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1716 Frances L’Escott (1705-1747) by Henrietta Johnston(c 1674-1729)
Frances L’Escott was born in 1705, the daughter of Reverend Paul L’Escott, a prominent pastor of the French Protestant (Huguenot) Church in Charles Town, South Carolina. Reverend Paul L’Escott served the Huguenot congregation from 1700 to 1719 and again from 1731 to 1734.
This church was crucial for the community, providing religious and cultural continuity for French Protestant refugees who fled persecution in France following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. The Huguenots, French Protestants who followed the teachings of John Calvin, faced severe persecution in the 16th and 17th centuries, leading many to flee to settlements in Europe, the colonial Atlantic coast of America, and Africa.
In 1723, Frances married Peter Villepontoux, a wealthy Huguenot plantation owner. Peter owned significant properties, including a plantation on James Island, a town lot near the Quaker Meeting House on King Street, a lot on Trott’s Point, and a plantation in Christ Church Parish.
His wealth and status were further solidified by his innovations in agricultural practices, particularly in rice threshing. In 1733, Peter received a patent for a rice threshing machine capable of cleaning 2000 lbs. of rice a day with four horses, although it was costly and easily copied.
Frances and Peter had seven children, though only one daughter and four sons are mentioned in Peter's will, suggesting that two children may have died young.
Frances actively participated in managing the family's properties, evidenced by her signing deeds in 1741. Peter Villepontoux was also listed among those who suffered significant losses in the Charlestown fire of 1740. It is believed that Frances predeceased her husband, who died on April 25, 1748, as she is not mentioned in his will.
Peter’s estate, valued at £3,925, included an extensive inventory of farm implements, household furniture, and slaves, reflecting his substantial wealth. The inventory included various farm implements such as plows, hoes, and other tools essential for managing his large plantations. These items provide insight into the agricultural practices of the time and the scale of operations managed by the Villepontoux family.
MESDA tells us that there is an anecdote about young Frances L’Escott in The Carolina Chronicle of Commissary Gideon Johnston in his letter to the secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. His letter, dated July 5, 1710, reads: “One of the enclosed papers is a letter of Sir John Chardins to Mrs. L’Escot. . . .You will see by it that a Legacy of 30 [pounds] was left to her daughter, which was to revert to the Mother in case of the Daughters death. The Daughter is still alive & the father & Mother think it their undoubted right to have this money & the Interest of it hitherto.” The letter does not state whether the parents received control of the legacy. It does, however, mention that Mr. L’Escot could not understand English so that any other correspondence to him must be done in “Latin or French.”
About the Artist Henrietta Johnston(c 1674-1729)
Henrietta Johnston, born around 1674, was the daughter of Susannah de Beaulieu and of French Huguenot descent. Born in northwestern France, her family immigrated to London in the mid-1680s to escape religious persecution.
In 1694, Henrietta married William Dering and moved to Ireland, where she began to draw pastels, evidenced by her earliest portraits of her in-laws, including members of the Percival family. Although the quality of her work suggests formal training, details of her education remain unknown. Like her contemporaries, she followed the conventions set by London court painter Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) and possibly studied with Dublin artist Edward Lutterel (1650-1710).
Widowed by 1704 and the mother of two daughters, Henrietta married Anglican clergyman Gideon Johnston in 1705. Two years later, he was appointed to serve as commissary of the Church of England in North and South Carolina and the Bahama Islands, and as the rector of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Charles Town (Charleston), South Carolina.
The Johnston family arrived in Charleston in 1708, and over the next few years, Henrietta’s work as a pastel portraitist became critical to the family's economy. This is proven by one of her husband’s letters, in which he wrote: “were it not for the assistance my wife gives by drawing of Pictures (which can last but a little time in a place so ill peopled) I should not be able to live.”
To supplement the family’s income, Henrietta created pastel portraits, a relatively uncommon medium in colonial British America at the time. Her works primarily depicted prominent figures in Charleston society and the Huguenot community, capturing each likeness with remarkable skill and detail.
Gideon Johnston died in a boating accident in 1716, and Henrietta remained in Charleston until her death in 1729.
She is believed to have traveled to New York City in 1725, where she drew at least four portraits of a family of that city. More than forty of her portraits survive, many of which are of members of Charleston’s early Huguenot community.
Henrietta Johnston’s contributions are significant, because she was among the earliest known professional female artists in America and one of the few to work in pastel. Despite financial hardships and her husband's ill health, Henrietta's artistic work gained her recognition and clients among the colonial elite. Her portraits provide valuable insights into the early American colonial period, particularly in South Carolina.