cerity with which the costumes and accessories are treated. His life-sized portraits are weaker and less satisfactory. Philips was much patronised by Frederick, prince of Wales, for whom he painted two pictures, now at Windsor, of meetings of convivial clubs formed by the prince, and styled ‘Knights of the Round Table’ and ‘Harry the Fifth, or the Gang Club.’ A portrait of the prince and three of the princess, painted by Philips, have been engraved; and another of the princess dated 1737, in which she is represented with her first baby, Princess Augusta, on her lap, is at Warwick Castle. Other known works of Philips are: Lady Betty Germain, seated in a panelled room, 1731 (Knole); Charles Spencer, second duke of Marlborough, 1731 (Woburn); the Duke of Cumberland and Lord Cathcart at Culloden, or, more probably, Fontenoy, and the family of Lord Archibald Hamilton, 1731 (both at Thornton-le-Street); Bishop Warburton (National Portrait Gallery); Archbishop Secker, when bishop of Oxford (Cuddesden Palace); Thomas Frewen and wife, 1734 (Brickwell); and two groups of members of the Russell, Greenhill, and Revett families (Chequers). Several other portraits by Philips have been engraved by Faber and Burford. He resided in Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, married in 1738, and died in 1747. A miniature of Philips, painted by himself, was lent to the 1865 miniature exhibition at South Kensington by T. Wharton Jones, F.R.S., the then representative of the Philips family. Vertue mentions Philips as one of the half-dozen leading painters of the day who were all of low stature—‘five-foot men or under.’
[Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Chaloner Smith's British Mezzotinto Portraits; Cat. of National Portrait Exhibition, 1867; Vertue's Collections in British Museum (Addit. MS. 23076); information from the late Sir George Scharf, K.C.B.]
PHILIPS, or PHILLIPS, GEORGE (1599?–1696), Irish writer and governor of Londonderry, born about 1599, was either son or grandson of Sir Thomas Philips, who took a prominent part in the Ulster settlement. George inherited Sir Thomas's estate at Newtown Limavady, near Londonderry. Graham says he was in his ninetieth year in December 1688, but this may well be doubted. In early life he saw some military service abroad. From June 1681 to September 1684 he was governor of Culmore Fort, and filled about the same time a like post at Londonderry. At the end of 1688, with James II as king and Tyrconnel as minister, it was easy for the protestants of Ulster to believe that a repetition of the massacre of 1641 was intended. Lord Antrim's regiment of highlanders and Irish appeared at Newtown Limavady on 6 Dec., and Philips at once wrote to Alderman Norman to put the people of Londonderry on their guard. On 19 Jan. 1688–9 the sheriffs of that city, in the name of the townsmen, wrote as follows: ‘We received the first intelligence of the general insurrection of the papists from our much honoured friend, George Philips, esq. … who did not only warn us of our danger and advise us to prevent it, but voluntarily and freely put himself among us and adventured his life and estate in our cause and behalf, animating us with his presence, encouraging us with an auxiliary aid of six hundred horses of his tenants and neighbours, and reducing the untrained people of the place into order and discipline, whereupon we did commit the trust and care of this city solely and absolutely to his management and conduct, which trust he did discharge with all fidelity, diligence, and prudence’ (Treasury Papers).
It was owing to the hurried warning of Philips that the apprentice boys, ‘the younger and brisk inhabitants,’ shut the gates of Londonderry against Lord Antrim's men. On 9 Dec. Philips was sent by Lord Antrim to the town to negotiate with the citizens. At his own suggestion he was made a nominal prisoner so that he could send a message to say that he was detained, and that it would not be safe for his lordship to attempt an entry. Antrim withdrew to Coleraine, and Philips became governor of Londonderry. On the 11th David Cairns was sent by Philips's advice to represent the case of the citizens in London. In the negotiations with Viscount Mountjoy, Philips tried in vain to stipulate for an exclusively protestant garrison, permission for the citizens to retain their arms, and a general pardon under the great seal. Less favourable terms were granted; but Mountjoy's good will was thought so important that Philips ‘did generously resign the command to him, postponing his own honour and advantage to that opportunity of strengthening the Protestant interest’ (ib.) On the 21st Robert Lundy [q. v.] became governor. On 23 March 1688–9 Philips, who was ‘well acquainted with proceedings in England,’ was sent thither ‘with an address to King William, and to solicit a speedy supply’ (Walker). Cairnes returned to Londonderry on 10 April with a letter from King William, and this decided the town against surrender.
In the course of the next three months Philips remained in London and wrote ‘The Interest of England in the Preservation of Ireland, humbly presented to the Parliament of
