London, born 1812, died 1845. Brother of the above.
Worked for Betts.

FENDT, Jacob, London, born 1815, died 1849. Third son of Bernard
Fendt. The best maker among the sons of Bernard. His instruments are
beautifully finished, and free from the stereotyped character
belonging to those of his brother Bernard. As specimens of the
imitator's art they are unsurpassed. One cannot but regret that such a
consummate workman should have been obliged to waste his energies in
making new work resemble that of a hundred years before. The patronage
that he obtained was not of much value, but had he brought his work
into the market in its natural condition he could not have lived by
his trade. He was, therefore, compelled to foster that which he no
doubt felt to be degrading. The copies of Stradivari by Jacob Fendt
are among his best efforts. The work is well done; the discoloration
of the wood cleverly managed, the effects of wear counterfeited with
greater skill than had ever been done before, and finally, an amount
of style is thrown into the work which transcends the ingenuity of any
other copyist. Had he been allowed to copy the form of the old
masters, as Lupot did, without imitating the actual wear of the
instrument, we should have had a valuable addition to our present
stock of instruments of the Panormo class.

FENDT, Francis, London. Fourth son of Bernard; also worked in
Liverpool about 1856.

FENDT, William, London, born 1833, died 1852. Son of Bernard Simon
Fendt. Was an excellent workman, and assisted his father in the
manufacture of several of his Double-Basses.

FERGUSON, Donald, Huntley, Aberdeenshire.

FIRTH, G., Leeds, 1836.

FORSTER, William, born in 1713, died 1801.

William Forster,
Violin Maker,
in Brampton.

The family of the Forsters have played no unimportant part in the
history of Violins. The attention they commanded as makers, both from
artists and amateurs, has probably never been equalled in England.
Their instruments claimed attention from the moment they left their
makers' hands, their construction being excellent in every way.
William Forster was a native of Brampton, in Cumberland, where he
followed the trade of a spinning-wheel maker, occupying his spare time
in the making and repairing of Violins and musical instruments
generally. His labours, as far as they relate to Violin-making, appear
to have been of a very unpretending nature, but they served to impart
a taste for the