Sally Jeffery, ‘Grinling Gibbons’s Chimneypieces for the Duchess of Buccleuch’, The Georgian Group Journal, Vol. XXIV, 2016, pp. 1–22 TEXT © THE AUTHORS 2016 GRINLING Gibbons’s ChimneYPIECES FOR THE DUCHESS OF BUCCLEUCH SALLY JEFFERY Grinling Gibbons (1648–1721) is particularly famous do not survive, while others, known from proposals, for the limewood carvings with which he began his were never carried out.1 This article looks at the career. From the later 1670s, however, he produced records of these chimneypieces and compares them carving in stone and marble in various forms, and with various commissions undertaken by Gibbons and these materials came to dominate his output after his assistants for Ann Scott, Duchess of Monmouth the turn of the century. He designed chimneypieces and Buccleuch (1651–1732) for her castle at Dalkeith in mixed materials from the mid 1680s, sometimes in Scotland. Documents in the National Records of working in collaboration with other artisans, but Scotland give new and interesting details about their they are less extensively discussed than his other work, commissioning, and also about Gibbons’s yard in probably because some of the most important examples London. Fig. 1. Dalkeith Castle, rebuilt to the designs of James Smith (c.1645–1731) 1702–11. (photo: author) THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XXIV GRINLING GIBBONS ’ S CHIMNEYPIECES FOR THE DUCHESS OF BUCCLEUCH he Duchess of Buccleuch first employed The Duchess was born at the castle of Dalkeith, TGibbons when she was married to the Duke of Midlothian, south-east of Edinburgh. She inherited Monmouth, eldest illegitimate son of Charles II. A it in 1661 at the age of ten, but left for England new house at Moor Park in Hertfordshire was being before her marriage in 1663. After the death of her built for them from 1679 to 1688 to designs attributed second husband in 1698 she began to considering to Hugh May;2 the name ‘Grinling Gibbons Carver’ returning to her family home. Her ‘old Castle’, as appears on a list of craftsmen working there in she called it, needed considerable improvement, a 1682 with a payment of £65.3 Exactly what he did task which was placed in the hands of James Smith to Moor Park is not known, but a visitor in 1728 (c.1645–1731), who produced designs which involved remarked on the ‘exceeding fine Wood Carving’ in the rebuilding of a large part of it. The building the Great Dining Room, which perhaps provides an account, carefully kept by the steward, begins in June indication.4 1701 with ‘pulling down the Old Castle’, and work A London house for the Duke of Monmouth in continued intensively over the next decade (Fig. 1).8 Soho Square was begun in 1682, but although the The Duchess left for Scotland in September of 1701, Duke was reported as using it in 1683, it was never but throughout the summer months of that year, completely finished. The sculptor Joseph Nollekens and for a number of years after her arrival, quantities and his biographer J.T. Smith visited it in 1773 of fittings and furniture, both new and old and when it was about to be demolished, and described including chimneypieces, were packed up at the a chimneypiece richly ornamented with fruit and house in Soho Square, and transported by sea and foliage, ‘similar to the carvings which surrounded the land to Scotland.9 altar of St James’s Church, Piccadilly, so beautifully The Duchess maintained close contact with executed by Grinling Gibbons’.5 Few accounts Smith before she left, and doubtless continued this survive and the names of only some of the craftsmen practice when she had arrived, participating actively are known, but ‘carving’ is mentioned, so perhaps in the details of building and decoration, especially Gibbons was called on to work there as well as at of the interiors. The complex chimneypieces erected Moor Park.6 at Dalkeith, as will be seen, were often composed of In 1685 the Duke of Monmouth was executed for separate elements not necessarily designed together. his rebellion against his uncle King James II. After Some parts were the work of Gibbons, but the design his death, the Duchess regained ownership of Moor of the finished works presumably resulted from Park and continued to live there, using the title of discussion between the Duchess and her architect. Duchess of Buccleuch; she remarried in 1688, but While preparations were being made for her retained the title until she died. There are no known departure, the Duchess visited Grinling Gibbons records of any building or decorating activity until on several occasions. On 4 July 1701, two shillings about 1700, but the Duchess was no doubt aware were paid for her to go by coach ‘to Mr. Gibbons & of contemporary