The Pinwill sisters: Mary, Ethel and Violet 

Wood Carvers

Mary 1871 – 1962
Ethel 1872 – 1951
Violet 1874 – 1957

From the Archive at Kresen Kernow

From Wikipedia:

The Pinwill sisters were British professional woodcarvers in Devon from 1890 onwards. Although in their era there were women who produced stained glass, sculpture, wood and metalwork for churches, those women were largely unacclaimed and regarded as amateurs. The profession of ecclesiastical wood carving was one entirely carried out by men. The sisters not only became skilled at the craft, but also set up a professional workshop business and trained others.

Despite the challenges of two world wars, two fires and the departure of two of the sisters, the Pinwill workshop produced innovative ecclesiastical carvings in wood and stone for more than 60 years and for hundreds of churches in Devon, and Cornwall and further afield, becoming one of the most successful wood carving businesses in the South-West of England. Their vast body of work, gradually adapting from the complex, intricate designs of the Gothic Revival through to the pared-down, plainer style of twentieth-century Modern, is recognised as being of great skill, flair and worth.

Their work can be seen in over 100 churches in Cornwall alone, including King Charles the Martyr, Falmouth, Morwenstow, St Carantoc in Crantock, St Petrocs in Bodmin, St Cecilia, Trelowarren and The Cathedral in Truro.

You can find out more about The Pinwill Sisters and see a lot of their work on Helen Wilson’s website:

pinwillsisters.org.uk

cornishstainedglass.org.uk

Additionally from Wikipedia:

Very few women who trained as wood carvers in the late nineteenth century were accepted into established companies. It was also extremely rare for women woodcarvers to set up in business for themselves. But this was necessary if the sisters were to compete with other wood carving businesses professionally. The three thus established their own wood carving business called Rashleigh, Pinwill and Co. in 1890. Rashleigh was Mary's middle name, a family surname coming from her father's maternal line. The impression given by the name of the company, which was chosen to hide the fact that the carvers were women, still works today as references to the sisters' work are sometimes found written in modern church guides under "Messrs. Rashleigh and Pinwill", the authors evidently believing the business to have been set up by two men as they had intended.