Samuel Finney (13 February 1719 – 1798) was an English miniature-painter who was appointed "enamel and miniature painter" to

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...

Life

Finney was born at Fulshaw Hall, in Wilmslow, Cheshire on 13 February 1719, and was the eldest son of Samuel Finney II and Esther, daughter of Ralph Davenport of

Chorley Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth ca ...

. His family facing monetary difficulties, Finney came to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to study

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

, but left the profession for painting. He established himself as a miniature-painter, working both in enamel and ivory, and was very successful. He exhibited miniatures at the Exhibition of the Society of Artists in 1761, and in 1765 exhibited a miniature of

, having been appointed "enamel and miniature painter to Her Majesty". He was a member of the

Incorporated Society of Artists The Society of Artists of Great Britain was founded in London in May 1761 by an association of artists in order to provide a venue for the public exhibition of recent work by living artists, such as was having success in the long-established P ...

, and in 1766 subscribed the declaration roll of that society. Having amassed a fortune sufficient to pay off the encumbrances on the old family estate, Finney retired to Fulshaw in 1769, became a Justice of the Peace, and devoted the remainder of his life to quelling the riots then so prevalent in that part of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, and to other local improvements. He also compiled a manuscript history of his family, part of which was printed in the first volume of the ''Cheshire and Lancashire Historical Collector''. A small portrait of Finney was later recorded in the possession of his descendant, a Mr. Jenkins of Fulshaw; it was engraved by William Ford of

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, and the plate was destroyed after twelve copies had been struck off. He died in 1798, and was buried in Wilmslow. He was twice married, but left no children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finney, Samuel 1719 births 1798 deaths 18th-century English painters English male painters People from Wilmslow 18th-century English male artists