‘Burton Constable, in Yorkshire, the Seat of William Constable Esq.’ in W. Watts, The Seats of the Nobility and Gentry: in a Collection of the most Interesting & Picturesque Views, engraved by W. Watts, from Drawings by the most Eminent Artists. Chelsea: W. Watts, 1779–86. Acton.b.25.155, plate 12

Brown’s client at Burton Constable was the jovial William Constable, who had inherited the estate in 1747. An enthusiastic plant hunter and botanist, Constable was well informed on garden design and more than aware of the shortcomings of his park. Upon Brown’s visit to the site in 1772, he was presented with a list of his host’s queries including: ‘How to Clump my Avenues’, ‘How to Fence the Kitchen Garden’, and ‘Whether more Clumps would be proper in the East Front’. Brown went on to extensively remodel Burton Constable and between 1772 and 1782 planted and felled trees, installed a ha-ha, and united small ponds to create two large lakes.

The Seats of the Nobility and Gentry acknowledged explicitly recent changes to the park and gardens: ‘Great improvements and material alterations have been made within the last twenty years… The grounds, park, piece of water, and bridge, were laid out and executed under the direction of Lancelot Browne, Esq. The situation rather flat, but well wooded. Some gentle risings in the park have a pleasing effect’.