William Pezzak(1856 -1933)

A Master of Arts and Crafts

Recollections of Mousehole Man William Pezzack (1856-1933), by J. C. Laity

This brief story of William Pezzack was inspired by the undertaking of the Old Boys of the Humphry Davy School to arrange the restoration of the memorial screen he carved in oak to commemorate the school members who were killed during the First World War.

So little was known about him that I thought the story should be told. What was so remarkable about him was that William Pezzack seemed to be a master of so many arts and crafts despite undertaking all of them in his spare time! He leaves behind many beautifullymade artefacts, of which the roll of honour at Humphry Davy School is just one.

Born on May Day in Mousehole, he was the son of a fisherman boatowner, in a community where many people's lives and livelihood depended on a sturdy boat. William soon became familiar with the variety of crafts that were part of the life of a fisherman; he was keen to learn all about the construction and maintenance of fishing luggers, sails and tackle.

Although his father, also called William, did comparatively well as a fisherman he felt the industry was a precarious and often dangerous way to make a living and so his son was 'written down' to join the Post Office. It was hardly an exciting occupation for a young man but the career provided him with a steady income and the opportunity to develop the arts and crafts for which he became renowned. His love of the sea and boats remained with him throughout his life.

William became a postal telegraphist as a young man but also developed his abilities in woodcarving, painting and metalwork. At this time his sister, Mary Ellen Pezzack, married my paternal grandfather, William George Richards Laity, who was, like William's father, a boatowner fisherman at Mousehole. This union established our family relationship.

In the 1880s William became well established in the Post office at Newlyn. He was a prominent member of the Methodist Trinity Chapel on Chywoone Hill (having joined the 'Band of Hope' at the age of five), many years later William introduced my father to my mother one Sunday after morning service. My father had been attracted to the young lady contralto sitting with the choir!

It was in the 1880s that John Drew Mackenzie, artist and designer, came to Newlyn attracted by the art colony and the growing number of noteworthy artists gathering there. He became friends with Uncle Billy the two men were almost the same age, with the same interests and both were religious men. John took part in the church services at Paul and became known for his 'beautiful and authorative' reading of the lesson there.

When Mackenzie saw the need to help the young people of Newlyn it was William, amongst others, who supported him. With the financial backing of Thomas Bedford Bolitho, the then Liberal Member of Parliament, the plan to establish 'The Newlyn Industrial Classes' came to fruition.

In 1891 at the grand old age of 34 years William married Lavinia Thomas, a 29 yearold school mistress from Trevaunance, near St Agnes. The newlyweds bought a home in Lane Reddin Terrace on Paul Hill which commanded a splendid panoramic view of Newlyn harbour and Mount's Bay across to the Lizard. They named the house 'Trevaunance'.

John Mackenzie lived quite near at hand a little further up the hill in number 2 Antoine Terrace lodging with Mr and Mrs Richards and their daughter, Gertrude. Gertrude knew both John and William and recalled as recently as 1990 going into John's room and seeing his drawings and designs scattered about.

She was later the proud owner of a beautiful piece of repousse copper work beaten by John that he gave her mother. It had an attractive design of flowers created by him and especially fitting for the flower vase it graced.

No offspring resulted from the match of William and Lavinia but both found much to occupy their spare time. As a school mistress Lavinia was a great help with the Industrial School, especially helping the girls through her expertise as a needlewoman and teacher.

In his spare time, in a substantial building at the top of the steep back garden William established his 'kingdom of creation'. There you could find his great selection of tools neatly arranged and in tiptop condition. On one side of the room was an exquisite cabinet of drawers, made by him, and labelled in his own shorthand code informing of its contents. You would also find his lathe with it's well used foot treadle upon which I, my brother George, Arnold Derrington and many other youngsters had several exciting rides. There Uncle Billy displayed to his many visitors the skull of an albatross, an assegai and a stout piece of wood used as a weapon in the Newlyn Fish Riots! In his garden William nurtured cultivated blackberries and scrumptious apples that were picked and wrapped carefully in tissue paper.

