Famous Portrait Returns to Hall after 250 years
A portrait of Anne Byerley, by the famous 17th-18th century artist Sir Godfrey Kneller, has returned back to Goldsborough Hall after 250 years and now hangs in pride of place at the foot of the Jacobean staircase.
So who was Anne?
Anne Byerley’s (1627-1690s) eldest son was Robert Byerley, who famously owned the Byerley Turk, the oldest of three founding stallions who make up all thoroughbred horses today. Her life completely straddles the early history of Goldsborough Hall, being a Hutton at birth, marrying a Byerley and taking care of her orphaned great niece, the young heiress Mary Wharton. Her status as matriarch of the family was complete when she organised the marriage of Mary to her son Robert ensuring that the dynasty lasted for another half a century.
She was at the centre of everything - the granddaughter of Justice Sir Richard Hutton who built Goldsborough Hall in the late 16th century and daughter of Colonel Sir Richard Hutton (bc 1594-1645) who fought and died in the English Civil War.
Early life
Anne was born on 2nd August 1627 in Thornhill, West Yorkshire to her father's second wife Margaret (Mary) Wentworth (1604-1635), the daughter of Sir William Wentworth of Wentworth Woodhouse and sister to Sir Thomas Wentworth (later Lord Strafford). It may seem odd that she wasn't born at Goldsborough, but her mother may have chosen to have her baby at her sister Lady Anne Savile’s house who lived at Thornhill. The Huttons often stayed at Thornhill and it was here, the following August, that Anne's brother Richard was born.
When the English Civil War broke out in 1642, Anne’s father Sir Richard was High Sheriff of Yorkshire, Colonel of the Foot and Governor of Knaresborough Castle. He fought at the nearby Battle of Marston Moor in 1644 on the King's side along with Anne's future husband Anthony. After the defeat he headed to defend Pontefract Castle but was killed in a skirmish near Sherburn-in-Elmet in 1645.
Marriage
In 1650, Anne married Anthony Byerley who was from Middridge Grange, near Darlington. During the English Civil War he was commissioned a Colonel and raised a regiment of men to protect Middridge Grange for the Royalist side. Following the royalist defeat at Marston Moor, his regiment was disbanded, he and his family were fined and their lands confiscated. When the restoration came in 1660, Anthony and his wife lived part of their time at Goldsborough because he was a commissioner of the peace for Yorkshire. Anne and Anthony had 12 children although sadly most of them died in infancy. On Anthony's early death in 1667 Anne carried on living at Middridge Grange, often visiting her brother Richard at Goldsborough.
The story of orphan Mary
Anne’s great niece Mary Wharton, granddaughter of her brother Richard, became the heir to Goldsborough Hall at just 7 years old in 1685. Mary’s mother Elizabeth Hutton had married Phillip Wharton of Edlington, son of Sir Thomas Wharton (who was also painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller). Sadly, Elizabeth died in 1684 and Phillip died the following year, leaving Mary, an orphan under the legal guardianship of her great aunt Anne.
The Byerleys therefore took control of the huge Wharton/Hutton/Goldsborough estates. While Anne's son Robert was away fighting in Ireland, in November 1690 Mary was in London, travelling in a carriage with her great aunt. Mary was forcibly abducted and married to the Hon James Campbell. Mary was rescued two days later and some of the perpetrators of the crime were hung, though Campbell himself escaped. The marriage was annulled by an Act of Parliament in 1691. After the shock of the abduction and forced marriage it was no surprise that Anne thought the best option was to marry Mary to her son Robert in 1692. Our last mention of Anne Byerley is 1690 and are we are still unsure of the date of her death.
Discovery and restoration
Image by Peter Rollings Photography
The portrait of Anne Byerley was sold at Christie’s in 1940 by Sir Digby Legard and the painting disappeared to Scotland. The painting is 50 x 40in is oil on canvas by Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1646-1723. He was was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to royalty from James II to George I. He took on this role from 1680 so it is likely that he painted Anne Byerley between 1680-90. The fact that she is in widow’s dress does not assist the dating of the painting as her husband died in 1667.
The painting is inscribed ‘Mrs Byerley, mother to Col Byerley’ - which is an interesting description, one which we suggest was added later. When the portrait was painted it is unlikely that Robert Byerley was a Colonel or famous for his war horse. On discovery by an art dealer in Devon, the portrait was in a bad state repair it had to be fully restored. This took over a year and the painting has finally been hung back at the hall.
As an aside, it is entirely possible that the Legard family held this portrait for around 200 years. Robert Byerley’s last surviving daughter Elizabeth never married, instead she sold the Goldsborough estate to Daniel Lascelles in 1760s, whose family build Harewood House and later became the Earls of Harewood. One of the recipients of Elizabeth’s will, was a cousin who had married a Legard - so it would be likely to assume that in the break up of the Byerley estate, Anne’s portrait was given to the Legard family and the inscription added to explain the connection.