Lucretia Betenson - Roubiliac.

 

The Monument to Lucretia Betensen (1721 - 1758.

Louis Francois Roubiliac.

In St George's Church, Wrotham, Kent.

For some reason experts in the past have felt that the monument was sculpted or part sculpted by Nicholas Reade the assistant of Roubiliac!

Lucretia Betenson was the daughter of Martin Folkes and Lucretia Folkes nee Bradshaw of Hillington.

She married  Richard Betinson in 1756.

Martin Folkes (1690 - 1754) his bust was sculpted by Roubiliac.

      "Sacred to the Memory

of Mrs. LUCRETIA BETENSON the belov'd Wife of

RICHARD BETENSON Esquire only son of Sir EDWARD

BETENSON of this County Baronet. Her early Death

fix'd deep in the Breasts of her disconsolable Friends

an inexpressible and lasting Sorrow, as she was an

affectionate Wife, a sincere and steady Friend; ever

compassionate to the Sorrows and bountifull to the

Wants of her fellow Creatures; In a Word an amiable

Pattern of every christian Virtue; she was Daughter &

Coheiress of MARTIN FOLKES of Hillington in NORFOLK

Esquire who was President of the ROYAL SOCIETY and

distinguish'd by his extensive Learning, among the

brightest Ornaments of the Age."

 

"This Monument was erected by the Care

and Direction of the aforesaid

Richard Betenson Esquire."

 Full Transcription of the will of Lucretia Betenson:

(The National Archives of the UK: PROB 11/838/397)

In the Name of God Amen

This is the Last Will and Testament of me Lucretia Betenson Wife of Richard Betenson of the Parish of Saint George the Martyr in the County of Middlesex Esquire being I bless God in my Perfect Sences and good memory but rather declining in my Health and knowing how transitory and uncertain this Life is and that may please God to call me hence suddenly I do in the humblest manner thereforegive praise and thanks to Almighty God for the many and great Blessings which he has in his Infinite mercy and goodness betowed [sic] upon me and trusting in him for the forgiveness of the many and great Sins I have in this mortal Life committed do with all Resignation and Humility render up my soul to him that gave it and my Body to the Earth from whence it was taken desiring that it may with as Little expence as Possible be Buried where ever my Dear and much beloved Husband Richard Betenson Esquire shall appoint or order 

And now for the disposal of my Worldly Affairs which it hath pleased Almighty God to bless me with 

It is my Will if I dye without Issue to give my whole Fortune and every thing that I leave to my Dear Husband Richard Betenson Viz the Twelve thousand Pounds which is now in the hands of my Uncle William Folkes Esquire my two Houses in Queen Square all my Plate and Furniture of what kind soever whatever I have in the Funds my China and Pictures in Short every thing I have except One hundred Pounds Yearly which I Will and bequeath to my dear and ever sincere Friend Mrs. Helen Betenson to be paid her quarterly or half yearly as She shall desire and after her death for it to return to my dear Husband Richard Betenson to whom as before mentioned I give every thing to himand his Heirs for ever and for him to dispose of  just as he shall think proper I do hereby ratify and confirm this to be my last Will and Testament In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal this Thirteenth day of May in the year of our Lord 1758 - 

Lucretia Betenson Signed Sealed and delivered in the presence of W: Heberden W: Watson John Girle.

 

On the Sixteenth day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and Fifty Eight Administration with the Will annexed of the GoodsChattles and Credits of Lucretia Betenson late of the Parish of Saint George the Martyr in the County of Middlesexdeceased was granted to Richard Betenson Esquire the lawfull Husband of the said deceased and Residuary Legatee named in the said Will (for that no Executor is named therein) having been first sworn duly to administer. Exd.

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 Church of St Botolph, Aldersgate. City of London.

Monument to Elizabeth Smith, d.1750. 

with the poem, beginning ‘Not far remote lies a lamented Fair, // Whom Heav’n had fashion’d with peculiar Care’, and ending sombrely ‘Learn from this Marble, what thou valu’st most, // And sett’st thy Heart upon, may soon be lost.’ 

It includes a portrait carved in high relief, by Louis-Francois Roubiliac.

http://www.speel.me.uk/chlondon/chb/stbotolphaldersgate/smitheliz1.jpg

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Martin Folkes.

Roubiliac.

The Marble Bust.

Wilton House

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The Plaster Bust of Martin Folkes at the British Museum.

1746.

 These Photographs taken by the author on 8 April 2015.

 The Marble Bust at Wilton House, Wilton, Wiltshire, is  inscribed -

 M.FOLKES ARMIGERS

SOCIE REGAL L:OND

PRAESES

MDCCXLIX.

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Martin Folkes.

Hogarth.

Image - ©The Royal Society.

Folkes was a noted atheist, and opposed racial prejudice. Some of his public statements have been interpreted as evidence of a Darwinian viewpoint. According to the archaeologist William Stukeley, he set up an Infidels Club in 1720, and caused several young noblemen of the Royal Society to jeer whenever scriptural material was injected into a scientific debate.

W. C. Lucis (ed), The Family Memoirs of the Rev. William Stukeley M.D., Surtees Society, 1882, pp 98–100

A Set of Eight John Cheere Busts.

 

Updated 18 July 2025.

Set of Eight Plaster Busts of Male Scholars.

Fairly safely Attributed to John Cheere.

