Wilbraham Tollemache, 6th Earl of Dysart

Wilbraham Tollemache
Born	21 October 1739
Died	19 March 1821 (aged 81)
Title	6th Earl of Dysart Baronet of Helmingham Hall
Known for	MP for Northampton & Liskeard High Sheriff of Cheshire & High Steward of Ipswich
Nationality	English

Wilbraham Tollemache, 6th Earl of Dysart FRS (21 October 1739 – 9 March 1821), known from 1739 to 1799 as Hon. Wilbraham Tollemache, was a British politician, a younger son of Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart.

Tollemache originally served in the Royal Navy, and then in the British Army, retiring in 1775 as a major in the 6th Regiment of Foot. He first entered the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Northampton in 1771. On 4 February 1773, he married Anna Maria Lewis, but had no children. He continued to sit for Northampton until 1780, and then represented Liskeard until 1784. He was High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1785, and later High Steward of Ipswich, like his elder brother.^[1]

He inherited the earldom and the accompanying estates from his childless elder brother, Lionel, at the age of sixty in 1799. One his first acts was to purchase the manor of Canbury from George Hardinge, bringing the area back into the family. Wilbraham carried out a program of improvements at Ham House, including the creation of the Yellow Satin Bedroom, demolishing part of the northern wall and opening the view of the house to the river, relocating the busts of Roman Emperors to niches in the house wall, creating the ha-has and the addition of the Coade stone statues. Wilbraham was a collector of art and was an early patron of John Constable.^[2] Tollemache was also a patron of Reynolds and Gainsborough.

Dysart died without children. All five sons of the 4th Earl were dead, and there were no grandsons. The Tollemache baronetcy therefore became extinct, while the Earldom of Dysart passed to his sister Louisa. The estates were divided between Louisa and younger sister, Lady Jane, with Jane receiving Helmingham, Suffolk, Cheshire and Northants, whilst Louisa inherited Ham House and the surrounding estates in Ham, Petersham and Canbury. Both families took the name of Tollemache.^[1][2]

References

1. Harwood, H. W. Forsyth; Murray, Keith W. (1906). Paul, James Balfour, ed. Murray, Earl of Dysart. The Scots Peerage III (Edinburgh: David Douglas). pp. 411–412.
2. Pritchard, Evelyn (2007). Ham House and its owners through five centuries 1610-2006. Richmond Local History Society. pp. 43–46. ISBN 9781955071727.

This article incorporates text from The Scots Peerage (1904-1914), a publication now in the public domain.