WIGG, Charles Mayes

1889 - 1969

Charles Mayes Wigg was born at Nottingham on 13 January 1889 and baptised at Eaton St Andrew, Norwich, Norfolk on 21 December 1890, son of Mayes Wigg (21 February 1856-19 April 1941), a bank manager, and his wife Agnes née Sudbury (11 April 1864-24 March 1948), who married at St Mary's Church, Nottingham on 15 August 1886. In 1901, Charles was a 12-year-old, living at High Street, Watton, Norfolk with his parents, 45-year-old Mayes and 37-year-old Agnes, with siblings Agnes Dorothy 13 and Roland 7. Charles Wigg was educated at Gresham's School in Holt, Norfolk and painted during childhood visits to Florence before studying at Norwich School of Art from 1911 and later with Frank Spenlove-Spenlove (1864-1933) at his Yellow Door School of Art in Beckenham, Kent. In 1911 Charles was a 22-year-old artist painter, still living with his family but now at Barclays Bank, Tucker Street, Cromer, Norfolk. During the First World War, Wigg served with the British Army and saw active service at Gaza but in 1916, was invalided out of the army with severe leg injuries which left him with a disability for the rest of his life. Returning to his career as an artist and illustrator, he subsequently found life afloat easier than life on land and for many years lived and painted on a houseboat on the Norfolk Broads. He also had studios at The Thatched House, Brundall, his parents' home, and at nearby Rose Cottage, Barton Turf. Wigg was a landscape artist, working mostly in watercolours, and an etcher, with the occasional paintings in oils, his subjects were the Norfolk coast and scenery of the Broads, and his etchings were mostly of boats. He exhibited regularly at the Norwich Art Circle 1909-1936 and showed at the Royal Academy also with the British Watercolour Society and at the Ipswich Art Society in 1933 from Rose Cottage, Barton Turf, Neatishead, Norfolk an oil painting, 'The River Bure at Acle'. In 1939, a 'landscape artist', living with his parents at The Thatched House, New Road, Brundall. He married late in life at Norwich in 1952, his mother's nurse Ethel Harwood (1896-1966) which proved to be a difficult marriage. Charles spent his last few years as a widower living with his brother Roland (1893-1974) in Eastbourne, unable to paint which he had once enjoyed. Charles Mayes Wigg was of Bucklewood House, Gray Wood, East Hoathley, Sussex when died at St Mary's Hospital, Eastbourne on 2 March 1969 and is buried in East Hoathly Church.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from The Thatched House, Brundall
1915 1048 The Marsh Harvest, Norfolk - watercolour

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Works by This Artist