History of Marske Hall painting by George Cuit

A panorama of Marske. 

Marske Hall, by George Cuit (1743-1818) portrays the principal buildings of Marske at the end of the eighteenth century (see below).  It has been painted from Marske Beck looking towards the west and depicts Marske Stables and Hall, Clints Hall, Marske Rectory and Marske Church.  The painting also shows Marske Bridge, a watermill, and an extension to the church’s south aisle. Clints Hall, the mill and the extension have all now been demolished, although an outline of the church extension can still be seen in the church’s western wall.

Early C19 oil painting
View of Marske Hall, Marske Bridge, Clints Halls, Rectory and St Edmund’s Church. Painting by George Cuit (1743-1818). (Image is copyright. Reproduced here with kind permission of UK Government Art Collection.)

It is not known exactly when the painting was painted.  An etching of Clints Hall (see below), which is very similar to its depiction in the painting, was published in 17871.  This etching is attributed to “Howit”, most probably a mistranscription of Cuit.  It is suggested the “Marske Hall” painting may be of a similar date (1787), although as Cuit was in Richmond from 1776 until his death in 1818 the painting could be from any time within this period. 

Clints Hall from the late eighteenth century1.

It is likely that the painting of Marske was commissioned by John Hutton (IV) (1774-1841), who lived at Marske Hall.  It is not known where the painting was hung after it was completed.  Puzzlingly it is not listed in an extensive catalogue of the paintings at Marske Hall in the mid nineteenth century2.

George Cuit:  The Major Domo

George Cuit styled himself as the Major Domo of the “Richmond Athenaeum”, an informal coterie of largely younger liberal intellectual friends, which included John and Timothy Hutton (1779-1863)3.  George Cuit (1743-1818) had been a mentor and close friend of the Hutton brothers John (1774-1841) and Timothy (1779-1863).  More on Cuit’s life is to be found here. 

George Cuit’s son, also a painter and engraver, who styled himself as George “Cuitt”, made two paintings of Clifton Castle for Timothy. He also lobbied John to have his portrait painted by artist James Lonsdale4.  The paintings for Timothy of Clifton Castle still hang there today3.  It is not clear if John succumbed to Cuitt’s lobbying!

Marske almost ended up in America.  Sale of the painting in the 1960s

The Hutton descendant’s remained owners of the Marske Estate until the 1960s.  The last of a long line of Huttons was John Timothy D’Arcy Hutton III who had died in 1957.  His estate in Marske, which included substantial land holdings, was largely inherited by his eldest nephew Harold Maxwell D’Arcy Hutton.  The 3000 acres associated with the Marske Estate was sold-off between 1959 and 1965. 

It is likely that the Marske Hall painting was part of this wider sale of the Estate. In 1964 it was sold by Bonham’s auction house to Agnews Gallery in London5,6.  A year later the painting was sold to a New York art dealer, but curiously it was bought back later that year6.

Early in 1965 the Government’s “Minster’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art” had found that they had more funds than they had previously budgeted.  They decided to buy more eighteenth century English landscape artists, especially as such paintings were in demand for overseas posts.  For example, a specific request was for four eighteenth century landscapes for the Red Drawing Room in the Embassy residence in Moscow, as this residence was “in need of some large good quality paintings to fill a number of gaps”7.  It is speculated that the Cuit painting of Marske was blocked from leaving the UK as it was exactly the sort of painting the Government now wished to acquire, and hence the New York dealer never got their hands on it. 

Flush with funds in March 1965 the Government authorised the expenditure of £385 to buy a landscape painting by George Cuit, of Aske Hall, Yorkshire.  (George Cuit’s patron had been Sir Lawrence Dundas, First Earl of Zetland, and the owner of Aske Hall.)  The painting of Marske Hall was then bought by the Government less than a year later8. 

Moscow, Snaresbrook or Marske?

One can only speculate as to whether the Marske painting may have been bought with Moscow or another exotic overseas post in mind!  The painting of Marske has found a less exotic posting on the walls of the magistrates’ lounge at Snaresbrook Crown Court in East London.  Perhaps it was too small for the Embassy Residence in Moscow (it is 14” x 19”), or just inferior to the other choices on hand.  Close inspection of the painting reveals some coarse brush strokes.  The painting of Aske Hall is in the more prestigious location of Lancaster House on the Mall; a building that also houses the government’s wine cellars9. 

Snaresbrook station.

It remains a mystery as to how the painting ended up at Snaresbrook, but the author would like to thank the staff there for their interest, and for allowing him to see the painting in the summer of 2024. 

Snaresbrook Crown Court. Current home of the Marske painting by George Cuit.
  1. Angus, W.  1787.  Seats of Nobility and Gentry in Great Britain and Wales.[↩][↩]
  2. Raine, James.  1881.  Marske in Swaledale.  Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Association Journal, Vol VI.[↩]
  3. Hatcher, J.  2020.  Timothy Hutton of Clifton Castle and Marske in Swaledale.[↩][↩]
  4. NY County Records Office.  Catalogue items ZAZ 82.[↩]
  5. Bonhams Sales Catalogue.  1964.  Old and Modern Pictures Catalogue, 19 November 1964.[↩]
  6. Private Correspondence with Agnews Gallery and National Gallery.  2023[↩][↩]
  7. National Archives.  Files on Picture Fund Financial Provisions, and Advisory Committee on the Purchase of Works of Art.  Ref Work 54/48 and 54/53.  Accessed 2023.[↩]
  8. Government Art Collection.  Website page on Marske Hall painting.  Accessed 2023.[↩]
  9. Wikipedia.  Lancaster House.  Accessed 2023.[↩]