Born: 1863 and died 1946.
Son of: Henry Charles Heath (1829-1898) and Georgina Woodcock (1838-1891).
Brother of:
1. Sir Henry Frank Heath (1863-1946) who married 1st Antonia Eckerstein (1868-1893) and 2nd Francis Sayer (1874-1939).
2. Mabel Heath (1865-????).
3. Constance Fanny Heath (1866-1940) who married, in 1888, Prof Arthur Green (Prof of Chemistry).
4. Ernest Dudley Heath (1867-1945) who married 1st Ellen Green, and 2nd Mary Gilbertson.
5. Elvina Heath (1869-1956?) known as Snooker.
6. Charles Heath (1870-1870).
7. Leopold Heath (1872-1902).
8. Florence (1874-1937) who married ?
9. Arthur Heath (1875-1875).
10. George Heath (1876-1877).
11. Winifred Marion Heath (1880-????).
Lionel married: in 1903, Maggie Forsyth (1879-1939).
Lionel and Margaret had issue:
1. Air Marshal Sir Maurice Lionel Heath (1909-1998) who married 1st Kathleen Gibson (1915-1988, known as Mary) and 2nd Ethel Dutton (1905-1996).
2. Margaret Jean Harris (nee Heath, then Lightbody, 1913-2000) who married 1st in 1940 Robert Lightbody and 2nd, in 1962, Norman Harris (1910-1994).  Jean died 17 March 2001.

Overview of: Lionel Heath (Hugh)

The following note on Lionel Heath was from a brief address to the Art Workers Guild given by his brother Dudley Heath in 1938 shortly after Lionel had died.  The note reads as follows:

My brother Lionel was a pupil of our father, Henry Charles Heath, miniature painter to Queen Victoria.   My brother for many years had great success as a miniature painter and exhibited for a long succession of years at the Royal Academy and other exhibitions.   He was at that time, one of the very few miniature painters who did much to raise the art to a level akin to its earlier traditions of the 16th and early 17th centuries.

In 1911, he was appointed vice-principal of the Mayo School of Arts and Crafts at Lahore; and two years later he became principal.  The post carried with It the Curatorship of the Lahore Museum, which in earlier years had been in the charge of Lockwood Kipling, and is Immortalised by Rudyard Kipling In "Kim."  To quote the Times notice: " He did great work in encouraging the study In the Punjab of both the Fine and Industrial Arts."  Since his retirement In 1930 he has given valuable service as member of council of the Indian society. In the organisation of the recent exhibition of Modern Indian Art, held In London, which was opened by H.M.the queen, then Duchess of York.

Since his retirement he has devoted much time in reconstructing with his own hands, the Interior woodwork of his house at Walton-on-Thames, and planning one of the most graceful gardens, warden planning was his hobby.  My brother was an artist and craftsman in everything he did, and he never expressed himself to greater advantage than when doing, things to beautify his home and garden.

The above notes were found in the family records collected by Ian Heath (1921-2004), son of Dudley Heath.

Lionel became a member of the RMS (Royal Society of Miniature Painters) in 1897 and he showed three works that year.  Between 1899 and 1910 he was a member of the RMS Council.  He was still a member in 1913 but by 1921 he was no longer listed.  Over all he exhibited well over 70 miniatures with the RMS and also showed over 45 works at the Royal Academy from 1892.  He exhibited too at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool and Manchester City Art Gallery. He was, of course, an expert on Indian art and wrote the introduction and critical notes for the catalogue of 'Examples of Indian Art at the British Empire Exhibition 1924'.

Lionel Heath's wife, Maggie (nee Forsyth) was christened Maggie (not Margaret) and she was born in Fenton, Staffordshire in 1874. Her father, Joseph Forsyth, was a Civil Engineer who was born in Salford, Lancs. in 1839.  Her mother was Elizabeth Skerratt, b.1842.  The 1881 Census shows an extended family of ten, headed by Maggie's maternal grandfather, Richard T. Skerratt, a widower and engraver, with Maggie's parents and siblings and one servant. The family was living at 49 Heron Street, Stoke upon Trent, Fenton, Staffs, an address that they used for many years. In 1891, when Maggie's father was still alive, but her mother was dead, Maggie was described on the official Census as a Governess Pupil.  She had 4 brothers and 2 sisters.  In 1901 Maggie was living in an extended family of 8, with one servant.  Her brother, (called Skerratt Forsyth using his mother's surname as a christian name) was head of house. He was also a Civil Engineer.  By that date, both parents had died.  Their address at that time was Heron House, Heron Street, Stoke on Trent, Fenton, Staffs. When Maggie died in 1939, aged 66 in Hersham, Surrey, she left pounds 355.17s.5d in her Will.  Lionel Heath, when he died in 1938, left pounds 3027.11s.7d.

The above note provided by Julia Farwell. 

A selection of known portraits and paintings of Hugh Lionel Heath are below:

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