Oil painting on canvas, Bernard Gilpin making Peace among the Borders, takes down the Glove in Rothbury Church, circa 1570, by William Bell Scott (Edinburgh 1811 – Penkill Castle 1890), signed and dated on side of pew in the centre: W B Scott, January to August 1859. The scene shows Bernard Gilpin removing a glove from the wall, left hanging there as a challenge and symbol by families at feud. Fighting was common even inside the church where rivals would meet. For his willingness to intervene and help bring peace to the area Bernard Gilpin became known as ‘The Apostle of the Borders’. The man reading the lesson is a likeness of Sir Walter Calverley Trevelyan, the owner of the glove is Mr Charlton of Lee Hall and the man in the helmet is William Bell Scott himself. One of a series of eight oil paintings illustrating the history of the English Border painted between 1856 and 1861.
Marks and inscriptions: W B Scott Jan to June 1857 (signed and dated)
Provenance: Commissioned in 1855 by Sir Walter Trevelyan to decorate the courtyard at Wallington; began in 1857 and the series was exhibited at regular intervals at the Literary Society in Newcastle and completed in 1861 – the scheme of decoration was finished in 1863/64 when the spandrels high up near the vault were decorated with a progression of eighteen scenes from the Ballad of Chevy Chase, and the lower pilasters painted with local flora by other artists including Ruskin, Arthur Hughes, Pauline, Lady Trevelyan (1816-1866), as well as the portrait medallions, in the lower spandrels and portrait heads; given with the property to The National Trust in 1941 by Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan, 3rd Bt (1870 – 1958)
Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Wallington Hall, Northumberland
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: William Bell Scott (1811-1890)
Date: 1857
Image Details
Date: 11 September 2026
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/60s
ISO: 400
Licensing: Image of a National Trust asset. This image cannot be licensed.