Family life at the New Hall

Discover the scale of a celebration dinner held at the New Hall.

Coming of Age celebration menu

The Egerton and Earl of Ellesmere family portrait

A family gathering at the Hall in the 1840s.

In 1844 a celebration was held for the ‘Coming of Age’ of the 1st Earl of Ellesmere’s eldest son, George Egerton. Between 3,000 and 4,000 people were present. According to a newspaper report in The Manchester Guardian the menu included:

3,800 lbs of Beef and Mutton
3 Barons of Beef - 400 lbs each
3 Whole Sheep – 100 lbs each
150 substantial Meat Pies
4,000 lbs of Bread
180 Plum Puddings
360 Gallons of Porter
1,296 Gallons of Ale
54 Gallons of Ginger Beer
36 Gallons of Lemonade