Sudbury: Gainsborough's House

I was just killing half an hour before the next bus home and decided to visit the house that Thomas Gainsborough was brought up in, as recommended by a friend who was born in Long Melford. As I expected, it was full of paintings.

What I did not expect was that some of them were by other artists, such as Joshua Reynolds. One that I had not previously encountered was his portrait of "Hon. Mrs. John Barrington."

This is when my Ricardian antennae alerted me. Would she be the wife of a Barrington from Hatfield Broad Oak, about twenty miles south of Sudbury, near Harlow and Chelmsford? If so, she would be a descendant-in-law of George of Clarence, through Winifred Pole's (second) marriage to Sir Thomas Barrington and a line of Baronets.

Alternatively, her husband, who presumably paid Reynolds, could be part of an unrelated family of Viscounts Barrington. The staff are investigating for me.

--- In , "Stephen Lark"
<stephenmlark@...> wrote:
>
> I was just killing half an hour before the next bus home and
decided to visit the house that Thomas Gainsborough was brought up
in, as recommended by a friend who was born in Long Melford. As I
expected, it was full of paintings.
>
> What I did not expect was that some of them were by other artists,
such as Joshua Reynolds. One that I had not previously encountered
was his portrait of "Hon. Mrs. John Barrington."
>
> This is when my Ricardian antennae alerted me. Would she be the
wife of a Barrington from Hatfield Broad Oak, about twenty miles
south of Sudbury, near Harlow and Chelmsford? If so, she would be a
descendant-in-law of George of Clarence, through Winifred Pole's
(second) marriage to Sir Thomas Barrington and a line of Baronets.
>
> Alternatively, her husband, who presumably paid Reynolds, could be
part of an unrelated family of Viscounts Barrington. The staff are
investigating for me.
>
>
>
>
I have an answer!

Mr. Barrington was actually the Hon. John, 3rd son of the 1st
Viscount and therefore no genetic descendant of Winifred Pole.
Another family member adopted a Mr. Shule, a relative of his wife,
who then took the surname.