Charles Heathcote Tatham (1772-1842) was approached by Joseph Planta to design a medal for the board of Agriculture, to commemorate the early death of Francis Russell, fifth Duke of Bedford, at the age of 36 in 1802. Tatham submitted his drawing for the medal to the Board on 8th June 1802 and it was agreed that Mr Milton be employed to strike the Die, and Mr Tatham to ensure the Die-sinker adhere faithfully to the design. However, the sixth Duke of Bedford, the fifth Duke's brother, saw the drawing and found the portait too harsh. The Board then enlisted the help of Flaxman, who seems to have made the plaster model himself to Tatham's approved design, which was then cast by Milton.

The Board of Agriculture in 1802 commissioned a medal to commemorate the exertions of Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford (d. 1802), both in the foundation of the Board and in the promotion of the national agriculture in all its branches. Gold medals were to be presented to King George III, George, Prince of Wales, and John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, while silver and bronze medals were to be produced for the Board. Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society was consulted about the die-sinking, which was entrusted to John Milton (d. 1805) engraver at the Mint; while Charles Heathcote Tatham (d. 1842) architect, antiquary and author of Etchings of Ornamental Architecture, 1799, provided pencil and colour-wash designs for the Medal. These were inspired by Anker Smith's 1802 engraving of the Duke's bust, executed in that year by Joseph Nollekens (d. 1823). The modelling was executed by John Flaxman (d. 1826). A copper version of the medal, which was struck between 1803 and 1805 remains in the collections at Woburn Abbey. This medallion portrait lacks the drapery of the Board of Agriculture medal, and faces in the opposite direction (see: R. Riddell, 'Neo-classical Designs for Medals by C. H. Tatham', Apollo, February, 1986, pp. 116-122)