Earls of Ellesmere

Born Francis Leveson Gower in 1800, the 1st Earl of Ellesmere was the 2nd son of the Duke of Sutherland, and Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland. Francis was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. In 1822 married Harriet Catherine (1800-1866), grand-daughter of the 3rd Duke of Portland.

Political career

Lord Francis entered Parliament in 1822 and held a number of offices, including Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1828 to 1830. He was a liberal conservative and supported the idea of free trade and the founding of the London University. From 1835 to 1846 Lord Francis sat as MP for South Lancashire and in 1846 was elevated to Peerage as Viscount Brackley and Earl of Ellesmere.

Life at Worsley

Lord Francis inherited Worsley in 1833 under the will of his great uncle and godfather the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater. Under the terms of the will he changed his name to Egerton and brought his wife and family to live at Worsley in 1837.

Lord Francis and Lady Harriet developed the Park and the surrounding area. As well as building the New Hall and gardens, Lord Francis commissioned a gardener’s cottage to house his gardener, the Aviary as a shooting and fishing lodge, the Court House and Police Station and added the black and white finish to the Packet House.

Worsley in the 19th century was heavily industrialised based on cotton manufacture, iron and brick making and coal mining and Lord and Lady Ellesmere involved themselves in improving conditions for the local working population. They built and endowed St Marks Church in Worsley and St Pauls in Walkden with their associated schools. In 1845 Lady Ellesmere began a Domestic Servants School and in 1848 Lord Ellesmere established a medical dispensary and Reading Room. They also funded a recreation ground, later St Mary’s Park for colliers and their families. Lord Ellesmere banned the employment of women and children underground in his mines and introduced night-school classes for his workers on the estate and a non-contributory pension scheme.

Cultural interests

The 1st Earl was interested in art. In 1835 and 1836 he spent over £3,000 on books and paintings. His art collection at Worsley Hall included Edward Landseer’s Return from Hawking which gave the likeness of the 1st Earl of Ellesmere and his family.

The 1st Earl was well-travelled and visited places in the East, Mediterranean and Holy Land. He provided the illustrations for his wife’s Journal of a Tour to the Holy Land (1841). Lord Francis also published his own poetry and journalism as well as translations of French and Germans plays, romances and histories.

Lord Ellesmere died at Bridgewater House in London on 18 February 1857 and was buried in St Mark’s Church, Worsley. He was succeeded by his son He was survived by five sons and two daughters.

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George Granville Francis Egerton, eldest son of the 1st Earl was only to hold the title of Earl of Ellesmere for 5 years before his death in 1862.

Born in 1823, George Granville educated at Christ Church, Oxford and Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1846 he married Lady Mary Campbell, 4th and youngest daughter of the 1st Earl Cawdor and assumed the title of Viscount Brackley. In 1847 he became MP for North Staffordshire and held the seat until 1851. Although a Liberal Conservative in politics, he was a follower of Free Trade. He retired from politics in 1851 on the grounds of ill health.

In 1857 George Egerton inherited his father’s titles and was appointed Lieutenant Colonel Commandant of the Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry Militia. He died suddenly at the age of 40, whilst visiting Mr John and Lady Georgina Balfour Balbernie, Scotland. He was known as a generous benefactor to the families on his estates and gave financial support to those affected by the Cotton Famine. He was survived by his two sons, Francis Charles Granville (1847–1914), later 4th Earl of Ellesmere and Alfred John Francis (1854–1890), who served as MP for Eccles.

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Francis Charles Granville Egerton became the 3rd Earl of Ellesmere in 1862 at the age of 15. In 1903, the Trust established by the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater 100 years earlier to administer the Worsley Estate and collieries expired, and the assets reverted to the 3rd Earl as the sole owner. In order to administer his estates which included Worsley, Brackley in Northamptonshire and Stetchworth Park near Newmarket, the Earl created a new Trust. Henry Hart Davis, a retired army captain and family friend was appointed Chief Agent.

Life at Worsley

The 3rd Earl and his family only spent part of their time at Worsley New Hall, usually between July and September. However, the family continued to improve the Estate where possible. In 1903 electricity was used to illuminate the main carriageway and in 1908 it was installed in the house.

The 3rd Earl maintained the Egerton family reputation as local benefactors and gave St Mark’s Church - built by his grandfather the 1st Earl - land to extend its crowded churchyard and money to improve the interior. The visits of the family were regarded as local events and photographs from Salford Local History Library show an archway erected specially for the coming of the Earl and his wife.

A sportsman

The 3rd Earl took a keen interest in sport. He donated the Earl of Ellesmere Cup which became one of the most competitive tournaments at Worsley Golf Club. He was reputed to have occasionally played with the village cricket team on Saturday afternoons and preside over the Worsley cricket festival.

The Earl enjoyed shooting and held an annual three day shoot at the Worsley Estate. Visitors to the pleasure grounds at Worsley were warned to stick to the paths and driveways so as not to disturb the game. He also had a special passion for horse racing and whilst at Worsley New Hall, enjoyed a game of billiards.

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John Francis Granville Scrope Egerton was born at Bridgewater House, London in 1872 and was the eldest son of the 3rd Earl and his wife, Katherine. He was educated at Eton.

Army career

John Egerton served in the South African War as a captain in the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Scots and as aide-de-camp to Major General Sir William George Knox, who commanded the 23rd Bridge of the South African Field Force. During the First World War he served as lieutenant-colonel of the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Scots and was mentioned in dispatches

On 28 October 1905, John Egerton married Lady Violet Lambton, the eldest daughter of the 4th Earl of Durham. They had seven children. In 1912 he acquired Mertoun House, St Boswells near the Scottish Borders, which would later become the home of the Dukes of Sutherland. At the outbreak of War in 1914, John Francis and his wife, Lady Violet offered Worsley New Hall to the British Red Cross to be used as a hospital for wounded soldiers. The family never again lived at the Hall.

Sporting interests

Like his father before him, the 4th Earl was a keen sportsman. In his younger days he was reputed to be a good cricketer and in 1904-1905 he took a side to the West Indies. He became president of Marylebone Cricket Club in 1920.

The 4th Earl was also known for his interest in horse-racing and bred a number of winners, many on his Stetchworth Stud, near Newmarket. He was a member of the Jockey Club and was at one time Senior Steward. In 1928 he became a member of the Racecourse Betting Control Board.

Sale of Worsley

John Egerton succeeded his father as the 4th Earl of Ellesmere in 1914, inheriting country estates at Brackley in Northamptonshire and in Berwickshire, and industrial estates in Lancashire and Cheshire with collieries, coke works and wharves. However he was left with the task of paying off the enormous death duties that were assessed on his inheritance. In 1915 he sold the Brackley estates and the Lancashire and Cheshire Estates, with their collieries, coke works, wharves and the New Hall in 1923 to Bridgewater Estates Ltd.

The 4th Earl died at Mertoun at the age of 71 and was succeeded by his only son, John Sutherland (1915-2000), who was at the time in a German prisoner of war camp. In 1963, John Sutherland became 6th Duke of Sutherland.

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