Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster

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Painting of Lord Westminster, as Viscount Belgrave, painted by Henry William Pickersgill

Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster KG , PC (born January 27, 1795 in London , † October 31, 1869 in Fonthill Gifford , Wiltshire ) was an English aristocrat, landowner and benefactor.

Career and private matters

Richard Grosvenor was born in Millbank House in Westminster , London. He was the eldest son of Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster and his wife, Lady Eleanor Egerton. He first attended Westminster School to then study at Christ Church in Oxford . He completed his studies with a Masters of Arts . In 1815 he went on the Grand Tour .

Grosvenor's parents had taught their children high moral principles, and Richard Grosvenor adhered to these principles all his life. He was described as a "strict character" who "steadfastly fulfilled his duty as a family man, politician and landowner". In its obituary for Grosvenor, the Times wrote that he had managed his vast estates with a mixture of intelligence and generosity that is not often seen. Like his ancestors, Grosvenor had a keen interest in horse racing and breeding. Whenever he was in his country house, most of his time was spent fishing and hunting.

Political and public life

In 1818 Grosvenor was elected MP for the City of Chester to the Whigs and was later also appointed Justice of the Peace .; In 1830 he became an MP for Cheshire . In 1832 the constituency was split and from 1834 he represented South Cheshire. From 1845 to 1867 he was Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire and from 1850 to 1852 in the Whig government, which was led by Lord John Russell , Lord Steward of the Household . On March 22, 1850, he was appointed to the Privy Council . In the House of Lords he rarely spoke.

Grosvenor as landowner and patron

Statue of Grosvenor in Grosvenor Park, Chester

Grosvenor devoted himself to the development of his London property and bought more lands in Dorset and Cheshire; he was referred to as a "model landowner". So he had farms, schools and numerous new cottages built. Among these schools were the Bishopsfield Schools in Chester.

Richard Grosvenor's father had the family manor, Eaton Hall , expanded in an overloaded neo-Gothic style by architect William Porden . The son commissioned the Scottish architect William Burn to carry out renovations. So the middle of the south side was raised so that it looked like a tower. Burn also designed Fonthill House in what is known as the Scottish Baronial style. Grosvenor was a former patron of the Chester architect John Douglas . From 1865 to 1866 Douglas designed the St. John the Baptist Church in Aldford , which belonged to his property. At the same time, Grosvenor left fields to the City of Chester to design Grosvenor Park . Douglas designed a number of objects for this park, including the gatehouse, the gates and a vault for Billy Hobby's Well.

In 1865 the citizens of Chester began to raise funds for a memorial belonging to Richard Grosvenor, the reason given to “ underscore the public and private worth of his lordship and the esteem he receives from his neighbors, tenants and all classes of the public " . Over £ 5,000  (around £ 360,000 today) was raised, and in 1869 the Thomas Thornycroft- designed monument was unveiled in Grosvenor Park, showing the Marquis in his Order of Garter robes, where it still stands today.

family

Elizabeth, Marchioness of Westminster, painted by Thomas Lawrence

In 1819 Lord Westminster married Lady Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, daughter of George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford . After their marriage, the couple initially lived with Grosvenor's parents at Eaton Hall; they stayed at Grosvenor House during the London ball season . In 1827 she toured Norway, Sweden and Russia and from 1835 to 1836 Germany and Italy. In 1883 they moved to Motcombe House in Dorset . After the 1st Marquess' death in 1845, they followed family tradition and moved back to Eaton Hall.

The Westminster couple had 13 children, ten of whom reached adulthood; three offspring was over 90 years old.

Lord Westminster died at Fonthill House in Fonthill Gifford , Wiltshire , after a brief illness. He was buried in the family vault in St. Mary's Church . The fortune he left was estimated at around £ 800,000 (£ 56,990,000 by today's value).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c H. R. Tedder / KD Reynolds: "Grosvenor, Richard, second marquess of Westminster (1795-1869)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Oxford University Press. Retrieved April 18, 2010
  2. a b c d e f g Diana Newton / Jonathan Lumby: The Grosvenors of Eaton . Eccleston, Cheshire. ISBN 0-9543379-0-5 . Pp. 25-26
  3. ^ A b Edward Hubbard: The Work of John Douglas . London. The Victorian Society 1991. ISBN 0-901657-16-6 . P. 59
  4. London Gazette . No. 21080, HMSO, London, March 26, 1850, p. 907 ( PDF , accessed October 18, 2013, English).
  5. London Gazette . No. 22020, HMSO, London, June 10, 1857, p. 2405 ( PDF , accessed October 18, 2013, English).
  6. Earl Grosvenor in the Hansard (English)
  7. ^ Edward Hubbard: The Work of John Douglas . London. The Victorian Society 1991. ISBN 0-901657-16-6
  8. ^ A b c Edward Hubbard: The Work of John Douglas . London. The Victorian Society 1991. ISBN 0-901657-16-6 . P. 293
  9. Eaton Halls . Eaton Estate, 2002, p. 4.
  10. ^ Edward Hubbard: The Work of John Douglas. London. The Victorian Society 1991. ISBN 0-901657-16-6 . P. 28
  11. a b c Information brochure on Grosvenor Park. Retrieved on April 18, 2010 ( Memento of the original from July 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
  12. English text: to mark the public and private worth of his lordship, and the high estimation in which he is held by his neighbors and tenants, as well as by all classes of the community .
  13. ^ Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster on thepeerage.com , accessed August 21, 2015.
  14. Family tree on angelfire.com