Beschreibung:

Attributed to Mather Brown (American 1761-1831) Portrait of William Leyborne Oil on canvas 128 x 102cm (50¼ x 40 in.) Provenance: Leyborne-Popham Family, Sale: Sotheby's,The Contents of Littlecote House, 22nd November 1985, lot 871 This portrait once hung in historic Littlecote House, set amidst gardens and water-meadows on the banks of the River Kennet between Hungerford and Ramsbury on the Wiltshire/Berkshire border. Developed and extended over the years, the house has Tudor, Elizabethan and Georgian quarters which extend from the medieval core. Littlecote has hosted many famous visitors including Charles II, James I, James II, William III and Henry VIII, who is said to have courted Jane Seymour there. The story for this picture begins in 1589 when John Popham, later Sir John, Lord Chief Justice to Elizabeth I, acquired Littlecote following the sudden death of its notorious owner Wild William Darrell. The estate remained in the Popham family until 1929. Sir John Pophams line of male descent failed in 1779 with the death of Francis Popham. Francis had married Dorothy Hutton daughter of the Archbishop of Canterbury. They had no children, and when Francis died, Dorothy inherited. When she died in 1797, she left the Littlecote estates to Franciss illegitimate son, also called Francis. However, he only outlived Dorothy by six years, and under the terms of her will, the Littlecote estates then reverted to Franciss nephew, Edward William Leyborne, eldest son of Anne Popham and General William Leyborne Leyborne, who was obliged to add the name Popham to his own in order to inherit. His father, William Leyborne Leyborne, was Governor General of Grenada, Dominica, St Vincent and Tobago and died in the West Indies in 1775. In 1762 he had married Anne Popham, only daughter of Edward Popham of Littlecote, MP. The Leybornes lived at Westwell House, Westwell near Burford, Oxfordshire, and had four children: Edward William Leyborne, later Leyborne Popham; Shippen Leyborne; a daughter Marianne Leyborne, and finally, William Leyborne. William, born 1773, entered the Royal Navy and died in service shortly afterwards in 1790 aged 17. This portrait captures the young man in his naval uniform with a fleet of ships in the distance. It is likely that this was the last visual record of William Leyborne before his premature death. A memorial tablet was placed in the church at Chilton Foliat, in loving memory of the boy lost too soon: Lamented youth! Tho thy too early doom has nipt these opning virtues in the bloom, still may we hope hereafter theyll be blest with joys immortal, with eternal rest. This portrait is mentioned in Vernon Watneys guide to Littlecote House published in 1900. He notes that the portrait hung in the drawing room alongside a portrait of his sister Marianne, and was initially believed to be by George Romney It was sold as part of the house contents in 1985 by Peter de Savary at Sothebys. Since 1996, the house has been owned by Warner Leisure and is now a hotel. We are grateful to genealogist Pauline Mobey, who has been immensely kind and informative in helping to compile this catalogue note