Signature on 1860 painting of Cumberland farmhouse

[Kinsy]

I'm hoping somebody will be able to enhance the artist's signature which is almost illegible. I'd love to know who painted the picture, but all I can make out is a capital "O"
The painting is in South Africa and the attached photos were emailed to me, so I can't examine the painting more closely myself.

I would also love to know where this farmhouse is, but not sure which board I should be posting that query to, on the very slim chance that the farmhouse still survives and someone in Cumbria recognises it.
The farmhouse was apparently the last property belonging to my ancestors in Cumberland, so was probably in the Wetheral or Cumwhitton parishes - but they also had property in Carlisle (Fuse Hill and Botcherley Holme).

[cliffkinch]

this is the best I can make out Im afraid 
Cliff

[Kinsy]

That is a great help !! Thank you very much indeed, Cliff.

[PatBot]

I put the signature into photoshop and tried all different lighting, filters etc... the more I looked the more names I saw lol. The ones I think stand out to me were either, Darcy or Tracy. I don't think it ends in 'oy' but 'cy'.. looking at the other marks on the canvas it could well be a mark between the 'oy' that would make it a 'cy' at the end of the signature.
I had a look on the database of British artists and there were a few who were alive and painting in 1860 with both names, unfortunately I could not find a signature to match.
If you would like to try and find a match I give you this link... https://www.artprice.com/artists/all/S/STS/STU
All you have to do is use the letters you think it could be.
Regards Pat

[Kinsy]

That's a useful link, PatBot - thank you !! and for the possible names. I'll keep on searching ... and hoping 

[Rhododendron]

'morning kinsy

Now this may seem a daft question, but is that a smudge at the bottom right?  I am wondering if that, in fact, might be the signature of the artist and the larger lettering and date might be the name of the property?

Worth asking!

[DonM]

You are looking at badly faded painting that has been trimmed and hidden under the matt.  The signature is always bottom right; it is one of the first things a painter is taught if they attended school in the UK.  Did you ask the seller who the artist was?

Where was this painted - Look for specifics within the painting and in this case the windows. Is that the right amount of windows for a 18th or early 19th C English Country House?  Looks more like a New England or Pennsylvania clapboard farm house to me, but again because they are showing this behind glass you can't tell.

Never buy a painting online unless it is shown unframed or through a gallery or auction house who warrants the painting's history and artist.  The market is full of fine folks who would gladly relieve you of any coin you might have.  One of the older scams is to sell you a print rather than an original.

There are oodles of English and Scottish landscape painters listed in Wikipedia.

Have fun; be wary.

Don

[IgorStrav]

Excellent advice from Don, but just to say that OP mentions the painting isn't theirs, and is in South Africa (images via email), so Don some of your questions may be unanswerable/require further enquiry.

[Kinsy]

Not a daft question, Rhodendron - but an interesting possibility that that is in fact the name of the property.
"Botcherby" (or Botcherley) immediately sprang to my mind, but the visible letters don't quite fit.

Interesting re the number of windows, DonM - I've searched through a lot of pictures of old English farmhouses and haven't yet come across any with that many windows. But the farmhouse is definitely in Cumberland - our ancestors farmed and owned land there from the 16th century and the painting is the original, probably commissioned or bought by my 2nd g/grandfather. My g/father emigrated to S.Africa, and my niece has the painting now.
Of course there is also the distinct possibility that it was painted by a complete unknown 

The writing bottom-left is apparently the only writing visible - but not all English painters signed bottom-right (e.g. "Off" by Edmund Blair Leighton in 1899)