For centuries, he was known only as "Jersey"—an enslaved boy of about 11, immortalised in oil by the great 18th-century portraitist Sir Joshua Reynolds. Now, a collaborative research project has begun to uncover his story, shedding light on his identity, military service, and the possibility that he eventually found freedom.
Unearthing the Past
The painting, completed around 1748, depicts the child alongside his "master," naval officer and MP Paul Henry Ourry. While Ourry gazes authoritatively into the distance, the enslaved boy looks up at him tentatively. The portrait has hung for years in the saloon at Saltram, a National Trust Georgian mansion in Plympton, Devon, with the title: Lieutenant, later Captain, Paul Henry Ourry, MP (1719-1783) with an enslaved child known as 'Jersey' (dates unknown).
Although the artwork is considered an early Reynolds masterpiece and much was known about Ourry, almost nothing was known about the child. To address this, the National Trust, the National Gallery in London, and Royal Museums Greenwich launched a research project to highlight voices and stories that have been ignored or lost.
Discovering Jersey's Identity
Mark Brayshay, a volunteer researcher at Saltram, explained: "A key motivation for our research was to explore whether more could be discovered about Jersey than merely his supposed name. Could we acknowledge and honour him as a distinct individual?"
Scouring admiralty records, letters, muster books, and captains' logs, Brayshay and Katherine Gazzard, a curator at Royal Museums Greenwich, found him listed as "Boston Jersey" on ships that Ourry served on. They believe he may have been given the surname Jersey because Ourry was born in the Channel Islands, and the first name Boston could indicate he once lived in Massachusetts.
The researchers discovered that Jersey was baptised as George Walker on 30 July 1752, likely in a Westminster chapel. The baptismal certificate describes him as "A Certain Black Boy Called Boston Jersey Baptised by the name of George Walker aged fifteen," which would mean he was about 11 when Reynolds painted him.
Naval Service and Possible Freedom
Another significant find was a 1751 muster that apparently lists him as a crew member rather than Ourry's servant. Brayshay noted: "Later, his name appears as one of 10 crew members due for discharge 'per paybook'. This could imply that Jersey was in receipt of Royal Navy pay, but it is also possible that the sums owing actually went to Ourry."
He was discharged from another ship in the summer of 1753 and then vanished from records, not appearing on musters of other ships Ourry served on. One theory is that he was sold to someone else; another suggests he was granted freedom and joined a different vessel.
Historian, broadcaster, and National Trust ambassador David Olusoga said the research has helped bring Boston Jersey out of the shadows. "This project asks us to look more closely at a familiar past, revealing a life long obscured and reminding us that history is shaped as much by those rendered invisible as by those remembered. To tell Jersey's story is to confront the silences within our history, and to recognise the individuals whose lives have too often been hidden from view."
Technical Analysis of the Portrait
Alongside archival research, new technical examination of the portrait revealed details of Reynolds' working methods. He appears to have initially planned an elaborate natural setting, sketching in leafy branches, but abandoned it for a plain brown background. Old layers of varnish and non-original paint were removed, and "reversible inpainting" techniques were used to fill in missing or damaged areas while preserving the original materials and intent.
Zoe Shearman, Saltram's property curator, said this work has brought lost details back into view: "In particular, Jersey's sensitively painted facial features are revealed more sharply, as are the beautiful details on his clothing." She added that an aim of the project was to understand the painting through a contemporary lens. "We've been able to see Jersey more clearly—through what we now know of his life and naval career—but also through how he was portrayed on the canvas. In time we may discover more, but Boston Jersey is at last given recognition as a person and shown as more than just a trope."
Exhibition Details
The painting will be on display from 9 May in Saltram's saloon, hung alongside a companion Reynolds portrait, Captain the Honourable George Edgcumbe, 1720-95, until 1 November. This marks the first time the two artworks have been together in two centuries. Both were commissioned by the Corporation of Plympton. The Edgcumbe portrait features HMS Salisbury—on which Ourry and Jersey served—at anchor in the distance.