interiors, and especially those of back abt. Marble’ and she made another visit on 6 the royal palaces at Windsor, Whitehall, Hampton July ‘to Mr. Gibbons’.10 Gibbons and his wife were Court and Kensington. She had known Princess living then at a house called The King’s Arms in Bow Mary as a young girl before her marriage to William Street, Covent Garden, where he displayed his work of Orange, and had visited her in the Netherlands. and perhaps had a small workshop, so possibly the She remained in contact with them as King William Duchess went there on her first two visits.11 Then and Queen Mary, and the Queen dined at Moor Park on 24 July she took a coach-ride costing one shilling 7 in 1693. to ‘Hungerford’, accompanied by her steward, THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XXIV GRINLING GIBBONS ’ S CHIMNEYPIECES FOR THE DUCHESS OF BUCCLEUCH Benjamin Robinson, and a Mr Fowkes, in order ‘to made free of the Drapers’ Company.17 Mention is go over ye Water’, and two shillings were paid to the made of his assistants from 1678 onwards, when he watermen to take them ‘to Mr Gibbons Yard waiting was working at Windsor Castle; among the most & back againe’.12 Watermen or water-taxis plied their important were Arnold Luellan (Arnold Quellin, trade regularly from Hungerford Stairs, on the north 1653–86) and John Oastes (John Nost or van Ost, bank of the Thames near the present Hungerford d.1710).18 Gibbons was in partnership with Quellin Bridge, but where ‘over the water’ did they go? from 1681 until May 1683, and then again from George Vertue recorded that at the beginning 1685 to 1686 when Quellin died.19 Just before his of his career Gibbons ‘settled with his Family at death, Quellin worked with Gibbons on the marble Detford and follow’d ship carving’, so he may have altarpiece for the chapel at Whitehall Palace.20 John had a yard at Deptford initially.13 The records of Nost was noted as ‘foreman’ to Quellin in the year the Drapers’ Company give him as ‘of Ludgate he died, by which time there were ‘fifty workmen or Hill’ from 1672, and his address is also noted as soe many Marblers, Sculptors, Sawyers, Pollishers La Belle Sauvage, a coaching inn on the north of & Labourers’ working on the chapel.21 Gibbons’s Ludgate Hill, where he was apparently based at parents were English, but he was born and raised in that time and may have had a yard. But by 1678 Rotterdam, and it is no surprise to find that many he was also recorded as living in a house in Bow of these fellow-carvers in wood and stone were from Street, Covent Garden, which he retained until his the Netherlands. Their exact relationship to him, death.14 The Ludgate Hill address only remained however, especially after the death of Quellin, is not in use until 1684, suggesting that he then moved his clear. Gibbons certainly remained in contact with yard elsewhere, perhaps to cope with his expanding Nost, since they were frequently employed on the business. Since he was living near the Strand, same projects, but the volume of work meant that he departure by boat from Hungerford Stairs (on the must have continued to maintain an extensive yard north bank of the river Thames, also near the Strand) with a number of assistants, some of whom would to a yard on the south bank would have been very have been involved in his commissions from the convenient for him. Watermen plied regularly from Duchess of Buccleuch. Hungerford and had an agreed ‘Table of Rates’: a The Duchess’s visits to Gibbons probably shilling to Lambeth, Vauxhall, or ‘White-hart Stairs’ relate to the completion of a commission for marble (just south of Lambeth Palace) or two shillings chimneypieces dated July 1701. His bill of that date for a return trip .15 This suggests that although the is for £74 6s. for seven chimneypieces ‘for Scotland’, exact location is not known, the yard was indeed and was receipted on 11 August 1701. These were on the south bank of the river in the area between simple fire surrounds in a variety of marbles, and Southwark and Lambeth, where there were many ranged in price according to size from £6 to £12.22 such business premises. Customs charges were listed on 31 July 1701 for seven As Gibbons’s work increased, he needed ‘Chimney pieces & Window Boards’.23 They were apprentices and assistants, particularly for carving then carried by the Crowne of Leith, commanded by in stone. Vertue reported that although Gibbons ‘Skipper Whyte’, in the very first shipment of goods was ‘a most excellent Carver in Wood he was neither bound for Scotland.24 well skilld or practized in Marble or in Brass, for The Duchess had written in a letter (probably which works he imployd the best Artists he could in 1701): ‘I am so near Edn.