William de Ramsey (fl. 1323 – 1349) was anEnglish Gothicmaster mason andarchitect who worked on and probably designed the two earliest buildings of thePerpendicular style ofGothic architecture.[1] William Ramsey is thought to have been one of the originators of the Perpendicular style which was to dominate Gothic architecture in England for three centuries "and, if so, he was one of the most influential architects England has ever produced".[1]
The son ofJohn de Ramsey, Master of Works atNorwich Cathedral and probable builder atEly Cathedral (1324–30), William Ramsey began his career in the 1320s, working with his father on thecloisters at Norwich and probably on the chapel above the St Ethelbert's Gate to thecathedral close.[1][2] In 1323 he was working onSt Stephen's Chapel (since destroyed) at the oldPalace of Westminster. He was also a consultant ('Visiting Master') at Norwich's Cathedral between 1326 and 1331.[1] In 1332 he designed thechapter house (since destroyed) atOld St Paul's Cathedral inLondon.[1] In 1337 he was consulted on the design of thepresbytery ofLichfield Cathedral and was charged with supervising building at Stephen's Chapel the same year.[1] The chapter house at St Paul's and St Stephen's in Westminster are known from existing fragments and contemporary illustrations to have been in Perpendicular style, the first buildings to have been built this way.[1]
In 1335 he was one of four commissioners responsible for a report on theTower of London. The following year, he was made Chief Mason of the Tower andChief Surveyor of the King's Works there and for all castles south of theRiver Trent, a lifetime appointment.[1][3] Thegreat hall and other parts ofPenshurst Place (1341–48) were probably his work.[1]
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William de Ramsey was a scion of the de Ramsey family of master masons whose work, according toJohn Harvey, can be found atRamsey Abbey, Norwich Cathedral,Ely Cathedral, and possibly also inParis.[4][page needed] Ramsey died ofplague in 1349, during theBlack Death. William Ramsey's daughter,Agnes Ramsey, carried on his workshop after his death.[5]
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