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William Augustus Murray Prior
William was baptised at Bray,_Berkshire\Bray in Berkshire on 19 January 1825.1) His baptism as a three-year old is further confirmation that his parents were evangelical Anglicans.
William M-P became an ensign 2) in the 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot. His regiment is confirmed by some loose blank pages, originally part of a book, with the inscription ‘W.A. Murray Prior. 59th Regt.” He died at Portsmouth from a gunshot wound on 5 February 1844 – presumably an accident when training. His brother TLM-P wrote in a prayer book he owned that William died when he was 22 years, 2 months and 17 days old – a precision which suggests profound grief. William, like his father, was a career soldier - but also an artist. The seriousness with which William took his art is seen by a very large, thick, heavy album in which he collected his sketches and examples of art.3). I have a smaller volume engraved ‘Bruges 1841’ containing lithographs of sketches of life in Bruges. There is also a reputed self-portrait of William.4)
Some more of William's Art
The first sketch has the faint signature W.M.P.(a dash at line level was then a full stop). The second one is on the other side of the paper, so is presumably also by William, and of his army comrades.5)