555ed

William Randolph III of Wilton, c. 1755
John Wollaston (active 1730s–1775)
Oil on canvas
Gift of Kate Brander Mayo Skipwith Williams, 1951.33

John Wollaston lavished considerable attention on this half-length portrait of his greatest Virginia patron, the builder of Wilton. The canvas is crisply painted in all details and richly modeled with color and light, so that the sitter is credibly projected as a living being. Rarely in Wollaston's Virginia work is the illusion and the quality of detail so complete. Vivid flesh tones project as those of the thirty-two-year-old sitter. The gray hair of his wig seems remarkably soft and smooth; the fabric of the coat, vest, and shirt reads as true as the brass of the buttons.

William Randolph III (1723–1761) inherited "all [his father's] Plate & Household Goods.” To house those objects, he commissioned one of the grandest Georgian mansions in Virginia. At this home, Wilton, he greatly expanded the family portrait collection into one of the finest and largest in all the colonies.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William RANDOLPH [Parents] was born on 22 Nov 1720 in Turkey Island, Henrico, VA. He died in 1761 in "Wilton", Henrico Co., VA. He married Ann Carlin HARRISON in 1735 in Henrico County, Virginia.

Ann Carlin HARRISON [Parents] was born in 1723 in Berkeley, Charles City, VA. She married William RANDOLPH in 1735 in Henrico County, Virginia.

They had the following children:

M i William RANDOLPH was born in 1736 in Virginia.
F ii Sarah RANDOLPH was born in 1736 in Virginia.
M iii Peter RANDOLPH was born about 1738.
F iv Anne RANDOLPH was born in 1740.
M v Harrison RANDOLPH was born about 1741 in Virginia.
M vi Benjamin RANDOLPH was born about 1743 in Virginia.
F vii Lucy RANDOLPH was born in 1744.
M viii Peter RANDOLPH was born about 1746 in Virginia.
F ix Elizabeth RANDOLPH was born in 1746.
M x Peyton RANDOLPH was born about 1746.
F xi Ann RANDOLPH was born about 1747 in Virginia.
F xii Lucy RANDOLPH was born about 1751 in Virginia.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Virginia Prominent Families Vol 1-4
3. William Randolph, b. 1710, son of Councillor Randolph and Eliza, née Peyton, settled at "Milton," Henrico Co., Va. Married (1735) Anne, daughter of Benj. Harrison, of Berkley on James River, Virginia, and Anne, née Carter. Issue:
1. William Randolph, b. 1736.
2. Peyton Randolph, b. 1738. Married (1763) his cousin, Lucy Harrison. They had three children: Betty Randolph, Kidder Randolph and Peyton Randolph, who married Anne, daughter of James Innes, Atty. Gen. of Va. His only son, James Innes Randolph, married Susan, daughter of Capt. Addison Armistead, U. S. Army.
3. Anne Randolph, b. 1740. Married (1760) Benj. Harrison, of Brandon, on James River, Va. No issue.
4. Elizabeth Randolph, b. 1742. Married (1762) Philip Grymes, of Middlesex Co., Va.
5. Lucy Randolph, b. 1744. Married (1764) Lewis Burwell, of King's Mill, York Co., Va.
4. Daughter Randolph, daughter of Councillor Randolph and Eliza, née Peyton, b 1718. Married - Price.
5. Elizabeth Randolph, b. 1725. Married (1745) Col. John Chiswell and had four children: 1. Lucy Chiswell, married (Nov. 24, 1770) Col. William Nelson of "The Dorrile," Hanover Co., Va.; 2. Susan R. Chiswell, married Speaker John Robinson, of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and had issue; 3. Daughter Chiswell, married Warren Lewis, 4. Elizabeth Chiswell, married Charles Carter, of Ludlow. Col. John Chiswell and Elizabeth, née Randolph, had no sons, so the name of Chiswell as a surname in Virginia is extinet. It is believed it was originally written De Choiseul.
-=------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------