General Sir Richard Bourke, Governor NSW

An important watercolour portrait of Richard Bourke, the Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1836.

Bourke was born on the 4th of May 1777 in Dublin and educated at Westminster School and Oxford. He graduated in 1798 and was gazetted an Ensign in the Grenadier Guards by purchase, in November of that year. He soon saw action in the Napoleonic Wars and was badly wounded to the jaw in the Netherlands in 1799. In the same year he rose to Lieutenant and Captain, again by purchase. In 1803, he joined the 47th Foot and in 1804 he became a Major and Superintendent at the Royal Military College. In September 1806 he received the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and saw action, whilst serving as Quartermaster General, in the South American expedition at Montevideo and Buenos Aires. In December 1807 he went on half pay until May of 1808 when he joined the staff of the Foreign Service. He served in the Peninsula in 1809 in Portugal and with the Spanish Army under General Cuesta. He then became the Military Resident for Galicia at Corunna between 1812 and 1814, for which he was promoted to Colonel. He was promoted to Major General in 1821 and became a Companion of the Order of the Bath in January 1835.

After Napoleon's defeat, Sir Richard retired on half pay to his estate in County Limerick, Ireland. With a need for a greater income and a better climate for his wife's health he was appointed Major General on the staff at Malta in 1825. After only a month, he was posted to the Cape of Good Hope as Acting Governor whilst Lord Somerset returned to Britian to answer charges against him. He remained there with his family until 1828. His success in South Africa led to his appointment as Governor of New South Wales in 1831. Bourke's natural liberalism has generally viewed him as a success with economic growth and his work considered to have paved the way for the end of transportation. He did face opposition to his reforms and had enemies amongst the 'old guard' in the colony. This eventually led to his resignation in 1836 and on his departure the crowds showed his popularity and donations for a statue of him were quickly raised. It was the first statue of a public figure in Australia.

He was offered the Governorship of the Cape, and then of Jamaica and the command of the forces in India but declined them all. Back in Ireland, he was appointed High Sheriff for Limerick but rejected the offer to stand as MP in 1841.

The provenance of this picture has been traced back to Spencer Perceval's family. Perceval was the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated, killed by John Bellingham in 1812. Dudley Montague Perceval, Spencer's 5th son, married Sir Richard's daughter Mary Jane Bourke in 1827. He was a Clerk of the council for the Cape of Good Hope and Sir Richard was Acting Governor for both the eastern and western districts of the Cape. This picture, along with a print of Spencer Perceval's assassination and items of Cape silver were all consigned to auction by a solicitor acting for the Percival family estate. Also auctioned were four portraits attributed to the artist James Holmes (1777-1860) of both Dudley Montagu Perceval and his wife Mary, Frederika Elizabeth Perceval and a double portrait of Isabel Perceval and her sister from 1839. He or his son, also called James Holmes, painted 9 miniature portraits of the grandchildren of Spencer Perceval in 1847-48.

A well-known lithograph of Sir Richard Bourke by an unknown artist, was likely taken from this painting or a contemporary copy of it. James Holmes was apprenticed as an engraver before he turned to watercolour portraits, and it raises the question as to whether this portrait of Richard Bourke is also by James Holmes. The style is certainly similar to the Perceval portraits. The Bourke lithograph shows Sir Richard's signature below. The back of this watercolour also bears his signature, stuck down on a piece of paper. The gilt frame's back board bears an ink inscription noting 'General Sir Richard Bourke in the Peninsular War'.

This portrait was most likely made much later than Bourke's time in the Peninsular War and the presence of his signature suggests his or his family's contact with the painting. It is well drawn with minor colour highlights to the eyes, uniform and medals. There is foxing around the picture but the face is strong and does not suffer for it. Without the connection to the family, it could be argued that this painting might be a copy from the lithograph rather than the inspiration for it. With the provenance, it makes it likely that it is the original portrait of Sir Richard. Circa 1840.

Frame size is given.

We are grateful to the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales for the lithograph image.