In Trevaunance' were many items of his creation. In the diningroom was a fine model of a barquentine which my brother, being senior to me, was allowed to rig and derig. In fact George benefited greatly by being six and a half years older than me because he visited Uncle Billy frequently between the age of nine and 14; I was barely eight years old when he died. Consequently George could understand Uncle Billy and enjoy his company so much better than I could.

George remembers the heating system that uncle invented. In the lounge he had a means of feeding the fire with air from outside the house, in order to avoid draughts. Ducts within the fire surround carried warm air to the main bedroom above.

Uncle Billy made all the door handles in the main part of the house; they were beautifully designed, leaf shaped and of an art nouveau type, cast in bronze. Everything in the house was in ship shape order and much of it was fashioned by his own hand.

George remembers being there when Morton Nance came to tea to consult Uncle Billy regarding fishing boats for his 'Glossary of Cornish Sea Terms'. On these occasions George had to leave early and was not aware he was in the presence of a famous Cornish personage who was not only a marine historian but the founder of the St Ives Old Cornwall Society, a Grand Bard of the Cornish Gorseth and an author of the 'CornishEnglish Dictionary' and 'Cornish For AH'.

William Pezzack's exceptional talent is probably best illustrated by his models of fishing craft. They are displayed in various museums including South Kensington, where his model of a Mousehole Open Seine Boat is on show with the large quantity of nets piled within. The nets, incidently, were made by Lavinia or Aunt Vin' as we called her, for she, with her special talent, made all the sails for his models In the Maritime Museum at Falmouth can be seen his model of the Cornish lugger 'Ganges', another family vessel. Brother George recalls watching Uncle Billy building it. In George's own words: "The model was built as a real ship would have been. The keel was laid, then she was ribbed, planked and finally the deck laid. Uncle Billy had made a brass bogie stove to scale with its concentric rings on top for the crew's quarters. When he fitted it prior to decking the space over the cabin I remember his saying 'George, I know its there, you know its there and nobody else does!"

William Pezzak Model

The real Ganges PZ156 (1872-1915) was built at Mousehole and her keel was 42 feet long, the owners were W Pezzack and W G R Laity. P Thomas was recorded as the first skipper. I also remember the little double diagonal mahogany rowing boat which uncle Billy carried on his back down to the harbour for fishing or visiting other craft. It made him look somewhat like a beetle!

By good fortune, I am the proud owner of three of Uncle Billy's creations. A model yacht called 'Albatross' which won many races and a gold medal at Hayle Regatta; a splendid sideboard that he made for Aunt Vin to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary and a copy of an oil painting.

The sideboard has three hand-beaten repousse copper panels in the top section, two shell handles on the drawers and two oval handles on the cupboard doors below, all handwrought in copper. It is made of five different hardwoods, beautifully carved with the all-revealing messages on the door 'WP&LP 1906'.

The oil painting of a mackerel driver running before the wind northwest of St Michael's Mount was brought to Morrab Studio from Plymouth for me to clean and renovate. The lady owner did not know who painted it but because it was a Mounts Bay scene thought it best to bring it to Penzance. I looked for a signature and was delighted to find the unmistakable initials of William Pezzack which matched perfectly those on my sideboard. The owner kindly permitted me to have a copy made.

There are many examples of William Pezzack's work in churches, schools and houses in Cornwall, including woodwork, metalwork and paintings. Of these I must mention his restoration in Sancreed Church where he freely gave his labour to replace a part of the inner roof structure, which he carved in oak to replace that which had been completely destroyed by beetles.

His handbeaten copperwork, which is still to be seen in the area, changed under the influence of John Mackenzie design. He made a tray and gave it to Newlyn Trinity Wesleyan Bazaar for sale at the price of 30/. He said if it did not make 30/ he would have it back. It did not sell, but he let Morgan Hosking's mother have it for 15/ as she was a good neighbour. How many hundreds of pounds would it fetch now?

On his last resting place at Paul a few modest words reveal the life purpose of this modest man: 'A lover of God and of men and of pleasant and beautiful things'.

© John Curnow Laity

source: Old Penwithians