John Hoppner, RA (1858-1810) and Studio

John Hoppner, RA (1858-1810) and Studio
Portrait of Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess and 2nd Earl Cornwallis (1738-1805), Half-Length, in Uniform, wearing the Sash and Star of The Order of the Garter
Oil on canvas
76.5 x 63.5cm; 30 x 25in

Provenance:
Charles Ross (1799-1860), son of General Alexander Ross, and Lady Mary Cornwallis (1804-1872), granddaughter of the sitter;
And by family descent

Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805) was educated at Eton and at Cambridge and succeeded to the Earldom in 1762. He married Jemima Tullekin Jones in 1768 and flourished in the Army where he was promoted to Major-General by 1775, playing a significant role in the American War of Independence. In 1778, he was promoted once again to Lieutenant-General and served under General Sir Henry Clinton, taking charge of the south in 1780 but the surrender at Yorktown (1781) signalled the end of the War. Cornwallis was made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in 1786 and appointed Governor-General and Commander-in-chief of India, where he remained for seven years. He was created a Marquess in 1792 and returned to Britain before becoming Commander-in-chief of Ireland in 1798. In collaboration with Viscount Castlereagh, the Chief Secretary to Ireland, Cornwallis played a decisive role in the passing of the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland in 1800. The lure of India drew him back in 1805 and he served as Governor-General but he died from a fever just two months later. He was interred at Gausput in Ghazipur, overlooking the Ganges River, a site that is now a protected monument.