John White Abbott did not work as a professional artist, he spent most of his life in Exeter where he practiced but as a surgeon. In 1791 he went to Monmouthshire, and since this drawing is dated on the reverse 'May 31st 1797', it seems likely to have been made on this date. However he went to the area again in 1827, and since artists sometimes added dates and signatures to their works retrospectively, it is possible that it may have been made as a result of the later tour.