Gallery of Views and Landscape

Marske Village Area

The village from the late eighteenth century onwards. See also History of Marske in Swaledale and Marske Estate and Hall.

Church

St Edmund’s Parish Church, Marske (see also church windows).

Swale Valley

Photos, postcards and paintings showing the Swale river valley from different vantage points upstream and downstream of Marske village. See also Landscape, geology and mining and Glaciation in Swaledale and Marske.

Clints

These photos, paintings and etchings show Clints.

Marske Beck, Skelton and Orgate

Photos and paintings of the valley of Marske Beck upstream from the village, including Skelton and Orgate. See also notes on Skelton Hall.

Helwith, Kexwith and Feldom

Photos of the area north of Marske, including New Forest Township and Feldom Range.

The artists

The gallery includes a number of original pictures and drawings.  Artists whose works have been included twice or more include Samuel Buck (1696-1779), George Cuit the elder (1743-1818) and David Morgan Rees. 

Samuel Buck

Samuel Buck (1696-1779) was an artist who may have come from Downholme, on the opposite side of side of the Swale to Marske1.  He created an extensive pictorial record of Yorkshire, including of Richmond.  The sketches range from the rudimentary to an elaborate pen and ink drawing of Richmond town2.  The gallery includes sketches of both Clints Hall and Marske Hall from around 1720.  

George Cuit

George Cuit (1743-1818) was born in Moulton, near Scotch Corner.  In 1769 he was sponsored to study art in Rome and Europe by Sir Lawrence Dundas, First Earl of Zetland, and owner of Aske Hall.  He was accompanied to Rome by his contemporary Thomas Harrison, who later became an architect and lived in Lancaster and Chester. After his 6-year Grand Tour he began work in London, but illness forced him to return to Richmond in 17763.  In Richmond he was the leader of a group of friends who styled themselves as the “Richmond Atheneum”, which included his contemporary John Yorke (of Yorke House, Richmond) and a younger generation including James Tate (Rector at Marske for sometime and headmaster of Richmond School), and brothers John and Timothy Hutton3.

In Richmond Cuit made a living painting landscapes, townscapes and some portraits, often working to commissions from wealthy local landowners1.  His paintings include accurate portrayals of local topographic features and buildings, although he often permitted himself to incorporate whimsical characters and animals in the foreground. His two paintings of the Swale Valley towards Richmond Castle from Marske Edge incorporate in one case a shepherd and three sheep, and in another the same shepherd with six sheep and a dog!  A short biography, accompanying an exhibition of Cuit’s work at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn, was published by Jane Hatcher in 19924.

Perhaps his most interesting painting from the point of view of Marske’s history is the painting which now resides in the Government Art Collection and which shows Marske Hall, Clints Hall (before it was demolished), and St Edmund’s Church.  This painting has an interesting history which is set out here.  

George Cuit’s son (1779-1854), who spelt his name “Cuitt” to distinguish himself from his father, earned a prominent reputation as a prolific engraver.  He often chose ancient ruins as his subject, and spent much of his career based in Chester.  In moving to Chester he had followed the close family friend and architect Thomas Harrison (see above). He returned to Yorkshire in later life to live near Masham.  Like his father he was close to the Hutton family. 

David Morgan Rees

David Morgan Rees wrote a book about Marske and Clints in 2000 called “The Palm of the Dale”5.  Through his permission this website makes use of a large number of the photographs published in that book.  He also had published a number of watercolours from holidays he had taken in Europe and elsewhere. A small collection of unpublished watercolours of the Marske area were donated to Richmondshire Museum in 2022. David Morgan Rees died in 2024.  

  1. Hatcher, Jane.  2022.  Richmondians.[][]
  2. Buck, S.  c1720.  Samuel Buck’s Yorkshire Sketchbook.[]
  3. Hatcher, Jane. 1992. George Cuit the elder (1743-1818).[][]
  4. Hatcher, Jane. 1992. George Cuit the elder (1743-1818).[]
  5. Morgan Rees, D.  2000.  In the Palm of the Dale.[]