There is another possibility, however. Girtin in all likelihood visited Barnard Castle himself in 1796 on his trip to the north east and the Scottish Borders, and he subsequently produced two watercolours of a similar, though slightly more distant, view of the castle overlooking the river Tees (TG1068 and TG1069). Could it be, therefore, that this drawing, though it is roughly the same size as the other outlines from the Monro collection, was actually made on the spot in 1796? Given that there are at least two other drawings from the Monro collection that appear to have been made on the spot at a later date (TG0369a and TG1331), the possibility is certainly worth considering, especially as the touch in this drawing is more varied in strength compared to the even, if not mechanical, feel of the standard outline made for Monro (for example, in TG0328). Indeed, I would be persuaded by the argument were it not for the nagging thought that moving a few metres closer to make a second very close variation of a view would have been quite out of character for Girtin.
1796 - 1797
Barnard Castle, from the River Tees
TG1068
(?) 1800
Barnard Castle, from the River Tees
TG1069
1798 - 1799
The Market Square at Aylesbury
TG0369a
(?) 1798
Pont y Pair, Betws-y-Coed
TG1331
1794 - 1795
The Refectory of Walsingham Priory
TG0328
About this Work
This view of Barnard Castle from the river Tees is part of a group of about forty outline drawings by Girtin that came from the collection of Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833) and are now in the Turner Bequest at Tate Britain. The majority of the drawings were made after sketches by Girtin’s first significant patron, the antiquarian and amateur artist James Moore (1762–99). However, Moore does not seem to have visited Barnard Castle, and, assuming that this sketch predates Girtin’s trip to the north east in 1796, attention has switched to other possible sources for the composition. The obvious candidate is Girtin’s master, Edward Dayes (1763–1804), though his view of Barnard Castle from the river adopts a slightly different viewpoint, cutting off the houses to the right in consequence (see figure 1). The drawing is actually closer to a watercolour by Thomas Hearne (1744–1817) that was engraved and published as part of his Antiquities of Great-Britain (see figure 2) (Hearne, 1786–1807). The forms of the buildings are particularly close, but the vegetation is quite different and there are other details that do not match. Therefore, whilst it is still possible that Girtin copied Hearne’s composition, the fact that the engraving was not published until 1799 would suggest otherwise.