James Ward after William Owen.

Lieut.t Gen.l Sir Robert Laurie Bart.

10¾ x 14½ inches

In a rare foray north of the border we welcome Sir Robert Laurie who distinguished himself both on the battlefield and in parliament. Before being elected as the Member of Parliament for Dumfriesshire in 1774, he spent much of the 1760s fighting, as a captain in the 71st Foot and a major in the 7th Dragoon Guards. One of his responsibilities was to conduct a survey in Scotland for the unpopular window tax; one of the many ways in which the government attempted to raise revenue to pay for the expensive war being fought in the American colonies. All over the country people hurriedly bricked up their windows to avoid paying the tax meaning Laurie had to employ all his ingenuity to stay one step ahead. It is said that the term "Daylight Robbery" originates from the imposition of this tax.