Augusta Anne Ayscough
Encyclopedia
Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet
Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet was Member of Parliament for Linlithgow Burghs from 1772 to 1784.-Family:He was a son of William Cockburn and his wife and cousin Frances Cockburn. His paternal grandparents were Sir Alexander Cockburn, 6th Baronet and his wife Mary Ancrum. His maternal grandfather...
' onMouseout='HidePop("91875")' href="/topics/Scottish_English">Scottish English
Scottish English
Scottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. It may or may not be considered distinct from the Scots language. It is always considered distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language....
: ˈkobʌɾn) Cockburn had six children and many led notable lives. She and her first three sons are the subject of a painting in the National Gallery
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
in London. Each of the sons depicted succeeded to the Cockburn baronetcy
Cockburn Baronets
-Baronets Cockburn of Langton, Berwick:*Sir William Cockburn, 1st Baronet *Sir William Cockburn, 2nd Baronet *Sir William Cockburn, 3rd Baronet *Sir Archibald Cockburn, 4th Baronet...
, becoming the 9th
Sir James Cockburn, 9th Baronet
Sir James Cockburn, 9th Baronet was British Governor of Bermuda from 1811 to 1819.He was the eldest son of Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet and his second wife Augusta Anne Ayscough...
, 10th
George Cockburn
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet GCB was a British naval commander of the late 18th through the mid-19th centuries. He held important commands during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and eventually rose to become Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord.-Naval...
and 11th
Sir William Cockburn, 11th Baronet
Sir William Cockburn, 11th Baronet was a Church of England clergyman. He was Dean of York and was famously defended on a charge of simony by his nephew Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet in 1841....
Baronets of Cockburn
Cockburn Baronets
-Baronets Cockburn of Langton, Berwick:*Sir William Cockburn, 1st Baronet *Sir William Cockburn, 2nd Baronet *Sir William Cockburn, 3rd Baronet *Sir Archibald Cockburn, 4th Baronet...
.
Biography
Anne Augusta Ayscough was born in 1749, the daughter of Francis AyscoughFrancis Ayscough
Francis Ayscough was a tutor to George III and Clerk of the Closet to his father Frederick, Prince of Wales and later Dean of Bristol Cathedral.-Biography:...
and his wife Anne.
Ayscough married Sir James Cockburn
Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet
Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet was Member of Parliament for Linlithgow Burghs from 1772 to 1784.-Family:He was a son of William Cockburn and his wife and cousin Frances Cockburn. His paternal grandparents were Sir Alexander Cockburn, 6th Baronet and his wife Mary Ancrum. His maternal grandfather...
the 8th Baronet and became Lady Cockburn of Langton
Langton, County Durham
Langton is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the west of Darlington, near Headlam and Ingleton.-History:Lanton was a parish in Berwickshire containing . The area around the town was frequently invaded in the sixteenth century by the English...
in Berwick
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
in 1769. The marriage was made as the result of a large marriage settlement of twenty thousand pounds which was arranged by her maternal uncle, Sir George Lyttlelton
George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton
George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton PC , known as Sir George Lyttelton, Bt between 1751 and 1756, was a British politician and statesman and a patron of the arts.-Background and education:...
, her widowed mother and her brother George Edward Ayscough. The money was raised on her father's estate and included three houses in London and two farms. She and her three eldest sons were captured in a painting by Joshua Reynolds
Joshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA was an influential 18th-century English painter, specialising in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy...
. All of these three sons were notable and all inherited their father's title. Moreover she went on to have two more sons and a daughter.
Her first child was James
Sir James Cockburn, 9th Baronet
Sir James Cockburn, 9th Baronet was British Governor of Bermuda from 1811 to 1819.He was the eldest son of Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet and his second wife Augusta Anne Ayscough...
who was born in 1771. He was to grow to be the 9th baronet and Governor of Bermuda
Governor of Bermuda
The Governor of Bermuda is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government...
from 1811–1819. Her second child, George
George Cockburn
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet GCB was a British naval commander of the late 18th through the mid-19th centuries. He held important commands during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and eventually rose to become Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord.-Naval...
, was born in 1772. He rose to be an Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet
An admiral of the fleet is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments...
and the 10th Baronet. Her third son was William
Sir William Cockburn, 11th Baronet
Sir William Cockburn, 11th Baronet was a Church of England clergyman. He was Dean of York and was famously defended on a charge of simony by his nephew Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet in 1841....
, who was born in 1773. He became the Dean of York
Dean of York
The Dean of York is the member of the clergy who is responsible for the running of the York Minster cathedral.-11th–12th centuries:* 1093–c.1135: Hugh* c.1138–1143: William of Sainte-Barbe...
. Her son Alexander was born in 1776 and he became British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary
Plenipotentiary
The word plenipotentiary has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent his government as a prerogative...
to Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
and the Columbia District
Columbia District
The Columbia District was a fur trading district in the Pacific Northwest region of British North America in the 19th century. It was explored by the North West Company between 1793 and 1811, and established as an operating fur district around 1810...
.
Her fifth son, Francis
Francis Cockburn
Sir Francis Cockburn served in the British Army, played an important role in the early settlement of eastern Canada and was a colonial administrator....
, was born in 1776. He became a general after being involved in the early history of Canada as a colony and serving in diplomatic positions in the Bahamas and British Honduras. Lastly she had a daughter also called Augusta who married in 1807.
The painting
The painting was begun by Joshua ReynoldsJoshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA was an influential 18th-century English painter, specialising in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy...
in 1773. It includes Lady Cockburn and her three eldest sons and is based on two classical paintings. The attitude of the child on the left, Augusta's eldest son, James, comes from a painting by Velázquez
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
whilst the general composition is from a painting entitled Charity by Van Dyck
Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next...
. The painting is said to be one of the few to be signed by Reynolds. Lady Cockburn's dress has his name and the year as 1775. The painting was passed through her son George to his daughter who married Sir James Hamilton.