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Cathryn Spence, ‘Thomas Robins and the Dorset sketches’, The Georgian Group Journal, Vol. XXI, 2013, pp. 30–46 TEXT © THE AUTHORS 2013 THOMAS ROBINS AND THE DORSET SKETCHES CATHRYN SPENCE A chance visit to Hanford House in Dorset led to the recorder of the brief fashion for the rococo garden; discovery of an important trade in exotic specimens his depictions of Bath at the height of its expansion from Jamaica between artist Thomas Robins, in the eighteenth century are, outside London, gentleman scientist Henry Seymer, the Duchess of unrivalled in quantity. Portland and other ‘Enlightened’ naturalists. This So little direct evidence about Robins has come article considers Robins’s links with the county of to light that, to try to understand his working Dorset and in particular the owners of the four practices, I have turned my attention to the houses properties he recorded there: Bryanston, Eastbury he depicted in order to reveal more about the man House, Hanford House and Smedmore House. It also through his patrons. This approach quickly bore contextualises, for the first time, the magnitude of this fruit on a chance visit to Hanford House in Dorset. exchange, which centred on Blandford Forum, and the The discoveries that visit led to form the basis of this vital part Robins’s son Luke played in these artistic article. The common connection between Robins’s and scientific endeavours. patrons is perhaps their seasonal visits to Bath, a mutual interest in exotic specimens and a fascination homas Robins the Elder ( – ) was an for Chinese and rococo garden designs. Tartist who, unlike any other, could record the The significance of Robins’ artistry was revealed country estates of the Georgian gentry not only with by John Harris through his seminal publication topographical accuracy, but equally in such a way Gardens of Delight ( ). Harris unravelled that captured their very fragility and essence. He fundamental misunderstandings, which led to the depicted these views, usually in watercolour on discovery that Robins had a son, also Thomas vellum, with the minute and masterful skill adapted ( – ), who was an artist, also working in Bath, from his experience as a fan painter. His birds-eye and responsible for a large body of botanical works. views, populated with vignettes of human and animal My research has revealed that a further son, Luke activity, pay homage to the tradition of country- John ( – ), was also an artist, and employed to house painting that began in the late s. His record the natural history of Jamaica. proficiency as a botanical artist, hinted at on his fans, The sketchbook, now in the Victoria & Albert is shown in the beautifully lavished borders and Museum, contains at least six sketches of four exquisite studies of exotic flowers and butterflies of country estates in Dorset. They range from the his later work. A sketchbook containing drawings highly finished pen and wash prospect of Robins’ and watercolours provide the sources for a number friend Henry Seymer’s Hanford House, to the quick of his known finished paintings, as well as the and spontaneous pencil sketch of Smedmore House. expectation that there may be others waiting to be Apart from the Hanford view, the Dorset sketches are rediscovered. Not only is Robins eminent as a perhaps the loosest and least detailed of all the THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XXI THOMAS ROBINS AND THE DORSET SKETCHES Fig. Thomas Robins, The Lime Works near Warminster, (Cley Hill), pen, signed & dated June . (© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ) identified drawings in the sketchbook. There are, centres of the county’. The Bastard brothers were however, no known finished paintings that relate to from a family of builders and worked together as these, or any other, Dorset houses or gardens by architect-surveyors. Their designs for Blandford Robins. Of the four houses depicted, three are were created in collaboration with Sir James within a short distance of Blandford Forum – Thornhill, whose prominence as an artist had waned Hanford, Bryanston and Eastbury. The principal during the s. He turned instead to politics, route, at this time, from Bath to Blandford was past becoming Whig MP for Melcombe Regis. He Cley Hill, near Warminster – a location also featured continued, however, to receive local commissions, in Robins’ sketchbook, dated . (Fig. ) including one from George Bubb Dodington at Eastbury. His son-in-law, William Hogarth, is known to have visited his in-laws at the family seat, Thornhill House, near Stalbridge, about eleven BLANDFORD FORUM miles northwest of Hanford House. It is widely After the devastating fire of June , Blandford accepted that it was Bubb Dodington who Forum was rebuilt in the classical style by the encouraged Thornhill to enter politics; one can only brothers John and William Bastard. Newman and imagine the local consternation – and amusement – Pevsner described the centre of Blandford as ‘one