Sculptor. He was a sculptor of Victorian England who is known for the incident with his lion statues. He received a royal commission for statues of four lions for the base of Lord Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square in London, but his plans were rejected late in the project and in 1858 the project was given to Sir Edwin Landseer, a famous painter of animals, especially dogs. Besides the professional rejection, he lost a heavy monetary commission. His lions were made of sandstone, whereas Landseer's were of monumental bronze. Each of his lions measured eight feet long, three feet wide, five feet high, and weighed three tons. They were sculptured in the local Pateley Bridge stone. With each having their own personality, his four gigantic lions were named "Determination," "Vigilance," "War," and "Peace." In the 21st century, his lions are considered far more natural in appearance and have various positions of the paws and tails, having more expressive action than Landseer's larger sphinx-like cats. One of Milnes' lions, "Peace," is relaxingly licking a paw with his tongue, yet "War's" face shows anger. In 1869, "Determination" and "Vigilance" were each installed on a high base in front of what is now in the 21st century, the Shipley College Salts Building in Saltaire, and the other two lions followed soon afterward. Born the son of John, a stonecutter, and Mary Milnes, his baptismal record is dated January 26, 1810, yet his grave marker has birth as December 21, 1810; his year of birth is reasoned to be December of 1809. Little is actually documented about his childhood, except there was little formal schooling, but assumed his father taught him his trade. Leaving Yorkshire, he settled in London and married Sarah Betsy Harrad in St. Marylebone Church on May 19, 1836. Starting on April 21, 1841, he studied at the Royal Academy Schools and, by 1842, started exhibiting at the Royal Academy, continuing until the mid-1860s. The location of several pieces exhibited during this period at the Academy is unknown. For the Great Exhibition of 1851, he participated with a funerary monument for the politician, Lord George Bentinck and for the 1862 Exhibition, with "Samson Slaying the Lion". During his career, he had three studios with prestigious London addresses. His other pieces include an 1854 standing full statue, "Nelson," in Norwich, which shows the disrepair of time; a standing full statue, "Wellington," which was originally located at the Tower of London but relocated to the Royal Arsenal in 1863, and in June of 2005 to Wellington Park in Woolwich; a full standing statue, "Dr. Charlesworth," on the grounds of Lawn of Lincoln; and the bust of Sir Titus Salt in the United Reform Church in Saltaire. He made at least six known wall-mounted funerary monuments with medallion portraits in churches. In Kensal Green Cemetery, he created an equestrian grave marker for actor Alfred Cooke, yet in the 21st century, part of the horse's head has crumbled with time and three of the four legs of the horse are missing. As a widower, he married for a second time to Frances Eidsforth on July 16, 1867, and for a third time and as a widower, he married on June 1, 1876, a daughter of a physician, Jessie Anne Fletcher, with whom he shares his simple grave marker. He had no children.