Auction of painting of Woodforde's mother Jane Collins in 2026
Jane Woodforde (1706–66), née Collins: the copy made by her grandson Samuel Woodforde, RA (1763–1817). The original is shown at the foot of the page. [reproduced courtesy Brunk Auctions 2026]A forthcoming sale in the United States will be of interest to Parson Woodforde enthusiasts.
A copy made by Samuel Woodforde RA (1763–1817) of a painting of his grandmother Jane Woodforde (1706–66), née Collins, is for auction in Asheville, North Carolina, on 24 February 2026.
Jane, the wife of the Revd Samuel Woodforde (1695–1771), was the Revd James Woodforde's beloved mother. She died on 8 February 1766 after a long illness, as the diarist movingly relates. The younger Samuel, born 29 March 1763, would have been nearly three years old at Jane Woodforde's death.
On 12 July 1724 eighteen-year-old Jane Collins of Ansford, Somerset, had married the Rector of Ansford, the ceremony being conducted in the parish church by the groom's father the Revd Heighes Woodforde of Epsom, Surrey. They settled in the parsonage house at Ansford, where they raised their seven children.
The Collins family is the subject of a detailed study in the Summer 1995 edition of the Parson Woodforde Society Journal, vol. 28 no. 2.
The auction in Asheville, North Carolina
On 13 January 2026 Laura Crockett, the Senior Fine Art Specialist at Brunk Auctions, Asheville, NC, used the Contact Us page on the Society's website to let us know of the forthcoming sale.
In her email she referred to our Features page on Parson Woodforde's parents. Laura wrote:
I noticed during my research that you have pictured on your website a portrait we have in house for auction in February. It is the copy that was done by Samuel Woodforde and inscribed verso "Jane Collins/Wife of Samuel Woodforde/Rector of Ansforde and/Vicar of Castle Cary/Copied by her Grandson/S Woodforde RA", oil on canvas.
I thought the society may want to know. Feel free if you would like me to send additional information.
PO Box 2135, Asheville, NC 28802
117 Tunnel Road, Asheville, NC 28805
The reverse of the portrait of Jane Woodforde, showing it to be a copy by her grandson made long after her death. The writing is in the same hand as that on the back of her husband's portrait. [reproduced courtesy Brunk Auctions 2026] 
The reverse of the portrait of Jane's husband Samuel still in the possession of their descendants, showing it to be a copy by their grandson made long after the rector's death [Woodforde Family Collection]
The auction catalogue and opening of bidding
Jane Woodforde: detail of the framed portrait still in the family's possession and believed to be the original [Woodforde Family Collection]The auction catalogue was published on 6 February, and bidding has opened. Laura Crockett had already given further details on 14 January, transcribed below.
Laura also commented on the image of the portrait of Jane Woodforde held by the family (shown here), which we had forwarded to her with the owner's permission. She speculated as to whether the original portraits were painted by the artist John Simmons (1715–80). He painted striking portraits of James Woodforde's eldest brother Heighes and his wife Anne, née Dorville, which have been reproduced in many studies of the diarist and in the Parson Woodforde Society's Journal.
On 14 January Laura Crockett replied to the Journal editor Martin Brayne, who had enquired about the sale:
This link is for the sale. You can register to bid on our website once the sale goes live, approximately three weeks before the date.
On another note, the original portrait owned by the family does have a lovelier rendering of the face. It is very interesting that Samuel may have done more than the original two. Do you happen to know who did the original portraits that he copied: John Simmons of Bristol?
The painting is Lot 22 in the catalogue of 191 items. More information will be given after the sale.
The Woodfordes' American connections
James Woodforde's great-nephew William Woodforde (the elder son of the diarist's 'Nephew Bill') and William's son, Samuel George, were both medical practitioners in New Brunswick, Canada. Some of their descendants settled in New York, Massachusetts and Colorado, USA. Dr William Woodforde and his son feature in a study in the Summer 2014 edition of the Parson Woodforde Society Journal, vol. 47 no. 2.