At the suggestion of Stanhope Forbes, Birch took the additional name of Lamorna in order to distinguish himself from another artist of the same name. Birch’s move to Lamorna was instrumental in bringing a second wave of artists to Cornwall, including Laura and Harold Knight.

Samuel Birch was born in Egremont, Cheshire, the eldest son in a family of ten, his father died at an early age and the twelve-year-old Birch left school and began work as an office boy in Manchester. Ill health forced him to leave the city and to recuperate for a while at the home of a river bailiff, where he was introduced to fly fishing, and where he applied his early talent for drawing to the depiction of landscape. When he returned to work, as an industrial designer in a linoleum factory, Birch continued to sketch in his spare time and built up a local reputation for his paintings.

In 1899 Birch visited Newlyn, attracted by the group of distinguished artists, including Stanhope Forbes and Frank Bramley, who had colonized this small Cornish fishing village. Following Forbes’s advice Birch went to Paris in 1895 to study in the Atelier Colarossi. Apart from this short period, Birch was entirely self-taught. On his return he exhibited and sold a collection of his Paris paintings at an exhibition held in Lancaster. Birch finally settled in Cornwall in about 1896 and the influence of the Newlyn painters became apparent in his use of a muted tonal range. In 1902 he moved to Flagstaff Cottage at Lamorna Cove. At this time there was living in Newlyn an artist named Lionel Birch and, at the suggestion of Stanhope Forbes, S.J. Birch took the additional name of Lamorna in order to distinguish himself. Birch’s move to Lamorna was instrumental in bringing a second wave of artists to Cornwall, including Laura and Harold Knight.

From 1906 several exhibitions of his work were held at the Fine Art Society. He was elected an ARA in 1926, and became a full member eight years later. Birch was a prolific painter, sometimes travelling to prime fishing rivers in England, Scotland and on the continent, and always looking for new subject matter. In 1937 he visited New Zealand and Australia, and an exhibition of his Australian work was held at the Greatorex Galleries on his return.