FOLLOWER OF LEMUEL FRANCIS ABBOTT PORTRAIT OF WILLIAM SMITH STOKES OF ROUGHTON

FOLLOWER OF LEMUEL FRANCIS ABBOTT PORTRAIT OF WILLIAM SMITH STOKES OF ROUGHTON, SHROPSHIRE in blue hunting coat with scarlet lapels and brass buttons engraved 'WH', holding his hat and whip, oil on panel, oval, 45 x 34cmThe sitter in this interesting early portrait of a Shropshire fox hunter can confidently be identified as William Smith Stokes (1765-1812) of Roughton and subsequently High Barn, Alveley. The brass buttons are engraved with the initials of the Wheatland Hunt a subscription pack instituted by Mr Skelding of Bridgnorth in 1811.W S Stokes married in May 1786 Nancy Stokes, nee Freeman, the widow of his cousin and namesake William Stokes of Roughton (1754-1784).There is a possibility, however, that the sitter is in fact this William Stokes, in part because the label on the backboard identifies the sitter as "William Stokes ...who departed this life January 5th 1784, aged 30". There is in addition a (fragmentary) newspaper cutting of 1891 reporting the funeral of Mrs Martha Corser Stokes of Roughton House, Worfield, the widow of Michael Smith Stokes (1795-1845) son of W S Stokes, which suggests that the portrait remained in the hands of the Stokes family until c1900 or later.Late eighteenth century hunting around the Wrekin was dominated by one of the most famous figures in the history of British fox hunting, Squire George Forester, MP for Wenlock (1735-1811) of Willey near Broseley, who was ably served by his equally celebrated whipper-in Tom Moody (d 1796). One legacy of this was the toast occasionally found engraved on 18th century silver stirrup cups "Success to Fox Hunting/and all friends round the Wrekin". Forester's portrait in hunting colours was painted by Lemuel Francis Abbott, c 1790.