Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Batty (5 August 1789 – 20 November 1848) was an English army officer and artist.

Life

He was born 1789, the son of Dr. Batty of

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

and started to study medicine at

Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

, being awarded an M.B. in 1813. He left his studies to join the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

(then the 1st Foot Guards), with whom he served in the campaign of the Western Pyrenees and at

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

, where he was wounded and wrote an account of the Battle of Waterloo in a series of letters. He later published an illustrated account of his experiences and was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1822. He was an amateur artist of considerable merit and from 1822 to 1833 travelled the continent drawing and painting. He published in 1822 ''French Scenery''; in 1823 ''German Scenery'' and ''Welsh Scenery''; in 1826 ''Scenery of the Rhine, Belgium, and Holland'' all of which have been much esteemed; in 1828 ''Hanoverian, Saxon, and Danish Scenery''; and in 1832 ''Select Views of the principal Cities of Europe''. These were published during his period of service. Between 1825 and 1832 he periodically exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

. He suffered from paralysis and died in London in 1848, painting until a few weeks before his death. He had in 1821 married Johanna Maria, one of the daughters of

Sir John Barrow Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1764 – 23 November 1848) was an English geographer, linguist, writer and civil servant best known for term as the Second Secretary to the Admiralty from 1804 until 1845. Early life Barrow was born ...

and the artist

Anna Maria Truter Anna Maria Truter, Lady Barrow (17 August 1777 – 15 December 1857) was a Cape Colony botanical artist. By the time she left the Cape in 1803, she had assembled the first known portfolio of Cape flower studies and landscapes. Her husband, Sir Jo ...

. The marriage produced 5 children: #Anna Maria Harriotte Batty Birth 1823 Death 1 March 1891 (Age 68) -- Hampstead, London #Rev. Robert Braithwaite Batty Birth about 1828 Death 22 June 1861 (Age 33) -- Amritsar, India #Johanna Batty Birth 1831—London Death 1894 (Age 63) -- London #Laura Batty Birth 1832—London Death 12 November 1909 (Age 77) -- 7 Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park, London #Edward Batty Birth 6 June 1839—Lyme Road, Axminster, Devon Death 2 April 1918 (Age 78) -- Dawlish, Devon

Bibliography

*Batty, (Capt. Robert) ''An Historical Sketch of the Campaign of 1815 illustrated by Plans of Operations & the Battles of Quatre Bras, Ligny & Waterloo.'' ' *Batty, (Capt. Robert, 1st or Grenadier Guards) ''Campaign of the Left Wing of the Allied Army, in the Western Pyrenees & South of France, in the Years 1813-1814, under Field-Marshal The Marquess of Wellington.'' Illustrated by a Detailed Plan of the Operations, & Numerous Plates of Mountain & River Scenery, Drawn & Etched by Captain Batty. Classic work on later stages of the war in the Peninsula, in which Batty participated as an ensign with 3rd Bn. Grenadier Guards: Siege of St. Sebastian, Bidassoa, Nive, Orthes, Bayonne &c. * Ramm, John 'A Military Master', Antique Dealer & Collector's Guide, March 2000, Vol 53, No. 8

References

Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Batty, Robert 1789 births 1848 deaths People from Hastings English engravers Fellows of the Royal Society