He held the honorary position of Town Recorder of Great Torrington in 1739–1779, due to his family's long-standing importance as the major local landowner.

The Rolle family was one of the richest and most powerful in Devon and owned several dozen manors, their most ancient holding being Stevenstone near Great Torrington in the north of the county, whilst Bicton in the east was the centre of another large block of territory.

The portraits by Batoni and Hudson/Reynolds hung in the Victorian mansion at Stevenstone built by Mark Rolle (1836–1907), demolished soon after his death, and the Batoni was later donated with several other Rolle family portraits to the "Great Torrington Almshouse, Town Lands and Poors Charities" by his heir Lord Clinton [2] The painting hung in Great Torrington Town Hall virtually unnoticed for a few decades, until recognised by art valuers employed to identify saleable assets to fund building repairs of the Town Hall, the foundation stone of which had been laid by John Rolle Walter.

Having become aware of the great value of the Batoni painting, the charity submitted it for auction at Christie's in 2007 with a reserve price of £300,000, but it was withdrawn at the last moment in order to allow a private offer at the same level to be made for it by the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.

The latter was successful in its public appeals for funds, assisted by the famous actress Joanna Lumley, and purchased the painting in 2008.