Thank you for these suggestions. My theory is that the portrait at http://www.milesbarton.com/work.htm?ID=67 is not of someone associated with Westbury at all. Thus I don't think that the background of the picture is Westbury, or for that matter Abenhall near Mitcheldean, where the Colchester family of Westbury Court were living at the date of the picture. A picture of Newnham church http://www.wishful-thinking.org.uk/genuki/GLS/Newnham/StPeterOldPhoto.html also doesnt look convincing as the one in the background, unless the steeples were additions new at the time of the post card. In the light of Marilyn's suggestion, I checked out Painswick. My thoughts are that the picture is of Francis Wemyss (1813-1848) and not Mr Colchester (for whom there is no suitably aged likely candidate). Either Francis, his father or his father in law, lived at Brown's Hill, Painswick, although my source for this is not a primary one. This would give a reason for including it in the background of the picture. However, I don't think that the church is St Mary's Painswick which looks like it is the one in the picture in the following link http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/glouces/Painswick_Photos.htm I have searched out a few more churches for the locations mentioned. The church at Horsley looks like a possibility, but I am not yet convinced. I think that a bit of perseverance on my part on looking at pictures of churches might provide the answer, but not knowing Gloucestershire well does not help. My instinct is that the part of the background is the Severn estuary, and that this is a tributary flowing into it. The background is quite likely a composite, but I would expect it to be based on actual places and have a reference to the sitter. With many thanks for your suggestions, which are very much appreciated, Giles Colchester Researching family Colchester, any place, any time, any spelling. Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2008 16:47:01 -0000 From: "Bob Philpott" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [GLS] Portrait in Gloucestershire To: <[email protected]> Giles My feeling is that this is a composite background added in by the artist for effect. It is certainly not Westbury Court which is flat. The church could easily be Newnham Church (only a few miles from Westbury) which is on a hill like that but the opposite side of the Severn is very flat. Bob Philpott Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 21:02:06 +0000 From: "Marilyn Moffat" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [GLS] Portrait in Gloucestershire To: [email protected] This is a wild guess (but also partly educated, honestly!!!) but could it Be around somewhere like Painswick Reasons for suggesting this: 1 ) just over the chap's right shoulder is a small outlier - ie a flat topped hill once part of the scarp but now an isolated hill in the vale having been cut off and left by erosion - the most significant I can think of are Bredon Hill North of Cheltenham and Cam Long Down near Dursley. It can't be the former as if I am right this is looking south along the Cotswold scarp, and Bredon is a northern outler with no "edge" to the north. 2) to the right of the outlier is a silver sliver which could well be the river Severn (it kinsd of looks lik tha all the way along there) 3) Around Mr Colchester the land is hummocky, and could be heath - so I think this might be one of the Edge coomons - like Painswick Beacon or Haresfiled?? 4) The church - could be any - it isn't really in any real scale in the landscape I think- so it could represent any - but Horsley church is in the area I was thinking of and it has a square tower. Of course it could be a background but that also could have local context. Marilyn From: Giles Colchester [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 06 November 2008 18:33 To: '[email protected]' Subject: Portrait in Gloucestershire Does anyone recognise the background location of the picture given in this link? http://www.milesbarton.com/work.htm?ID=67 The sitter is thought to be a Mr Colchester of Westbury Court, although at present I have not been able to identify him, and actually suspect he is Francis Wemyss whose son later inherited Westbury Court in Gloucestershire. To help me identify him, it would be grateful to know if any reference is given by the location in the background. I would be grateful to know if any listers recognise this location? Is it the Wye valley, which would make sense? Or is it just an artists back ground cloth? Giles Colchester Researching family Colchester, any place, any time, any spelling.