[Collection of portraits of Yorkshire ancestors of F. Thornbury, Sydney and of Mrs Elizabeth Cook, 1795-1840?]

fonds

ca. 1795-1840?

Graphic Materials, Paintings

457512

9 paintings - oil

Item 01: Mrs Elizth Cook. Aged 81 years, 1830 / W. Henderson
ML 430

Item 02: [Dr Reynolds of Yorkshire grandfather of Mrs Thornbury, ca. 1795?]
ML 271

Item 03: [Mr Dale father of Mrs Thornbury, ca. 183-?]
ML 198

Item 04: [Mrs Dale wife of Mr Dale, ca. 1840?]
ML 193

Item 05: [Mrs Thornbury wife of ? Thornbury and mother of F. Thornbury of Sydney, ca. 1835?]
ML 431

Item 06: [Miss Dale sister of Mrs Thornbury, ca. 1835?]
ML 214

Item 07: [Mr Taylor, engineer, ca. 1820?]
ML 454

Item 08: [Mrs Reynolds wife of Dr Reynolds of Yorkshire, 18--?]
ML 293

Item 09: [Unidentified young boy, ca. 1835?]
ML 395

Out of copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

These portraits used to hang in the show room of W. Chorley & Co., tailors and breeches makers, By appointment, (313 George St), Sydney. Mr Henry Chorley offered the picture of the wife of Captain Cook as a loan in 1938. The offer was not accepted as the authenticity of the portrait could not be proved. See Corres. 1938/55 in and 1938/70 and 148 out. In Oct. 1956 after Mr Chorley's death the 9 portraits were presented to the Mitchell Library by Mrs H.J.A. Chorley. 6 are of Yorkshire ancestors of F. Thornbury of Sydney called Dale and Reynolds, the 7th is of an unidentified boy probably of the same family, the 8th is of Mr Taylor, engineer, the connection with the Thornburys is not known. None of the names appears in Young's History of Whitby but the Yorkshire marriage registers (for W. Riding) lists a John Dale and Mary Reynolds, Oct. 3, 1802. A re-examination of the letters referred to above indicates that the reason the Library declined the offer of a loan of the portrait was not because its authenticity could not be proved, but that "the Trustees are definitely opposed to accepting anything on loan
The names of the Thornbury's can not be found in Young's History of Whitby nor in Yorkshire pedigrees, Victoria History of the Counties of England nor in Hailstone's Portraits of Yorkshire worthies 1968. Yorkshire marriage registers lists no Thornbury's but lists under Parish of Rotherham John Dale and Mary Reynolds 3 October 1802. This could possibly be Mr and Mrs Dale as the portrait appears to be of a women of 50-55 and her dress is ca. 1840. Mr Dale seems to be of similar age. Miss Dale and Mrs Thornbury appear to be respectively about 30 and 35 and the style of their dress is ca. 1835. Mr Taylor seems to be about 60-65 years of age.
The connection between the Thornburys, Mr Taylor and Mrs Cook is not known but in H.Carrington, `Life of Captain Cook', 1939, p. 300 writes that there are two to three families today who claim collateral descent through the Coulsens and the Dales. -- Mitchell Shelflist cards