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Collection Details
R H Allan; William Allan; A Denham; with Sabin
Gallery, from whom bought by the Faringdon Trustees, 1970 (as by Cotes).
Literature
Edward Mead Johnson, Francis Cotes, 1976, pp. 95,
168, No. 43 (rejecting the old attribution to Cotes, and proposing Katherine
Read instead).
Background
The old identification of the sitter and the following
description are taken from the catalogue of an exhibition held at the
Sabin Gallery in 1970: Miss Kennedy, alias Jones, was of Irish family
and had two brothers, Mathew and Patrick. These brothers rose to higher
status than their original profession of alehouse waiters through the
influence of their sister Polly, who was an intimate acquaintance of Sir
Charles Bunbury, the St Johns, Lord March, Lord Robert Spencer, Gilly
Williams, Lord Palmerston and George Selwyn among others.
The Kennedy brothers took part in a drunken riot in Westminster, which
caused the death of a night-watchman. Both men were convicted of murder
and sentenced to be executed; but through the intervention of Miss Jones
friends, the King had the sentence commuted to transported
for life. Complications ensued, which developed into a struggle
between the Bill of Rights Club members who wished to hang the Kennedys,
and the Court acquaintances of Polly Jones. Another trial occurred with
many fierce accusations and entanglements. This ended with the watchmans
widow being bribed not to appear; Mathew was transported for life, and
Patrick transported for 14 years.
Cotes exhibited a pastel head of Polly Jones at
the Society of Artists in 1768, but it has not been recorded since his
posthumous sale.
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Copyright © The Trustees of the Faringdon
Collection 1999. All rights reserved.
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