From the Desmond Heyward Collection, Hasely Court, Oxfordshire.

Desmond Heyward d. 2019, purchased Hasely in 1981.

Certainly the crispness of the casting, the shape of the panelled socle with the slightly convex front and the detail of the embroidery etc suggest the authorship of Cheere.

I am unaware of any signed Cheere busts.

Bronzed plaster; each on an integral shaped rectangular socle; inscribed, some indistinctly, with the name of each sitter including Milton, Swift, Dryden, Newton, Virgil, Cicero and Pope.

Three quarter Life Size.

The smallest: 15 ¾ in. (40 cm.) high.

The largest: 17 ½ in. (44.5 cm.) high.

Christie's 8 June 2021.

https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6318845

The Bust of John Dryden (1631 - 1700). 

Derived from the bust on the Monument of 1720 in Westminster Abbey by Peter Scheemakers.

A version is at Stourhead - 

 The Full size (height approx 60 cms) Plaster Bust by John Cheere (1709 - 87) is in the Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge.

It has the square section socle rather than the convex panelled socle more typical of John Cheere used on the Christie's bust.

 The Wren Library set of plaster busts were probably supplied by John Cheere some time after 1753 - they are noted in a guide of 1763. Unfortunately there is no record of their purchase.

The Trinity bust is one of  the set of 26 plaster busts supplied to the Wren Library and now consisting of 12 ancient and 11 modern authors all placed on top of the bookcases in the Wren Library.

 The Wimpole / Sarti bust is very obviously derived from the Cheere bust  - 

The Cheere bust was later reproduced by Parker of the Strand c 1770 - 76)  and later after about 1795 by Shout of Holborn, and then again about 1820 by Sarti (with the eared socle).

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A later bust of about 1830 with eared socle perhaps by Shout is at the Vyne NT.

https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/719583

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An even later bust with the eared socle - Height 71 cms.

with a freshening up of green bronze paint by Pietro Sarti (1793 - 1868) is at Wimpole Hall, Cambs.

For an overview of the later plaster casts of the bust of Dryden see -

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2021_03_08_archive.html

https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/john-dryden-16311700-254849

The Wren Library Trinity College Cambridge Plaster Bust of Dryden by John Cheere.

This bust and the Stourhead version are slightly different and probably earlier versions.

They both have more detail to the embroidery on the waistcoat 

Photographed by the Author.

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The Stourhead Version.

Height 58 cms.

Photographed by the Author.

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The Bust of Milton.

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The Young Virgil.

 A bust of the young Virgil - another version recently appeared in the Holkham Attic Sale held by Sworders of Mount Fitchett another is in the Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge.

Lot 28 - 11 February, 2025.

https://www.sworder.co.uk/auction/details/a1155-holkham--the-attic-sale/?au=1203

A version was supplied to Blickling Hall , Norfolk in 1745/7 (disappeared) see my post -

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2015/05/another-page-about-plaster-busts-of.html

The bust is perhaps derived from an engraving.

Virgil engraving by Bonnart of Paris (c. 1645 - 82).

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Virgil by Pietro Santi Bartoli, frontispiece of P. Virgilii Maronis Opera, 1724. Rome: Melchior Magius.

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For Comparison the Holkham Bust of the Young Virgil.

John Cheere.

With the typical Cheere panelled socle.

A plaster bust of young Virgil (70-19 BCE), 18th century, mounted on a flared socle,

48cm wide,  30cm deep, 64cm high

 

This bust was listed in the Old Billiard Room at Holkham in 1910. It also appears in the Holkham Archive's 'Inventory of Statues', 1913.

This is a very fine cast first generation cast, which has survived without the frequent repainting that happens to many 18th century plaster busts and statues - it was easier to rtepaint than to clean them.

The Bust of Virgil by John Cheere in the Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge.

Height approx. 60 cms.

see - https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2016/12/list-of-busts-in-wren-library-trinity.html

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The Bust of Jonathan Swift.

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The Bust of Alexander Pope.

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Bust of Isaac Newton.

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Francis Beaumont (1584 - 1616).

English Dramatist usually associated with Fletcher.

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The Wren Library Bust of Francis Beaumont by John Cheere.

For lists of the busts in the Wren Library see - https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2016/12/list-of-busts-in-wren-library-trinity.html

This bust is again derived from an engraving.

Francis Beaumont by George Vertue (after Cornelius Jonson?)

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0822-7636

A reduced copy of this bust in black basalt was produced by Wedgwood.

Hoskins and Grant invoice of  1 January 1775 notes the supply of  busts, including a Galen and Hippocrates, and British worthies such as Ben Jonson, ‘Sir W Reigle’ (Walter Raleigh), Fletcher and Beaumont, (£1 4s) Harvey and Newton. This bill came to £23 17s 4d, and was signed ‘for self and partner Benj Grant’.

Info above from the very useful Life of Josiah Wedgewood by Eliza Metyard, pub. 1866. page 326.

Available on line - https://archive.org/details/lifeofjosiahwedg00mete/page/326/mode/2up?q=Beaumont&view=theater

It is not clear what size they were - but I suspect given the price they were reduced versions of the busts illustrated here.

Both Hoskins and Grant were both originally apprenticed to John Cheere- it is quite possible that they were pirated - the sale of the contents of Cheere's yard wasn't until 1788 - unfortunately no catalogue appears to have survived