- CountryUK
- Town:Liverpool
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Year of creation:1822
- Rider(s):George III
(1738–1820) was born in Britain and spoke English as his first language. Early in his reign, Great Britain defeated France in the Seven Years’ War, becoming the dominant European power in North America and India. However, many of its American colonies were soon lost in the American War of Independence. The populace of New York City destroyed his equestrian statue, dedicated there in 1770, shortly after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, six years later.
Since George III suffered from recurrent, and eventually permanent, mental illness in the later part of his life, he played a minor role in the wars against Napoleonic France.
- Sculptor(s):Westmacott, Richard
(1775 – 1856) was a British sculptor. He studied in Rome from 1793 until 1797 under Antonio Canova.
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It is said that George III was unpopular in Liverpool, being perceived to have ‘lost’ America. His unpopularity was exacerbated by his alleged derangement and disappearance from public life and the appointment in 1811 of his son as Prince Regent. Some medical historians have said that George III’s mental instability was caused by a hereditary physical disorder called porphyria. A public subscription for the erection of a statue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his accession elicited a sluggish response. The statue was finally unveiled in 1822, two years after his death and 14 years after the subscription was announced.
