on the 19 October 1805 whilst his father was curate at Croydon and is likely to have been baptised by his father at Croydon on 18 May 1806 although I have not had access to the original record. This eliminates another Price family found at the same period in the Croydon register who lived in the Mitcham part of the parish.

The Bank of England have in their art collection some of his landscapes possibly commissioned. The British Museum also has some of his work. There is one work which appears to be a view of Shoreham from the high ground of Filston Lane looking down the Darenth Valley with the Parish Church featured.

I was left with a conclusion that James might have entered employment at the Bank of England but the Bank of England Archive was closed and relevant record searches were not possible by Archivists working from home. I am extremely grateful to the Bank of England Archive staff who during a break in lockdown managed to locate in their admission registers confirmation of James's place and date of birth. At age 20 he was admitted to employment as a clerk of the Bank of England and was "single and free from debt" and described as living wholly with his father at the Rectory at Shoreham. This information is contained in reference M5/408 Committee for Examination of Clerks for Election:Qualification Reports (19 July 1814-13 February 1829) held at the Bank of England Archive.

He married  and the couple are found in the 1851 census at 3 Sydney Place Brixton. James aged 45 is a clerk in the Bank of England  and he and his wife Sarah born at Pentonville Middlesex have 8 children the youngest Eleanor Agnes is seven months old and they employ a nurse and two other resident domestic staff.

After his father's death and his mother's funeral James proves to be an elusive figure but his paintings have entered national collections and are also from many parts of England. He died in 1879 and is buried with both his parents at Shoreham. There is no entry in the burial register to indicate where he lived. However his death certificate records his death aged 73 at 14 Woodlands Villas Blackheath and his death is certified as due to General paralysis. His daughter Eleanor Agnes registered the death and appears to have cared for him in his later years.

James is one of the more interesting all male Bank of England Clerks in having a landscape art career which features in National collections.The art world record of him is incorrect having much later birth year in his brief biography.

It is interesting that he chose to be buried with both his parents at Shoreham and he appears to have identified completely with his home at The Rectory and life with his parents in the parish.

© Henry Mantell Downe Online Parish Clerk 2013-2021