William Stanford

Who was William Stanford?

William Walter Tyrell Stanford was an Australian sculptor.

Stanford was born in London, England, son of Thomas Tyrell, contractor, and his wife Frances, née Trevor. As a youth Stanford was apprenticed to a stonemason.

Stanford came to Victoria in 1852,probably as a ship's boy, and for a time worked on the gold diggings at Bendigo. In 1854 he was found guilty on a charge of horse-stealing and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment at HM Prison Pentridge, near Melbourne. After serving nearly six years he was released on ticket of leave. On 1 May 1860 Stanford was found guilty on two charges of highway robbery and one of horse-stealing, and was given sentences amounting to 22 years. Stanford afterwards declared he was quite innocent of two of the charges, and that in the third he was not the principal in the act but was assisting a fellow ex-prisoner. Stanford was again placed in Pentridge, became one of the most insubordinate of all the prisoners and apparently become thoroughly hardened.

One day the prison chaplain noticed some drawings Stanford had made on a slate, which appeared to have merit. The chaplain was afterwards shown a carved figure which the prisoner had fashioned out of a bone with a knife which he had somehow procured. This was shown to Colonel Champ, the governor of the prison, who obtained a promise from Stanford that he would behave himself if he were allowed to cultivate his talent. The chaplain also obtained permission to allow Charles Summers to give Stanford some elementary lessons in modelling. Later Stanford submitted a design for a fountain and obtained permission to execute it, but no better material could be given him than the local bluestone from the prison quarry. Stanford worked for four years on it and became exemplary in his conduct. Summers told his friends about it and many appeals were made for the release of the prisoner. Stanford was "discharged to freedom by remission" in October 1871, the fountain was set up in the triangular piece of ground between Parliament House and the treasury building, and there Stanford gave it its finishing touches. It is an excellent piece of design, amazingly successful when the conditions under which it was produced are considered.