George Romney

half length wearing a brown coat and white stock

Rev. Sir G. Cornewall, Moccas Court, Hereford;
Leger Galleries, London;
Newhouse Galleries, New York

H. Ward & W. Roberts, Romney, 1904, Vol II, p.111;
to be included in the forthcoming catalogue raissoné of George Romney by Alex Kidson

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears in good condition and has been cleaned. ULTRAVIOLET Ultraviolet light reveals very minor, scattered re-touching, particularly in the lower half of the picture. There has also been some minor strenghthening of the paint overall, only visible on close inspection. FRAME Held in a Rococo style frame.
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The sitter was the only son of Richard Neville Aldworth (1717-1793) who in 1762 added Neville to the family name, and his wife, Magdalena Caladrini (c. 1718-1750). Educated at Eton College and Merton College, Oxford he subsequently went on the Grand Tour, spending most of his time in Rome. From 1762 he held the sinecure of provost-marshal of Jamica. In 1780 he married Catherine Grenville (1761-1796), daughter of the former premier George Grenville (1712-1770) of Wotton, Buckinghamshire and his wife Elizabeth Wyndham; they had six sons, of whom twins died at birth and two survived him, and four daughters.

On 25 May 1797 Neville succeeded a third cousin, John Griffin Griffin, as second Baron Braybrooke, changing his surname from Aldworth Neville to Griffin on 27 July. This brought him in turn the grand residence of Audley End, Essex, the Lord Lieutenancy of Essex as well as the recordership of Saffron Walden. Taking his social responsibilties seriously Neville also served as High Steward of Wokingham and Berkshire. At this time, c. 1803, Braybrooke sat to John Hoppner and was portrayed in peer's robes (Audley End, Essex). He died at Billingbear (the other Braybrooke seat in Berkshire now destroyed), and was buried with his wife at Laurence Waltham, Berkshire. He was succeeded by his second surviving son, George Neville Grenville (1789-1854) who became Dean of Windsor and married Lady Charlotte Legge (1789-1877) daughter of George Legge, third Earl of Dartmouth and Frances Finch in 1816.

References in Romney's sitter books for 1776 and 1777 indicate that there were numerouse sittings for this and another, three-quarter length portrait of Braybrooke (Audley End). It appears that the present picture was presented to an old friend by the sitter who lived at Moccas Court in Hereford, and then passed by descent to his son The Rev. G. Cornewall. The latter later wrote on the 9th September 1897 from Moccas Court saying '[the portrait] was said to be painted for Lord Braybrooke as a present to my father, who was his friend at college... There is a legend that my father's portrait went in exchange to Audley End. I could not find it there.' [i]

[i] Ward & Roberts, Lit.op.cit, 1904, p.111