Kenneth Eager, one of the last great stone cutters and wood carvers attached to the Catholics Guild of St Joseph and
St Dominic in Ditchling, died aged 84 in 2013. Kenneth specialised in heraldic designs and letter cutting and examples
of his skills as a master craftsman can be seen all over the south east of England.
He converted to Catholicism whilst studying at Xaverian College in Brighton and was apprenticed to renowned sculptor,
carver and letter cutter Joseph Cribb, who had joined the Guild at Ditchling when it was founded by Eric Gill in 1920.
Kenneth and Noel Tabbenor worked as Cribb's assistants in his workshop on Ditchling Common where John Skelton also honed
his skills as a letter carver and sculptor.
Kenneth worked with Joseph Cribb for 22 years and continued at the workshop after Cribb's death in 1967 until the Guild
was disbanded in 1989.
His workshop was quite old fashioned. It was very cold in winter and there was no running water, he had to cross a
field and draw water from a farm tap so it was a tough life, but there was a wonderful atmosphere with parties for the
children, especially on St Dominic's feast day.
Kenneth, Joseph and Noel were involved in projects of national importance, including restoration work on Canterbury
Cathedral. An example of their craftsmanship can be seen in the memorial chapel to The Buffs, The Royal East Kent
Regiment, where an elaborate dragon was carved on a marble panel of the altar.
Kenneth went on to carve the headstone for Sir Norman Hartnell, who was dressmaker to the Queen Mother and Queen
Elizabeth II. Hartnell is buried in Clayton churchyard.
Kenneth took a practical approach to art, never produced work for exhibition and thrived on classical letter cutting
and carving. He could perhaps have exploited his talent to greater commercial benefit but chose not to expand the
business and remained committed to his commissions, almost all of which came by word of mouth.
Fine examples of Kenneth's work include the 'Pelham Memorial' in Falmer parish church, which lists the names of the
fallen from two world wars, including The Honourable Lyttleton Herbert Keymer Pelham, son of the fifth Earl of Chichester
who died in 1914.
Kenneth also carved a baptismal font for Telscombe Catholic Church and carved the Stations of the Cross out of sycamore
and walnut for St John's Seminary at Wonersh, Surrey.
Heraldic designs were his real love because he could use his artistic talents to the full. He was a gifted artist and
lived with Audrey, his wife of 59 years, in Burgess Hill and later in Haywards Heath.
When he retired, Kenneth moved with Audrey to France where they lived for 11 years before settling in Malta.
The seal of the Rensselaer Newman Foundation, in Troy, Upper New York State, which shows the
Sun and Balance, hangs between the entry doorways, and was designed by Graham Carey of
Benson Vermont, and carved by Kenneth Eager of the Guild of Saint Joseph and Dominic in
Ditchling England
