Benjamin Hancocks - Biography

1888-1962. Worked as a sculptor and painter all of his life until ill health prevented him from completing his final work in 1962. He married May Oldfield in the 1920s and she features in many of his drawings as a young woman and into her later years. In May 1903 he won awards for 'Elementary Flowers and Birds from Nature' in watercolour, 'Elementary Exercises in Design' in watercolour and 'Playing Card Backs'. At this time he must have attended the School of Arts branch school at Moseley Road, Birmingham, as he was also awarded prizes for designs given to pupils from this school. In a document dated 1912-13, he is described as an ex 'Kendrick' and 'Louisa Ann Ryland' Scholar and is awarded a British Institution Scholarship. The 'Kendrick' scholarship was open to male free admissioners; a free admissioner was a Birmingham Elementary School Pupil who showed ability at drawing and so was given free admission to the Central School for two years. Only 12 scholarships were given each year. The examination based 'Louisa Anne Ryland Scholarship' was awarded to six students each year. From the listing in the college prospectus, he is listed as starting as a teacher in the academic year 1915-16. These also advise of military service in 1917-19. He is not mentioned in 1919-20, but then returns in 1921-22 working in the Department of Modelling, Stone Carving and Letter Cutting, as an assistant to the Head of the Department - William Bloye. From 1921 onwards he was a sessional teacher at the school, teaching modelling. He seems to continue working part-time in that post until 1940, ill health subsequently reducing his hours at the school. He retired in 1953; Bloye was still Head of Department at that time. Hancocks died in 1962 whilst working on a statue for the centrepiece of a fountain in the Brighton and Hove area. There is only one mention of Ben Hancocks in the Royal Academy records which shows a 1916 entry for the Summer Exhibition: •280 The Studio Mirror •320 Edna Hancocks had a niece called Edna who died in her teens.

The works of Benjamin Hancocks: