Chairman of the Romney Society, Glyn Hopkin, shares these renderings of Romney Portraits as living people.   This was derived from this original self portrait.

Here is another self portrait of an older Romney.

and one of Francis Cotes

Chairman of the Romney Society Glyn Hopkin shares this image of Mrs Elizabeth Yorke, painted in 1787. During the removal of several layers of old varnish.

The Romney Society's Chairman Glyn Hopkin, is interviewed by Simon Gillespie.on Desert Island Pic's. Simon Gillespie is a well renowned Art Restoration Expert and Conservationist running a studio for the Conservation and restoration of fine art. Simon discusses with Glyn, his top 5 paintings.

The Chairman and the Committee of The Romney Society wish to offer their congratulations to our President, Dr Nicholas Cullinan, on his appointment as an Officer of the British Empire, for his services to art.
Some members will have met him on a visit to the Chairman's London home, when he visited to see Glyn's newly hung collection last year.
He has recently overseen the major and highly praised changes at The National Portrait Gallery.
We greatly appreciate the fact that he remains our President and wish him continued success in his work in The Arts.

​News date: for immediate release
The Armitt acquires rare George Romney portrait of historic Cumbrian landowner
The Armitt: Museum, Gallery, Library in Ambleside has acquired an important portrait of Sir Michael Le Fleming, 4th Baronet of Rydal Hall, painted by Cumbria’s own George Romney.
George Romney (1734-1802) was an English portrait painter, the most fashionable artist of his day, painting leading political and social figures. 
Born in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, he began his career in Kendal, moving to London in 1762. Romney returned from a two-year visit to Rome in 1775, and his career thereafter went from strength to strength. Romney returned to Cumbria towards the end of his life. 
He remains the most significant British artist to be associated with the Lake District.
The sitter of the portrait is Sir Michael le Fleming, owner of the Rydal Hall estate, two miles north of Ambleside. Le Fleming was MP for Westmorland from 1774 until his death in 1806 and is seen in the painting in the uniform of the Westmorland Militia. He sat for this portrait in 1779 and 1780, paying Romney’s 18-guinea fee in March 1781. 
Manager & Curator for The Armitt, Faye Morrissey, said, “This work has an interesting story. It emerged in 2016 in a US private collection which allowed it to be identified as the rightful portrait of Le Fleming. Before this, in a recently published catalogue raisonée by Alex Kidson, another picture had been illustrated in its place. Now, the author acknowledges the error, and the work we have has been given the correct identification.”
Charles Nugent, Trustee of The Armitt adds: “We are delighted to have acquired this portrait of Sir Michael le Fleming, who was the local Member of Parliament from 1774-1806 and owner of Rydal Hall. It is wonderful that the portrait has now come back home and it can be placed in its proper context. We are very grateful to the Beecroft Bequest and to the Friends of the Armitt who have made this purchase possible.”
This new acquisition is on display at The Armitt in Ambleside and is the spotlight piece in the first gallery of the museum. The artwork is available to view throughout 2023.

​Diary Dates April - July 2023
 Saturday April 1st   1p.m.
Lecture by David Cross, Vice President of the Romney Society, on George Romney at the National Trust’s Annual Opening of Dalton Castle, Dalton in Furness. There is also an exhibition featuring George Romney on view. For further details, please contact Gary Milne, Chair of the Friends of Dalton Castle, Tel 07917160129 garymilne1960@gmail.com 

Friday 14th April  11.30 a.m.
Lecture by Stella Grace Lyons on Caspar David Friedrich.
By ZOOM in Members' own homes only. Please contact Jane Orrom Horton at the above address or romneysocmembers@gmail.com for the zoom link for the small charge of £5.
 
Friday 12th May 11.30 a.m.
Romney Society AGM at South Lakes Foyer.
The AGM will be followed by a short Lecture given by Prudence Bliss on the
Artists of Captain Cook’s Voyages
(originally intended to accompany Tony Furnival's lecture on Captain Cook in February).
Buffet lunch at 12.45/1pm. 
Coffee & tea will be available throughout the occasion.
Please contact Jane romneysocmembers@gmail.com by 5th May to book lunch for £7.50.
 
Saturday 24th June. 3.00 pm 
Strawberry Tea at the Entwhistles' house & garden in Grange.
This is a Fundraising Social Event. Tickets £10.  Please book with Jane at the above address or romneysocmembers@gmail.com as soon as possible as numbers will be limited.
 
Tuesday 4th July-  11 a.m.
Visit to view George Romney’s paintings in Liverpool at the Walker Art Gallery, Sudley House and the Lady Lever Gallery.
A minibus will be organised from Kendal if enough Members would like to travel together. Entry to the Museums is free of charge, so the only costs to Members would be the transport and their lunch.
For further details and to book a place please contact Ian Horton at the above address or on romneysoctreasurer@gmail.com  as soon as possible.

22/10/2022
​Lecture at Crooklands - Friday 11th November 2022 at 11.30 a.m.
Dr Stephen Lloyd will speak on
"Bellotto's Paintings of the Fortress of Königstein". 

Lecture at Paul Mellon Centre, London - Thursday November 17th 6pm- 7.30pm
Nicholas Robbins at the Paul Mellon Centre will speak on 
"George Romney in the prison-world of Europe".
N.B. This lecture was recorded and may be accessed free on-line at the Paul Mellon Centre website sometime after December 8th under the series title of Georgian Provocations II. www.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk/whats-on/recordings.

Tuesday 6th December 2pm at Crooklands Hotel
Meet the Romney Society’s new Chairman, Glyn Hopkins and see his collection of Romney paintings!  
Coffee/tea and mince-pies will be served.
Free Event.  Please book in advance at romneysocmembers@gmail.com

Lecture at Crooklands - Friday 10th February 2023 at 11.30 a.m.
Stella Grace Lyons, the Art Society Accredited Lecturer, will speak  on
"Caspar David Friedrich, Painter of Stillness & Solitude".

See the Diary pages for details

​NOTICE Of Annual General Meeting
Of The Romney Society
To be held on Friday 5 April 2019 
At 11:00 Crooklands Hotel, Milnthorpe, LA7 7NW
 
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
For Candidates for election to the positions of Honorary Officers and other members of the Executive Committee

• President
• Chairman
• Vice Chairmen
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Membership Secretary
• Other Executive Committee Members

 
Members are asked to note that any nominated candidate should signify their agreement to their nomination.
 
Any member who wishes to nominate a candidate for election to the Executive Committee should do so in writing to be received by the secretary Sue Mulvany, 506 Sand Aire House, Stramongate Kendal, LA9 4UA or by email at suemulvany@icloud.com by Friday 22 March 2019.

20th Feb - 10 amVisit the Lost Treasures of Strawberry Hill Exhibitiona guided private tour will commence at 10am lasting 90 minutes +. 
Lunch at Strawberry Hill House will follow around noon. Lunch needs to be pre booked and a menu is attached. Please make your choice and return to Anne Fisher by 8th February 2019.
1pm Coach will collect our party from Strawberry Hill House and take us to the other venues returning us to Strawberry Hill House/the Alexander Pope Hotel by 5pm.
Visiting 

1. The Garrick Temple Hampton Court Road TW12 2EJ Rupert Nichol curator will open the Temple for us and show us round.
2. Turners House, Sandycombe Lodge, Twickenham Now reopened following a £2.4m refurbishment to very positive reviews.
3. Orleans House, Twickenham TW1 3DJ sitting on the banks of the Thames with a spectacular gallery.

Evening 7.15pm  dinner at the Alexander Pope– all welcome.
21st Feb - Travel back to Cumbria in own time.
The Cost is £35 per head to include the guided tour of the Exhibition and the coach in the afternoon. 
The lunch at Strawberry Hill is extra and must be pre booked.
Please complete the attached form by 8th Feb.- return it with your cheque to Anne Fisher Hon Treasurer, Bela House, Beetham Road, Milnthorpe LA7 7QR  01539563011 fisher01@btconnect.com
​

After a partial rehang was completed in the Romney Room at Abbot Hall, the Society was invited to discuss closer cooperation with Abbot Hall. A first, very fruitful meeting was held where the Society spoke of our need to attract more people to our lecture series. It was agreed that we should design a template for a poster for each lecture, preferably with an illustration on it. Abbot Hall will try to find wall space in the cafe for each poster, one at a time. In addition they would try to make their 200 volunteer invigilators aware of our programme. They are considering putting our programme on their website.

