Story

Heene Hallmark

John Forbes Hardy 1816 – 1906

Watercolour Artist

John Forbes Hardy travelled extensively as a landscape artist and many prints were made of his work. He is well known for his paintings of Hampstead Heath. He settled in Worthing when he was in his fifties to take care of his elderly parents. He was an Officer of Volunteers and took an active role in the public life of Worthing.

Biography

Landscape artist, John Forbes Hardy was born on 24 October 1816 in Hampstead, London, to Mary Clarke Hardy nee Southard, aged 25, and Joseph Hardy, sadler and property owner, aged 27.

John visited Worthing from the age of ten and became interested in landscape painting. He painted several views local to his home of Hampstead Heath and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Devon. He possibly met his first wife, Rosalina Parsloe of Totnes, Devon when on a painting holiday. He is known to have painted an oil on canvas of the coastal village of Lynemouth.

Rosalina (Rose) and John were married in Chelsea on 12 June 1847 and set up home in Hampstead where he earned his living from landscape painting.

In 1857 he followed his parents to live permanently in Worthing at 2 Marlborough Terrace, Marine Parade. He would have witnessed, first hand, the building of the pier which was completed in 1862. John continued to paint and inherited the properties his father bought after his father’s death in 1863.

Interested in public service, John joined the old Eleventh Sussex Volunteers as an Ensign later becoming a lieutenant and then a captain (There is a painting of his depicting several of the soldiers of the Eleventh that was presented to the Worthing Territorials in 1922.)  His wife died in 1876 and he married, school teacher Maude Anne Johnstone the following year on 12^th February 1877 at Christ Church Worthing.  He knew Maude and her mother and sisters very well because he lived next door to their school, Marlborough House, which was one of his properties.

John and Maude moved to Beaconsfield, Manor Road, Worthing and Maude’s youngest sister, Gertrude, moved in with them. John was a prominent figure in Worthing until his death on the 7^th December 1906. The funeral service was at St. Boltoph’s Church where he was a trustee and he was buried in Heene Cemetery. John left his estate of £13380 18s and 8d to his wife.

Researcher: Pat Brownbill

Date of Death: 07/02/1906

Cause of death: Unknown

Address line 1: Beaconsfield

Address line 3: Manor Road

Town: Worthing

County: Sussex

Country: England

Obituary

Worthing Gazette – Wednesday 12 December 1906

DEATH OF MR. J. F. HARDY.

His Long Association with the Town.

An Artist and an Officer of Volunteers.

Mr. John Forbes Hardy, who has just passed away, Worthing has lost one who was a familiar figure to a past generation, but of whom little has been seen in public of late. The greater retirement in which he has latterly lived was not be wondered at, for he had reached the advanced age of ninety years, and time and failing health had robbed him of much of his physical activity. He was a man of commanding build and distinguished appearance, and mellowing age made of him a venerable figure. At one time be lived in Marlborough Terrace, Marine Parade, but his removal to West Worthing took place many years ago, and it was at his residence, known as Beaconsfield, in Manor Road, that he died on Friday morning.

As an Artist.

Mr. Hardy’s earliest recollections of Worthing went back nearly eighty years, for be first visited the town with his father when he was a boy of only ten or eleven years of age; but it was not until the year 1857 that he took up his permanent residence here. Of independent means, he took to painting as his principal hobby at an early age, and became an artist of considerable repute, although he had not publicly exhibited his pictures for some years past. Sussex was regarded by him with especial favour as offering suitable subjects for his brush, and there was scarcely a part of the county which he had not visited at one time or another; though Wales, the moors and dales of Yorkshire, and the Pyrenees also provided him with material for several very notable works proclaiming his artistic skill. Of the beauties of the immediate neighbourhood of Worthing Mr. Hardy was want to speak in terms of the greatest appreciation.

