John Greenshields


John Greenshields was a talented but short-lived Scottish sculptor. His most notable works are probably the statue of Sir Walter Scott in Parliament House, Edinburgh, The Scott Monument in Glasgow and the statue of Bonnie Prince Charlie on the Glenfinnan Monument. He also created a series of works depicting scenes from the works of Robert Burns.
Professor John Wilson referred to him as “an original genius” in his work Noctes Ambrosianae.

Life

He was born in Lesmahagow on 28 September 1795, the eldest of six sons to James Greenshields a farmer, and his wife, Betty Jack. In early life they moved to Willans, a cottage in Carluke near Crossford, South Lanarkshire, and in Crossford Greenshields first became an apprentice masonic sculptor, under a Mr Cadzow.
Around 1822 he went to Edinburgh to act as an assistant sculptor to Robert Forrest. Here he met Sir Walter Scott who became his artistic patron and friend. Scott described Greenshields as a sensible, powerfully-minded person and also there is much about that man that reminds me of Burns. During this period he lived in a cottage on the Milton estate of Scott's friend, William Lockhart.
From around 1829 he returned to work from Willans and Scott visited him there at least twice, the second in the company of John Gibson Lockhart.
He died at Willans on 24 April 1835 and was buried in Lesmahagow churchyard.

Principal works