He was born on the 23rd March, 1837 at Wordsley, Kingswinford, in
Staffordshire. He was the eldest of seven children. Muckley began his career as a glass cutter with W.H.B & J.Richardson of Wordsley and became their principal designer and engraver. When he was 22, he was responsible for much of the engraving that earnered the firm considerable praise in the Great exhibition of 1851. After the Richardson glass firm was declared insolvent in 1852, Muckley joined the Birmingham School of Art.
He won the 8 scholarships competed for by students at all the art schools in Britain.
He went on to study in London and Paris and obtained four art degrees of the highest class. He was head of the Burslem School of art for 5 years in the late 1850’s and thenwent on to be headmaster of Wolverhampton School of Art. In 1862 he became principleof Manchester School of Art. It is said that he was a talented but demanding master and has taught artists such as John Henry Henshall. He exhibited at the Royal Academy between
1859 and 1904 and at Suffolk street, the royal institution and Grosvenor Gallery.
In 1878 he wrote The Student’s manual of artistic anatomy, with 25 plates of the bones and surface muscles of the human figure, together with a description of the origin, insertion and use of the muscles, ad in 1882 wrote a handbook for painted and art students about the character, nature and use of colours, their permanent or fugitive qualities and the proper vehicles to employ, also short remarks on the practice of painting in oil and watercolours, and wrote 2 other books.
Muckley retired to White Notley Hall, Witham, Essex about 1900 and died at home on the 30th August 1905.
