Trench was a colonel in the British army, a Tory MP, and an amateur artist and architect who proposed several radical improvement schemes for London. He was a close friend of the 5th Duke of Rutland and spent much time at Belvoir Castle, where in 1819 he produced five lithographs of the estate. ‘Pen-and-ink’ lithography (as here) had largely lost favour by this date, as artists were starting to use the new 'chalk manner' technique. The Royal Collection holds three sets of Trench's views, all printed on silk and probably given to the young Princess Victoria, who met Trench on at least two occasions, once at Belvoir.