Life

He was born in Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...

 3 September 1780, and was intended to go into farming. He settled in London from, where he became a pupil of Samuel Joseph

Samuel Joseph (sculptor)

Samuel Joseph was a British sculptor, working in the early 19th century.He was a pupil of Peter Rouw, and attended the Royal Academy Schools in 1811, gaining the silver medal there in both 1811 and 1812. In 1815 he won the gold medal for "Eve Supplicating Forgiveness"...

 and Francis Leggatt Chantrey. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy

Royal Academy

The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...

 in 1820 a bust of Thomas William Coke, and another of Captain Sir W. Bolton, R.N. At this period his residence was at Thornham

Thornham

Thornham may refer to:*Thornham, Greater Manchester*Thornham, Norfolk...

, Norfolk. In 1822, when he sent to the Academy a bust of Horatia Nelson

Horatia Nelson

Horatia Nelson, christened as Horatia Nelson Thompson was the illegitimate daughter of Emma Hamilton and Horatio Nelson.-Early life:...

, he was living at 2 New Norfolk Street, Park Lane

Park Lane

Park Lane may refer to:*Park Lane , an investment bank in Los Angeles, California*Park Lane , a road in London, UK*Park Lane , a shopping mall in Halifax, Nova Scotia*Park Lane , a rugby stadium in Greater Manchester, UK...

.

In 1844 he executed by command of Queen Victoria a marble bust of Albert, Prince Consort; this followed a commission a few years earlier for a bust of the Queen, which went to the hall of the Reform Club

Reform Club

The Reform Club is a gentlemen's club on the south side of Pall Mall, in central London. Originally for men only, it changed to include the admission of women in 1981. In 2011 the subscription for membership of the Reform Club as a full UK member is £1,344.00, with a one-off entrance fee of £875.00...

. About this period Francis moved to 56 Albany Street, Regent's Park.

Francis died in Albany Street, 30 August 1861. His own pupils included Joseph Durham

Joseph Durham

Joseph Durham was an English sculptor.-Life:Born in London in 1814, he was apprenticed to John Francis, a decorative carver. Later worked for three years in the studio of E. H. Baily, and exhibited his first piece of sculpture in the Royal Academy in 1835...

, Matthew Noble

Matthew Noble

Matthew Noble was a British sculptor.-Life:Noble was born in Hackness, near Scarborough, as the son of a stonemason, and served his apprenticeship under his father. He left Yorkshire for London when quite young, there he studied under John Francis...

 and Thomas Thornycroft

Thomas Thornycroft

Thomas Thornycroft was an English sculptor and engineer.-Biography:Thomas Thornycroft was born near Gawsworth, Cheshire, the eldest son of John Thornycroft, a farmer. He was educated at Congleton Grammar School and then briefly apprenticed to a surgeon. He moved to London where he spent four...

, who married his daughter Mary

Mary Thornycroft

Mary Thornycroft was a British sculptor and a member of the Thornycroft family.-Biography:The daughter of sculptor John Francis, she was born at Thornham, Norfolk...

.

Works

Among his other works were:

• busts of the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk (1844);
• bust in bronze of the Duke of Sussex (1847);
• marble bust of Lord John Russell, which went to the National Portrait Gallery
  National Portrait Gallery
  National Portrait Gallery can refer to:*National Portrait Gallery in Canberra*Portrait Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario*National Portrait Gallery , with satellite galleries in Denbighshire, Derbyshire and Somerset...
  
  (1848);
• a bronze medal of Eos, a favourite greyhound of Prince Albert (1848);
• marble bust of the Hon. Edward Petre (1848);
• four busts, in marble, of various members of the Eaton family (1851);
• posthumous bust of the Earl of Carlisle (1852);
• bust of the Duke of Wellington, which went to the National Portrait Gallery (1852);
• posthumous bust of the Hon. and Rev. James Norton (1854);
• bust of Vice-admiral Sir Charles Napier (1855);
• cabinet bust of the Right Hon. Earl of Aberdeen (1856).