Attributed to James Northcote, RA (British, 1746-1831) Portrait of the Reverend Thomas Brent (1758-?) half-length, in the uniform of the South Devon Militia, in a feigned painted oval inscribed 'Portrait of the Rev.d Tom.s Brent / painted by J.s Northcote. 1781' (on the canvas to the reverse) oil on canvas 75 x 63cm Footnote: Born in Plymouth on 13th January 1758, Thomas Brent was educated at Balliol and Oriel College, Oxford. He served as a Lieutenant in the South Devon Militia from 5th September 1778. He was ordained a deacon in 1781 and a priest in 1782 in Exeter. Brent is later recorded as a chaplain in the 57th Foot from 27th July 1785 onward. We are grateful to Christopher Bryant for confirming the identity and the military career of the sitter.