Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet
Sir Thomas Grosvenor, Bt | |
|---|---|
 Grosvenor in 1678 by Peter Lely | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 November 1656 Eaton Hall, Cheshire, England |
| Died | 2 July 1700 (aged 43) |
| Resting place | St Mary's Church, Eccleston, Cheshire, England |
| Political party | Tory |
Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet, born: 20 November 1656, died: 2 July 1700 (aged 43), was an English Member of Parliament, and an ancestor of the modern day Dukes of Westminster. He was the first member of the family to build a substantial house on the present site of Eaton Hall in Cheshire.
Early life and education
Grosvenor succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his grandfather Sir Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Baronet on 31 January 1665. His father had been killed in a duel in 1661, and at the time of the succession he was aged eight.[1] He had been born at Eaton Hall, Cheshire, and his mother was Christian, daughter of Thomas Myddleton of Chirk Castle, Denbighshire.[1] He was educated by a private tutor, who also accompanied him when he undertook the Grand Tour, in his case, a three-year educational tour of France, Italy and the Levant, starting in 1670.[2] On his return, he set about building a new house at Eaton. At that time, the family house was a medieval moated house. The new house was the first substantial one to be built, and it was constructed to the north of the older house. Grosvenor appointed the architect William Samwell to design it, and building started in 1675. By 1683, over £1,000 (£144,000 as of 2015[update])[3] had been spent on the hall.[4] The money for this venture came partly from the estates, and also from coal and lead mines, and from stone quarries in north Wales, that were owned by the family.[1]
Public life
Grosvenor played his part in public life. In 1677, he was granted the freedom of Chester, and later the same year, he became an alderman. Two years later, he was returned as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Chester for the first time, in what became known as the Habeas Corpus Parliament; in all, he was to serve in six parliaments. In 1685, he became Mayor of Chester, and later that year, raised a troop of horses to support James II in the Monmouth Rebellion. Grosvenor served as Sheriff of Cheshire in 1688–89.[2]
Later life
Mary, Lady Grosvenor, converted to Roman Catholicism shortly after her marriage.[1] Because of this, and because Eaton Hall was used as a meeting place for Catholics, Grosvenor's loyalty to the king was questioned.[2] However, he continued openly as an Anglican until his death in 1700, and he was buried in Eccleston church. His surviving sons were all under age; Sir Richard Myddelton, 3rd Baronet, and Thomas and Francis Cholmondeley were appointed as guardians.[1]
Family
In 1677, Grosvenor married; he was aged 21, and his wife, Mary Davies, was only 12.[1] She was the daughter of Alexander Davis, a scrivener (scribe), and had inherited land to the west of London. This was part of the Manor of Ebury (previously Eia), and Mary's portion consisted of 'swampy meads' (marshland).[1] The area was later to become the Mayfair, Park Lane, and Belgravia areas of London; a prosperous part of the Grosvenor Estate. Mary was buried in the churchyard of St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, where in 1892, her tomb was the only one to be seen there, close to the north porch of the church.[5] The couple had three daughters and five sons. Two of the sons, Thomas and Roger, died young; the other three sons all succeeded to the baronetcy, Richard became the 4th Baronet, Thomas the 5th, and Robert the 6th.[2]
Styles of address
- 1655–1665: Mr Thomas Grosvenor
- 1665–1700: Sir Thomas Grosvenor Bt
-
Coat of arms of the Grosvenor Baronets, of Eaton (1622) -
St Mary's Church, Eccleston – the enclosure which marks the site of the Grosvenor family vault within the demolished old church -
St Mary's Church, Eccleston – the tablet in the enclosure marking the site of the Grosvenor family vault within the old church -
St Mary's Church, Eccleston – the tablet in the new church which lists the Grosvenors buried in the demolished old church
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Newton, Diana; Lumby, Jonathan (2002). The Grosvenors of Eaton. Eccleston, Cheshire: Jennet Publications. pp. 8–12. ISBN 0-9543379-0-5.
- ^ a b c d Handley, Stuart (2004) (online edition 2008) 'Grosvenor, Sir Thomas, third baronet (1655-1700)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Retrieved on 6 April 2010. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Eaton Halls. Eaton Estate. 2002. p. 2.
- ^ Smith, J.E., St John the Evangelist, Westminster: Parochial Memorials, Westminster, 1892, pp.355-362 [1]
External links
- Tedder, Henry Richard (1890). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 23.