Anne de la Pole

James I of Stover’s daughter Anne (1757-1832) married James William de la Pole, 6th Baronet of Shute. Ann was considered quite a beauty for time and was painted a number of times.

Anne, the only daughter of James and Mary, was baptised at Rotherhithe when 29 days old on 16 January 1758. She married in 1779 Sir John William de la Pole, 6th Baronet, of a well known Devonshire family whose seat was at Shute. Several Templer monuments as well as de la Pole monuments are to be found in Shute church.

Rarely do we find anything in our Templer history to throw light on the character or activity of our womenfolk. No doubt like most whose fate was to be born into the class of the landed gentry, they waited patiently at home for a suitable husband to turn up. When he did, they then continued to wait patiently at home for the numerous offspring to turn up. In the case of Anne, however, her memorial in Shute church tells us a little of her last days-:

"The last days of her life were devoted to soothing the pillow of mortal sickness for her beloved brother, the Reverend John Templer. He died at Lindridge on 5 February 1832 aged 81. Under the same roof on the ensuing Sabbath unable to endure her irreparable loss she followed him to the land of eternal rest in her 74th year. The daughter of James Templer of Stover House, she married 9 January 1781 and died 12 February 1832"

The most famous painting was by George Romney (1734-1802) for which he was paid 80 guineas (about £13,300 in 2020). Eventually soldold at Christie's London on 13th July 1913, purchased by the dealers Duveen Brothers of New York for 40,000 guineas ($206,850), then a record price for any work of art sold in London. Now at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Probably worth millions.

The most famous painting was by George Romney. This was eventually sold to the Boston Art Gallery in Massacusetts

PROVENANCE 1786, John William de la Pole (b. 1757 - d. 1799), 6th Bart., Shute House, near Axminster, Devonshire [see note 1]; 1799, by descent through the family to Sir Frederick Arundell de la Pole (b. 1850 - d. 1926), 11th Bart., Shute House, Devonshire; June 13, 1913, De La Pole sale, Christie's, London, lot 125, sold for £41,370 to Duveen Brothers, Inc., London; by 1919, sold by Duveen to Herbert Stern (b. 1859 - d. 1919), 1st Baron Michelham, Hellingley, Sussex; 1919, by inheritance to Stern's wife, Aimee Geraldine Bradshaw Stern (d. 1927), Baroness Michelham, London and Paris; November 23, 1926, Michelham sale, Hampton's, London, lot 297, sold for £46,200 to Agnew's, London (stock no. 6622); 1926, sold by Agnew's to Alvan Tufts Fuller (b. 1878 - d. 1958), Boston [see note 2]; 1959, to Fuller Foundation Inc., Boston; 1961, gift of Fuller Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: May 10, 1961)

NOTES:

[1] Original commission from the artist by the husband of the sitter. Anne Templer (d. 1832) of Stover House, Devonshire, married John William de la Pole (d. 1799) on January 9, 1791.

[2] See Agnew's, 1817-1967 (London, 1967)

Copy in private hands