Queen Anne (1665–1714)

Biography

Anne was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1702 – 1707, and of Ireland and Great Britain and from 1707-1714. During her reign England fought alongside Austria and the Dutch Republic against France and Spain in the War of Spanish Succession, ended in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht which granted considerable territory to Great Britain. The Act of Union passed by the English and Scottish parliaments in 1707 led to the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

Queen Anne had 18 pregnancies, with only five live births, and none of her children survived childhood.

Context

The statue was originally displayed on the façade of the Moot Hall on Briggate. Dating back to 1615, this was rebuilt in 1711 and included the statue of the queen ‘as soon as public funds were recruited to procure it.’ Leeds at this time was a town prospering in the woollen trade, as encapsulated within the town’s coat of arms, which was displayed beneath the statue.

The statue was installed on 27 May 1713 on which there was “great rejoicing and a splendid procession and festival in honour of the queen.” A month earlier the war with France had ended with the Treaty of Utrecht.

The Moot Hall was demolished in 1828 and the statue was moved to the old Corn Exchange on Briggate, until it was moved again to the Town Hall in 1868 where it stayed until it was finally moved to its present location, Leeds Art Gallery, in 1887.

The statue

Date Erected:
1712

Artist:
Andrew Carpenter (1677 - 1737)

Commissioned / funded by:
Alderman William Milner, Justice of the Peace, Merchant and Mayor of Leeds (1697) in 1710 or 1711.

Format and materials:
White marble, currently sitting in a purpose-built gallery alcove.

Location:
The Leeds Art Gallery.

Description:
Queen Anne’s statue is the entrance hall of the Leeds Art Gallery. The statue is made from white marble and stands within the original niche from its original position on the façade of the Moot Hall on Briggate. The statue is made from white marble, and she is depicted standing wearing robes of state with the order of the garter and her hands are holding a sceptre and orb (sceptre now missing). There is an inscription on the base ‘Carpenter, Fecit London 1712’ (Carpenter, made in London 1712).

Displayed with a marble caption describing who originally funded the statue, how many times it moved and when. This states that it was given to the gallery by a descendant of the original donor, Sir Frederick Milner Bart.

Sources

• A Noble Magnificent Statue. Leeds Arts Calendar No.72, 1973. Leeds Art Fund.
• Gregg, E. (2012). Anne (1665-1714) queen of Great Britain and Ireland. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
• Hall, M. (1995) Leeds Statue Trail. Leeds: Leeds Civic Trust in conjunction with Leeds City Council.
• Historic England. (2021). CITY ART GALLERY AND HENRY MOORE CENTRE.
• Kell, P.E. (2004). Thoresby, Ralph (1659-1725), antiquary and topographer. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

[Image by 'Chemical Engineer' via Wikimedia Commons]