Rev. Hon. Charles Francis Annesley (1787–1863)

Not so much a topographical study but an exercise in William Gilpin's picturesque, Rev. Hon. Charles Francis Annesley (1787–1863) draws the Rosslyn Castle from the vantage point of the river North Esk so that the ruins tower majestically above, and burgeoning natural foliage fills the lower half of the composition. Annesley was the son of Arthur Annesley (1760–1841) of Bletchingdon Park, Oxfordshire (image 5 top). Educated at Christ Church and All Souls College, Oxford, he served as rector of Sawtry St Andrew in Huntingdonshire from 1812 to 1831. In 1811 he inherited Eydon Hall in Northamptonshire from a great uncle (image 5 bottom).

There are ink and wash drawings by Annesley in the British Museum (image 2) and The Huntington, San Marino, California (image 3). His views include landscapes in Italy, Austria and Wales, which similarly show the influence of Claudian compositional values and contemporary picturesque tastes.