Volume 22 was published in spring of this year. Researched and written by Alex Kidson (edited by Dr David Cross), this special edition of ‘Transactions’ seeks to bring order and light to Romney’s letters and has been hailed by members and scholars alike as an important contribution to better understanding Romney’s work and motivation.

We are continuing with the Crooklands Hotel as the venue for our lectures. However, when the Abbot Hall revamp is completed in approximately three years’ time, it has been agreed that we should consider relocating some of the lectures to Abbot Hall. In association with the Abbot Hall lecture facility there will be a library, and the Society will place its own Romney library there so that members and visitors can have access to it.

The question of our stocks of ‘Transactions’ was also discussed with Abbot Hall offering to look at the possibility of selling some in their shop.

The possibility of our members contributing to information about Romney and the portraits currently on display in the Romney Room was raised, and the Society agreed to come forward with worked-up ideas.
​
It was further agreed that we would seek to maintain close liaison with Abbot Hall, and Kerri Offord, Head of Curatorial, has agreed to join our committee.  

Following our very enjoyable strawberry tea at Bela House, and with the approach of autumn, our thoughts turn once again to the lecture programme. Prudence Bliss, yet again, has produced a very strong series of lectures for 2018-19 which are set out on the final page of this newsletter. The booking form is attached and can be printed off if required. I do urge members to complete and return their copy as soon as possible or write to Treasurer with their bookings. We need to maintain and increase the numbers of people attending the lectures if we are to continue offering such high-quality events. All are welcome, not just members.

Members will be interested to learn that our Vice-President Martin Orrom has discovered some interesting information about the house in High Cocken, Barrow in Furness, where Romney lived in his youth (1742-55). 

In 1909 the house had been bought and restored by the Furness Railway. The company opened a Romney museum in the cottage with colour reproductions of his paintings. They built an annex for teas and toilets. Later a new circular tearoom was built in the grounds.                 

Using rail and coach, the Railway Company ran excursions to the house and to nearby Furness Abbey, Walney Bridge and Walney Island. The opening of the museum received national publicity. Sadly, the Great War forced the closure of the museum in 1916 and it never reopened. 
Below is the advertisement for the Rail and coach tour.

From 1755 to 1762 Romney worked in this studio which was situated in Redman’s Yard, Kendal.

Whilst living in London, Romney’s main studio, (from 1775 to 1796) was situated in Cavendish Square in the building on the right of the illustration below. The house was rebuilt in 1904.

The three illustrations below depict Romney’s House and studio in Hampstead where he lived from 1797 to 1799.

In 1799 Romney returned to Kendal where he lived in the house below until his death at the age of 67 in 1802. 

In 1801, Romney bought Whitestock Hall in Colton, Cumbria (formerly Lancashire) for his family. His son lived there as a landed gentleman and his descendants lived there until 1900.

1- Friday 5 October 2018
Dr Lucinda Lax, Senior Curator of 18th-century Collections in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, will speak on her recent authentication of a portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie - painted during ‘the '45’.
 
2- Friday 9 November 2018
Stella Grace Lyons MA, accredited Art History lecturer for The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS), will speak on ‘How the Boydell Gallery made Shakespeare into the new inspiration for English painters’, one of whom was Romney.
 
3- Friday 7 December 2018
Heather Carroll, tutor in the History of Art at Edinburgh University, will speak on ‘Romney's portrait of Jane, Duchess of Gordon’, the hated Tory rival to the Whig Duchess of Devonshire (see the film ‘Georgiana’ and the book by Amanda Foreman).
 
