Francis Egerton, 3rd Earl of Ellesmere

"Bridgewater House"
The Earl of Ellesmere as caricatured by Ape (Carlo Pellegrini) in Vanity Fair, January 1887

Arms of the Egerton family

Francis Charles Granville Egerton, 3rd Earl of Ellesmere VD, DL, JP (5 April 1847 – 13 July 1914),^[1] styled Viscount Brackley between 1857 and 1862, was a British peer, soldier and author from the Egerton family. He owned several racehorses and 13,300 acres (54 km²) land.^[2]

Background

Born in London, he was the eldest son of the George Egerton, 2nd Earl of Ellesmere and his wife Lady Mary Louisa, the youngest daughter of John Campbell, 1st Earl Cawdor.^[3] In 1862, aged only fifteen, he succeeded his father as earl.^[4] Egerton was educated at Eton College and then at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated with Bachelor of Arts in 1867.^[2][5]

Career

Egerton entered the British Army in 1864 and was commissioned as a cornet into the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry,^[6] where his father had previously served.^[4] He was promoted to captain in 1869^[7] and was transferred as lieutenant-colonel to the 40th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps in 1875.^[8]

After his return to the Yeomanry, he was granted an honorary majorship in July 1884^[9] and was confirmed to the full rank in October.^[10] Two years later, Egerton became an honorary lieutenant-colonel of the Yeomanry^[11] and in January 1891 received command of it.^[12] In March he was appointed honorary colonel of the 4th Battalion, The Manchester Regiment.^[13]

He retired in January 1896^[14] and became the Yeomanry's honorary colonel after two months.^[15] In November Egerton received the Volunteer Decoration (VD).^[16] He was appointed a Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of Saint John in 1908^[17] and was advanced to a Knight of Justice in 1910.^[18] Egerton was a Justice of the Peace for the counties of Lancaster as well as Northampton and represented Essex as a Deputy Lieutenant.^[19]

Family

On 9 December 1868, he married Lady Katherine Louisa Phipps, second daughter of George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby.^[4] They had eleven children, six daughters and five sons.^[20]

• Lady Mabel Laura Egerton (16 Dec 1869- 25 Nov 1946)
• Lady Alice Constance Egerton (12 Nov 1870- 6 Nov 1932)
• Lady Beatrice Mary Egerton (5 Nov 1871- 7 Sep 1966) m. George Kemp, 1st Baron Rochdale
• John Francis Granville Scrope Egerton, 4th Earl of Ellesmere (14 Nov 1872- 24 Aug 1944)
• Major Hon. Francis William George Egerton (4 Dec 1874- 4 Apr 1948)
• Hon. Thomas Henry Frederick Egerton (10 Sep 1876- 1 Oct 1953) m. Lady Bertha Anson, daughter of 3rd Earl of Lichfield
• Lady Katherine Augusta Victoria Egerton (2 Dec 1877- 27 Oct 1960)
• Hon. Wilfred Charles William Egerton(21 Sep 1879- 27 Dec 1939)
• Lady Leila Georgina Egerton (23 Dec 1881- 22 Aug 1964)
• Lady Helen Constance Egerton (24 Sep 1884- 3 Apr 1901)
• Hon. Reginald Arthur Egerton (6 Jul 1886- 13 Sep 1904).

Egerton died in 1914 and was succeeded in his titles by his oldest son John.^[20] His wife survived him until 1926.^[20]

Works

• Sir Hector's Watch
• A Broken Stirrup-Leather
• A Sapphire Ring
• Mrs John Foster

References

1. "Leigh Rayment - Peerage". Retrieved 8 December 2009.
2. Who was Who, 1897–1916. London: Adam & Charles Black Ltd. 1920. p. 224.
3. Walford, Edward (1909). The County Families of the United Kingdom. London: Spottiswoode & Co. Ltd. p. 354.
4. Doyle, James Edmund (1886). The Official Baronage of England. vol. I. London: Longmans, Green & Co. p. 681.
5. "Ellesmere, Francis Charles Granville, Earl of (ELSR865FC)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
6. The London Gazette: no. 22861. p. 2927. 7 June 1864. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
7. The London Gazette: no. 23521. p. 4252. 30 July 1869. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
8. The London Gazette: no. 24199. p. 2085. 13 April 1875. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
9. The London Gazette: no. 25377. p. 3272. 18 July 1884. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
10. The London Gazette: no. 25416. p. 5037. 18 July 1884. Retrieved 21 November 1884.
11. The London Gazette: no. 25574. p. 1596. 2 April 1886. Retrieved 21 November 1884.
12. The London Gazette: no. 26127. p. 422. 23 January 1891. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
13. The London Gazette: no. 26145. p. 1547. 20 March 1891. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
14. The London Gazette: no. 26705. p. 589. 31 January 1896. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
15. The London Gazette: no. 26720. p. 1614. 10 March 1896. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
16. The London Gazette: no. 26791. p. 6007. 3 November 1896. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
17. The London Gazette: no. 28166. p. 5895. 11 August 1908. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
18. The London Gazette: no. 28345. p. 1593. 4 March 1910. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
19. Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1895). Armorial Families. Edinburgh/London: Grange Publishing Works. p. 340.
20. "ThePeerage - Francis Charles Granville Egerton, 3rd Earl of Ellesmere". Retrieved 31 March 2007.