Mary Peters, Mrs John Walrond

British (English) School. Oil painting on canvas, Mary Peters, Mrs John Walrond, British (English) School, 1750s. An oval painted, half-length portrait of Mary Peters, who was the wife of the Reverend John Walrond and the maternal grandmother of Mary Parminter. The sitter is turned slightly towards the right and looks out at the spectator. She wears a formal sack-back gown of pale blue silk, the bodice trimmed with darker blue ruffles and ruffles and lace frills at the elbows. The fabric at the back of the dress, which falls from the shoulders, can be seen behind the sitter's right arm. A square of fine lace descends from the throat and rests upon the sitter's shoulders. A string of pearls are worn high on the neck and on the head a frilled bonnet is tied under the chin with blue ribbon. The label verso indentifying the sitter as Mary Lavington is incorrect. Research on documents held at Devon record offfice (Walrond papers) found a family tree that left no doubt whatever as to her maiden name of Peters, also the will of John Walrond, husband of Mary, (National Archives, Prob 11/948) refers to Ben Peters as his brother-in-law A La Ronde, Devon (Accredited Museum)