4- Friday 11 January 2019 
Emily Knight, Assistant Curator of Paintings at the V&A Museum and candidate for an Oxford PhD, will speak on ‘Portraiture as Remembrance in 18th-century Britain’. Special reference will be made to Romney's portrait of Mrs Wilson of Abbot Hall, Kendal, and her daughter Sybill. 
 
5- Friday 8 February 2019
Peter Osborne BA, historian, Artist and Head of School at Blackburn College of Art, is a leading expert on the great wood engraver Thomas Bewick. Peter will speak on ‘Bewick's Beliefs and Vignettes’. 
 
6- Friday 8 March 2019
Dr Pieter van der Merwe, retired Curator of the Royal Maritime Museums, Greenwich, lectured to us on marine painting in 2015 and in 2017 showed us around the recently refurbished Queen's House in Greenwich. He will speak on ‘18th-century Naval Battles and Great Admirals’.
 
7- Friday 5 April 2019    AGM at 11am followed by:
Rupert Nicol RN, former lecturer at Greenwich Naval College and Events Officer at Garrick's Shakespeare Temple, will speak on ‘The German Romantic Painter Philip Otto Runge, 1777-1810’, from whose family Rupert descends. Runge was a friend of Goethe, of the painter Caspar David Friedrich, and also a pioneer investigator of the colour circle.

11.00 for 11.30 at the Crooklands hotel, Nr Kendal
please enter in your diaries... £8 on the door if not pre booked.
 
Friday 5 October 2018
Dr. Lucinda Lax, Senior Curator of 18th century collections in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery will speak on her recent authentication of a portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie - painted during ‘the '45’
 
Friday 9 November 2018
Stella Grace Lyons MA, accredited Art History lecturer for The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS), will speak on ‘How the Boydell Gallery made Shakespeare into the new inspiration for English painters’, one of whom was Romney
 
Friday 7 December 2018
Heather Carroll, tutor in the History of Art at Edinburgh University, will speak on ‘Romney's portrait of Jane, Duchess of Gordon’, the hated Tory rival to the Whig Duchess of Devonshire (see the film ‘Georgiana’ and the book by Amanda Foreman)

Friday 11 January 2019 
Emily Knight, Assistant Curator of Paintings at the V&A Museum and candidate for an Oxford Ph.D. will speak on ‘Portraiture as Remembrance in 18th century Britain’. Special reference will be made to Romney's portrait of Mrs. Wilson of Abbot Hall, Kendal, and her daughter Sybill
 
Friday 8 February 2019
Rupert Nicol R.N., former lecturer at Greenwich Naval College and Events Officer at Garrick's Shakespeare Temple, will speak on ‘The German Romantic Painter Philip Otto Runge, 1777-1810’, from whose family Rupert descends. Runge was a friend of Goethe, of the painter Caspar David Friedrich, and also was a pioneer investigator of the colour circle
 
Friday 8 March 2019
Dr. Pieter van der Merwe, retired curator of the Royal Maritime Museums, Greenwich, lectured to us on marine painting in 2015 and in 2017 showed us around the recently refurbished Queen's House in Greenwich. He will speak on ‘18th century Naval Battles and Great Admirals’
 
Friday 5 April 2019
Peter Osborne BA, historian, Artist and Head of School at Blackburn College of Art, is a leading expert on the great wood engraver Thomas Bewick. Peter will speak on ‘Bewick's Beliefs and Vignettes’

John & Janey Hornyold Strickland kindly invite you to a Strawberry Tea at 3pm
on
 Saturday 1 July 2017
At
Summerhow House, Shap Road, Kendal LA9 6NY
 
Summerhow House is located off the A6 two miles out of Kendal and 50 yards north of office building- NHS Enterprise House. The Summerhow House sign is to the right of our entrance gates.
 
The cost for each ticket will be £12 and as numbers are limited to 40 please book early using the form below.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
 
Strawberry Tea – Saturday 1 July 2017
 
I/We would like ………………………………………….. tickets at £12 each
 
I enclose a cheque for ………………………….. made out to ‘The Romney Society’ 
 
Names …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 
 
Address ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Please post to Anne Fisher, Bela House, Milnthorpe LA7 7QR Enclosing a stamped addressed envelope for the return of tickets