An Officer of Volunteers

In March, 1862, Mr. Hardy joined the old Eleventh Sussex Volunteers (now the H Company of the Second Volunteer Battalion of the County Regiment) as an Ensign, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in October of the following year. Subsequently, after an interval of two or three years, during which time he was engaged in travelling in pursuit of his favourite hobby, he rejoined the local Company of Volunteers, in January. 1870, as Captain. a position he retained until his resignation in November, 1873. Although he did not take a prominent part in the direction of local affairs, except for a period of service as a member of the old West Worthing Commissioners. Mr. Hardy was keenly interested in every movement that promised to be for the benefit of the town; and in spite of his advanced age and his failing health be continued to exhibit that interest right up to the last. In 1877 he married Miss Maude Johnstone (eldest daughter of Mr. Charles Emilius Johnstone, of Woodspeen, Newbury, Berkshire, and Mrs. Johnstone, of Marlborough House, now Argyle House, Marine Parade), who survives him. His father was the first person to be buried at the Cemetery at Broadwater, in May, 1863; and the fact was duly noted in a special article on the Cemetery which appeared in the Gazette on the 1st of August.

The Funeral.

The funeral of the deceased gentleman took place yesterday afternoon, at Heene Cemetery, the first portion of the burial service being at St. Boltoph’s Church. The chief mourners were Mr. Arthur Southard (cousin) and Mrs. Southard, Miss Johnstone and Miss G. Johnstone (sisters-in-law), Mr. Edward Johnstone (brother-in-law), Mrs. Dalrymple, Mr. Rupert Johnstone, and Mr. George Johnstone. Several old local Volunteers and others also attended at the Church to pay the last tribute of respect, the latter including Alderman Captan Cortis, Mr. John Roberts, Councillor C. C. Cook, Councillor T. Gray, Mr. A. H. Collet, Mr. E. Sayer., Mr. Thomas Sutton, Mr. F. Strip, Mr. J. W. Sheppard. Mr. F. J. Aldri , Mr. E. W. Bennett, Mr. F. Twine, and Mr. F. . Twine. The Rector (the Rev. J. P. Fallowes) was the officiating clergyman. In accordance with the expressed wishes of the deceased the funeral was of a very quiet character, but 4 floral tributes were taken to the Cemetery and afterwards placed upon the grave, these being from Mrs. Mc’Leod Rookies and the Misses Beckles, Mrs. H. M. Mews. Mrs. and Miss Harwood, and Mr. Edward W. Woods. Messrs. Patching and Co. had charge of the funeral arrangements.

Personal Effects

Money left to others: £13380 18 s 8 d

Current value of effects: Not calculated

1841

Living at St John, Hampstead Heath, London Joseph Hardy, 50, Mary Hardy, 50,

John Hardy, 25.

1851

Living at 17 Heath Road, Hampstead, John F Hardy, 34, landscape artist, wife Rosalina Hardy, 24.

1861

Living at 2 Marlborough Terrace, Worthing – John F Hardy 44 yrs proprietor of houses, Rose 34 yrs wife, Ann Ansfield 21yrs servant

1871

Living at 3 Marlborough Terrace, Worthing – John F Hardy 54 yrs House and Railway property, Edward E Johnstone 18yrs visitor, Mary A Marks 65yrs General Domestic Servant

1881

Living at Beaconsfield, Manor Road, Worthing – John F Hardy 68 yrs house property, Maude Anne 38yrs, Julia Corbould 58yrs visitor, Ann Standing 26yrs Cook/Domestic Servant, Mary Standing 19yrs Housemaid

1891

Living at Beaconsfield, Manor Road, Worthing – John F Hardy 47yrs Living on own means, Maude A Hardy 48yrs wife, Gertrude M Johnstone 45yrs Sister in Law, Emily M Easley 41yrs Cook/Domestic Servant, Alice M Packham 25yrs housemaid

1901

Living at Beaconsfield, Manor Road, Worthing – John F Hardy 84yrs Living on own means, Maude 58yrs wife, Gertrude M Johnstone 55 yrs Sister in Law, Emily Easley 51yrs Cook/Domestic Servant, Sarah Green 42yrs Housemaid