Description: 'George Hardinge, Esq ... Senior Justice of the Counties of Brecon, Glamorgan and Radnor', painted by N Dance [c 1769], engraved by H Meyer, published by J Nichols & Co, 7 March 1818.
George Hardinge, Welsh judge (Justice of the Courts of Brecon), author and politician, is recorded as the owner of RagmanÆs Castle on Twickenham Riverside from about 1780 and perhaps until his death at Presteigne in Radnorshire in 1816. He was possibly attracted to Twickenham by his friendship with Horace Walpole and Richard Owen Cambridge.
He was born at Canbury Manor, Kingston-upon-Thames, where his father, Nicholas (1699-1758) lived, the son of Gideon (1669-1712), Vicar of Kingston from 1692. Gideon was the son of Sir Robert Hardinge of Kings Newton, Melbourne, Derbyshire. (Taken from http://www.twickenham-museum.org.uk/detail.asp?ContentID=422)
This image is one of a collection by the famous local antiquarian, Thomas Bateman, of Middleton by Youlgreave. (1821-1861). Bateman organized his collection by inserting them into a 4 volume copy of Lysons Magna Britannia, Derbyshire, creating a fascinating and unique illustrated record of the county. The purchase of the collection for Derbyshire Libraries was made possible by the generous bequest of Miss Frances Webb of Whaley Bridge, well known local historian, who died in December 2006.