Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

Attributed to Sir William Beechey R.A. (1753-1859)

Portrait of Sir William Fawcett, KB

Oil on canvas

94 x 74cm; 37 x 29in

Provenance:

By descent from the sitter via Slade (subsequently Mitford-Slade) family of Montys Court, Somerset to present owner Sir William Fawcett was a career soldier born into a Yorkshire gentry family. He was highly regarded by his seniors in the army, acting as aide-de-camp to the Marquess of Granby and with his linguistic skills was instrumental in organising German troops, both mercenary and otherwise, for Britain's wars both in Europe and America. His greatest achievement was in the 1780's and '90's when he re-organised the army and its training including writing its training manuals and translating some foreign manuals but also founding the Royal Military College at High Wycombe and then Marlow, all of which were crucial in preparing the British army for its great struggle against revolutionary and Napoleonic France. In 1786 Fawcett was made a Knight of the Bath, the star of which he is shown wearing in this portrait, and in 1796 he was made a full General and a Governor of Chelsea Hospital then in 1799, a member of the privy council. His funeral cortege included the Prince of Wales and four royal Dukes and eight Generals acted as pallbearers. He was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1784 (National Portrait Gallery) and subsequently engraved and was included in the large group portrait by Sir William Beechey of 'George III reviewing his troops' lost in the Windsor castle fire.