An intriguing possibility exists that could take us far back into Westall heritage. Geoffrey Chaucer's grandmother, variously known as Mary de Westhale, Mary Westhall or Mary Westall is said to be in our family history to have been the model for the Wife of Bath in Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales'. This accords with the westall's inheritance in the seventeenth century of the Kerdistone estate, just north of Reepham, near Norwich. (See will of William Heyward P.C.C. Coke 18) Earlier owners of the estate in the fifteenth century had been the family of Lord Kerdistone. The daughter of the third Lord Kerdistone, Maud (d 1437) married Thomas, the son of Geoffrey Chaucer.
Very early pictures exhibited by Richard Westall, who was born in Reepham, were 'The Wife of Bath's Tale'. (RA 1785 no 598 and 1788 no 123).
Another genealogical gleaning is that the two artist's paternal grandmother, known only as Sarah, may have been Sarah Ireland. This suggestion is backed by the baptism record of one Richard Ireland Westoll with parents given as Benjamin & Sarah the same names as the grandparents of the two artists. This Richard Ireland Westoll, baptised on 21 May1734 paid land taxes in the parish of All Saints, where Richard Westall RA was baptised.
The Houghton Library, Harvard University, have a portrait of Wiliam Henry Ireland (1777 - 1835) as a youth drawn by Richard Westall and a tri-fold illustration by Richard of a theatrical scene where two sisters of William Henry Ireland are depicted together with Jane & William Linley, Thomas Sheridan, John & William Carr and Westall himself as the central figure.
I was William Henry Ireland who admitted forging the work he attributed to William Shakespeare entitle 'Vortigern'. His father Samuel was a biographer of Hogarth and etched his illustrations. There is another biographer of Hogarth, one John Ireland and his portrait, drawn by Richard Westall, is in the Department of Prints & Drawings at the British Museum. It is not known if the two Ireland biographers of Hogarth were related.
A more certain artistic link for the Westall brothers was with their first cousin Anne Carr, third wife of William Hodges RA (1744 - 1797). Sir John Carr, Anne's brother, was a close friend of Richard Westall's and a portrait of Carr by Westall was painted and engraved. Richard Westall also drew a portrait of William Hodges and 'Portraits of a lady and her daughter (Mrs Hodges)' were exhibited at the RA. Carr helped the Hodges children after they became orphans.
It is very likely that William Westall saw Hodges' picturesque views of the South Pacific and set out to emulate him through his own journey to the area.
For a family tree outlining the family relationships between the Westalls, the Carrs and Hodges see 'William Westall in India' by Richard J. Westall in 'Journal of the Families in British India Society' No 13 Spring 2005 p5.
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ReplyDeleteI was not until now aware of the Houghton Library watercolour the theatrical scene depicting Richard Westall with, amongst others, Thomas Sheridan and Jane and William Linley and three members of the Ireland family. This greatly strengthens already known links between Westall and the Linley family. The performance took place in Arundel Street, 15 January 1784, at which time the Linleys and the Irelands were living in the neighbouring Norfolk Street. The production was of "The Gentle Shepherd" - presumably the version by Richard Tickell, who had married the singer Mary Linley in 1780. Her father, Thomas Linley Snr had provided the music for Tickell's adapation of Ramsay's poem. Westall's portrait of Maria Linley, third daughter of Thomas Linley Snr, was engraved in stipple by Thomas Ryder and published in 1785 not long after the sitter's death in September 1784. Thomas Linley's eldest daughter, Elizabeth had married the dramatist Richard Brinsley Sheridan in 1772 and it was their only son Tom who appeared in the Arundel Street production aged only eight years old. The two young Linley siblings who appeared onstage with Richard Westall were Jane and William, the latter a moderately successful writer and composer. It was he who left the celebrated series of family portraits to Dulwich Picture Gallery.
ReplyDeleteAnother of Richard Westall's sitters, Emma Lady Hamilton, was employed as a maid by the Linleys in the 1770s. It was reported that the young Emma Hart nursed the eighteen year old Samuel Linley on his deathbed and left the house after being so severely affected by his death.
Aside from their musical and theatrical connections, the Linleys had lots of artistic friends. The painter Ozias Humphrey lodged with the Linleys at their house in Bath, whilst Gainsborough was a close friend of the family. It would be interesting to learn just how Richard Westall was first introduced to the Linleys, as they were clearly well-acquainted by the 1780s. No doubt there are other many connections between them that have yet to be explored.
Thank you Scott for these comments. I at one time ventured to speculate whether Emma Hart/Hamilton may have been the mother of Richard Westall's son James Charles baptised at St Pauls Covent Garden on 29 May 1791 where the mother is represented by blank in the register. However I dont think the dates are likely to coincide with Emma's presence at the appropriate time - although one doesn't know the age of the infant at the christening.
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