John White Abbott (Exeter 1763-1851)

John White Abbott, a surgeon, spent most of his life in Exeter. A good friend and pupil of Francis Towne (1739-1816), his drawing style remained close to that of his master, with tight pen outlines and layered washes. Making only three tours outside of the West Country, in 1791, 1797, and 1827, much of his finest work relates to the Devon landscape. Cornworthy, on the River Dart, was home to a 13th Century Augustine priory, dissolved during the Reformation. The present drawing depicts the gatehouse, which is all that remains.