For more than 250 years, he has been hiding in plain sight.
A young boy dressed in a striking blue coat, scarlet waistcoat and white turban has long been one of the most intriguing figures in the collection at Saltram. Painted by Devon-born artist Sir Joshua Reynolds around 1748, the child was known only as ‘Jersey’ – a mysterious presence beside Royal Navy officer Paul Henry Ourry in one of Reynolds' earliest works.
Now, thanks to groundbreaking research and conservation work, the National Trust has uncovered compelling new details about the boy's life, transforming our understanding of one of Plymouth's most significant artworks.
From Saturday, May 23 until Sunday, November 1, visitors to Saltram can explore Jersey's Story, a major new display that reveals the remarkable discoveries made by researchers and conservators, while also reuniting two Reynolds portraits that have not been displayed together for more than 200 years.
The project has identified the child as Boston Jersey, who was later baptised as George Walker. Archival research carried out by the National Trust, Royal Museums Greenwich and the National Gallery has revealed that he served aboard Royal Navy ships between 1747 and 1753 and may even have received Royal Navy pay.
Researchers traced his story through Admiralty records, muster books and captains' logs, discovering that he served on HMS Salisbury, HMS Monmouth and HMS Deptford alongside Ourry.
Mark Brayshay, Saltram volunteer researcher and emeritus professor at the University of Plymouth, said: "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, and affirm his life as a person with hopes, potential and aspirations?"
The findings reveal that Jersey was baptised in Westminster on Wednesday, July 30, 1752, under the name George Walker. Records suggest he was around fifteen years old at the time, meaning he would have been approximately eleven when Reynolds painted him.
The research also uncovered evidence that Jersey progressed from serving Ourry to becoming an able seaman aboard HMS Monmouth, offering a rare glimpse into the life of a young Black sailor during the Georgian period.
Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga, a National Trust ambassador, believes the project brings a previously overlooked individual back into view.
He said: "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."
Alongside the historical research, the portrait itself has undergone extensive conservation at the National Trust's Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio.
Years of discoloured varnish and later additions have been carefully removed, revealing details that had been hidden for generations. Visitors can now appreciate the delicate craftsmanship in Jersey's clothing and the subtle features of his face with renewed clarity.
Zoe Shearman, property curator at Saltram, said the work had transformed the way visitors can engage with the painting.
She said: "Through this project, 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."
Adding to the significance of the exhibition, Reynolds' portrait of Ourry and Jersey will be displayed alongside its companion painting, Captain the Honourable George Edgcumbe, on loan from the National Maritime Museum in London.
The two paintings, originally commissioned by the Corporation of Plympton, have not been seen together for more than two centuries.
For visitors, the exhibition offers far more than an art historical revelation. It shines a light on Plymouth's maritime connections, Devon's role in global history and the stories of people whose lives have often been overlooked.
The newly conserved portrait is on display at Saltram as well as a dedicated Jersey's Story exhibition and interpretation space opened on Saturday, May 23.
For more information, visit the National Trust's Saltram website.
