Sir William Brownlow, 4th Bt Brownlow of Humby MP (1665-1702)

John Riley (London 1646 – London 1691) and John Closterman (Osnabrück 1660 – London 1711) . Oil painting on canvas, Sir William Brownlow, 4th Bt Brownlow of Humby MP (1665-1702) by John Riley (London 1646 – London 1691) and John Closterman (Osnabrück 1660 – London 1711), circa 1685/88. A full-length portrait of the son of Sir Richard Brownlow 2nd Bt (1628-68) and Elizabeth Freke (1634-84) as a plump young man, standing, leaning on a pedestal with his left arm, turned slightly to the right, wearing a green robe over a white shirt, green stockings and a red cloak which he has looped up and holds on his hip with his right hand, a white lace cravat and a long flowing wig. When Riley painted the four pictures at Belton (NT 436004.1-2 and 436005.1-2), he appears to have had the assistance of the recently-arrived John Closterman, and reputedly got £40 a full length, painting only the heads himself and giving Closterman just 30s (£1.50) for all the drapery. William married firstly Dorothy Mason (1655? - 99/1700), daughter of Sir Richard Mason and Anne Margaret Long and secondly Henrietta Brett (1681-1718).He was MP for Peterborough between 1689 and 1698, and Bshop's Castle between 1698 and 1700 He succeeded to the title of 4th Baronet Brownlow, of Humby on 16 July 1697. He inherited Belton after the death of his elder brother, 'Young' Sir John, in 1697, but never lived here himself. Sir William's home was at Humby. The children of Sir William Brownlow, 4th Bt. and Dorothy Mason were: 1.Anne Brownlow (1685-1779) married Sir Richard Cust (1680-1734), 2nd Bt of Pinchbeck 2.Richard Brownlow (1689-1690) 3.John Brownlow, 1st and last Viscount Tyrconne (1690-1754) 4.Dorothy Brownlow (b.1695) 5.William Brownlow (1699-1726) Belton House, Lincolnshire (Accredited Museum)