of when Hogarth’s triumphant, yet corrupt, Tory MP in the most satisfying Georgian ensembles anywhere in his Election series bore a marked resemblance to England’. ‘Modern’ Blandford ‘contrasted strikingly Bubb Dodington. with the majority of the county’s medieval towns and Blandford Forum in the eighteenth century was villages’ making this ‘elegant new town…one of the not the provincial market town one might expect it to THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XXI THOMAS ROBINS AND THE DORSET SKETCHES be, but the epicentre of Dorset’s Enlightenment, with with outbuildings and land) in Moorend, on the west a national and international reputation. One of the side of Charlton Kings. In August she died most eminent residents, in terms of scientific and childless, leaving her property to her sixteen-year- antiquarian pursuits, was Dr Richard Pulteney old unmarried niece Margaret, with a life interest for ( – ), a devotee of Carl Linnaeus’ scientific William. A year later, William married Anne and classification systems. He was an associate of, and subsequently bought the Moorend property from regular correspondent with, Robins’ friend Henry Margaret in . William and Anne went on to have Seymer. Pulteney’s other correspondents included seven children. Thomas was their second son. Sir Joseph Banks, Dr Daniel Solander and the In about Robins was apprenticed to Jacob Duchess of Portland, all of whom appear to have Portret, a moderately wealthy local painter of been acquainted with Robins and his artist sons fashionable trinkets such as fans, snuffboxes and Luke and Thomas. possibly teapots. Here we have the source for Robins’ miniature technique and also the ‘Chinese’ appearance of his motifs and figures. In his Will of , Portret left his house, best furniture and £ THOMAS ROBINS THE ELDER (equivalent to over £ , today) to Robins. ( – ) Portret’s house was adjacent to the water splash and Robins was born in and baptised at St. Mary’s watercress beds to the north of the town; the area, Church in Charlton Kings, near Cheltenham on captured by Robins in a recently identified sketch, February. Thomas’s father, William, was from was redeveloped in the s, but links to its past London and moved some time before . He remain in Portuert Close and Portuert Way. (Fig. ) married Sarah Holder on November ; she was In Robins sold this house to William Prinn for obviously a lady of some independent means who, in £ ; this may signal the date when Robins moved , had purchased a beedle messuage (a dwelling his family full-time to Bath. Prinn’s father, John, was Fig. Thomas Robins, Charlton Kings (from the north), Gloucestershire, pencil, c. (© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ) THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XXI THOMAS ROBINS AND THE DORSET SKETCHES Fig. Thomas Robins, Henbury House, Henbury, Somerset, c. . (Courtesy of Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives. Photograph by Dan Brown ) an early patron of Robins and his mother, Elizabeth, Bath and its environs identified in the sketchbook. was from the last generation of the Rogers family to They date from c. to , and were mainly live at Bryanston before it was sold to the Portmans. undertaken between the months of April and June, At the age of , on June , Robins married when Bath was relatively free of fashionable visitors. Margaret Holder in Boddington, about five miles Evidence from the other dated sketches would north-west of Cheltenham. Margaret was a niece of suggest that Robins would spend July and his father’s first wife Sarah (although not the September undertaking commissions to paint Margaret named in her will). She was born in to country estates. He would then return to Bath for the John and Mary (John was Sarah’s younger brother). fashionable autumn-winter season, and provide art At his marriage then, it seems likely that Thomas had lessons to the gentry. In October he advertised completed his apprenticeship and was beginning to that he could be found at George Speren’s ( – ) make his way in the world. Thomas and Margaret shop, the Fan and Crown in Orange Grove. Robins had six children, all of whom were baptised in also produced fashionable fans and engravings, Charlton Kings between and . including his ‘Prospect of the City of Bath’, The burgeoning city of Bath was a place of published in October . A list of purchasers of the immense opportunity in the mid- s and Robins engraving, with monies received by Sperens and spent a substantial amount of time there. His paid to Robins, is pasted to the back of Robins’ drawings of the developing Georgian townscape are ‘Prospect of Henbury’, now in Bristol City Museum a vital visual record. There are at least sketches of & Art Gallery. (Fig. ) Sperens, possibly from THE GEORGIAN GROUP JOURNAL VOLUME XXI THOMAS ROBINS AND THE DORSET SKETCHES Gloucester, was an important and long-term borders that completed Robins’s views, like that of collaborator with Robins.

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