Lieutenant Colonel Herries of the Light Horse Volunteers of London and Westminster, 1797

Coloured mezzotint by William Ward after William Redmore Bigg, 1797. Published by William Redmore Bigg, 1797.

Full length portrait in uniform, standing beside his horse, 1797.

Charles Herries (1745-1819) was commandant of the Light Horse Volunteers for 25 years. His unit was raised in 1779, disbanded in 1783, reformed again in 1794, and finally disbanded in 1829. Its members were mainly wealthy Londoners, including many merchants and bankers. Herries was manager of the family bank of Messrs Herries and Company. Herries' wealth and standing was apparent when he died in 1819. After a formal funerary procession involving the whole of his regiment, he was buried in the nave of Westminster Abbey with his resting place marked by a memorial by the sculptors Francis Chantrey and Robert Smirke.

The memorial inscription includes the following, 'The Light Horse Volunteers, regarding him as their father, followed him to the grave with filial reverence and, as a lasting tribute of honour to his memory, have raised this record of his virtues and their affection.'