Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of WestminsterKGPC (27 January 1795 – 31 October 1869), styled The Honourable Richard Grosvenor from 1795 to 1802, Viscount Belgrave from 1802 to 1831 and Earl Grosvenor from 1831 to 1845, was an English politician, landowner, property developer and benefactor.
Grosvenor "devoted himself ... to the improvement of his London property",[1] and added to his properties in Dorset and Cheshire; he was described as being a "model landlord".[2]Eaton Hall, Cheshire, had been rebuilt in flamboyant Gothic style for his father by William Porden. Grosvenor commissioned the Scottish architect William Burn to make alterations to it, including raising the centre of the south front to make it look like a tower.[5] Burn also designed Fonthill House, Wiltshire, for him in Scottish Baronial style.[6] On his estates Grosvenor built farms, schools and "numerous" cottages.[7] Among his schools were the Bishopsfield Schools in Hoole, Chester.[8] He also commissioned Shaftesbury Town Hall for the people of the town.[9]
Personality and personal interestsEdit
Statue of Grosvenor wearing his Garter robes
Grosvenor continued the family interest in horse racing[1] and, when he was living in the country estate, he spent time hunting and fishing.[2] He gave generously to charity, and built and restored churches.[1] He was an early patron of the Chester architect John Douglas.[10] In 1865–66 Douglas designed St John's Church for him in his estate village of Aldford.[8] About the same time, Grosvenor gave fields in Chester to the city council for the formation of Grosvenor Park.[11] For this park Douglas designed a number of items, including the Entrance Lodge, the gates, and a cover for Billy Hobby's Well.[8] In 1865 the citizens of Chester began to raise money for the erection of a statue "to mark the public and private worth of his lordship, and the high estimation in which he is held by his neighbours and tenants, as well as by all classes of the community". Over £5,000 (equivalent to £510,000 as of 2021)[12] was raised. The statue showing the marquess in his Garter robes was designed by Thomas Thornycroft, and erected in 1869; it still stands in Grosvenor Park.[11]
Elizabeth, Marchioness of Westminster, by Sir Thomas Lawrence.St Mary's Church, Eccleston: the enclosure which marks the site of the Grosvenor family vault within the demolished old churchSt Mary's Church, Eccleston: the tablet in the new church which lists the Grosvenors buried in the demolished old church
Grosvenor's parents had instilled "high moral principles" in their children, and these stayed with Richard throughout his life.[2] He has been described as "of austere character and unswerving devotion to duty as family man, politician and landlord".[6] His obituary in The Times says "he administered his vast estate with a combination of intelligence and generosity not often witnessed".[1]
FamilyEdit
Lord Westminster married Lady Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, younger daughter of George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford (later 1st Duke of Sutherland), in 1819.[2] Following their marriage, Westminster and his wife initially lived at Eaton Hall, Cheshire, the family's country house, with Lord and Lady Grosvenor. During the London season, from April each year, the family lived in Grosvenor House. In 1827 the couple visited Norway, Sweden and Russia and in 1835–36 they toured through Germany and Italy. When the 1st Marquess died in 1845 they followed the family tradition of using Eaton Hall as their country house and Grosvenor House as their London residence, where they entertained lavishly.[2]
Lady Theodora Grosvenor (7 July 1840 – 24 March 1924); writer m. Thomas Merthyr Guest.[15]
Lord Westminster died at Fonthill House, Fonthill Gifford in Wiltshire on 31 October 1869 after a short illness and was buried in the family vault in St Mary's Church, Eccleston, Cheshire. His wealth at death is recorded as being under £800,000 (equivalent to £78,620,000 as of 2021).[1][12] Lady Westminster died in 1891 and was buried in St. Mary's Churchyard in Motcombe, Dorset, England expressly stating in her will the desire to be buried there among her relatives.
MemorialsEdit
Westminster Memorial Hospital, Shaftesbury, Dorset, was founded in Grosvenor's memory in 1871.[16] Near the east end of Pimlico Road in the City of Westminster, London is a drinking fountain decorated with mosaics in his honour.[17]
^ abUK 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 11 June 2022.
^Children of Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster and Lady Elizabeth Mary Leveson-Gower, Darryl Lundy thePeerage.com, retrieved 19 April 2010
^. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
^"Guest [née Grosvenor], Lady Theodora (1840–1924), author and benefactor". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/59926. Retrieved 29 September 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^Burton-Page, Tony (September 2010). "For the health of the community". Dorset Life. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
richard, grosvenor, marquess, westminster, january, 1795, october, 1869, styled, honourable, richard, grosvenor, from, 1795, 1802, viscount, belgrave, from, 1802, 1831, earl, grosvenor, from, 1831, 1845, english, politician, landowner, property, developer, ben. Richard Grosvenor 2nd Marquess of Westminster KG PC 27 January 1795 31 October 1869 styled The Honourable Richard Grosvenor from 1795 to 1802 Viscount Belgrave from 1802 to 1831 and Earl Grosvenor from 1831 to 1845 was an English politician landowner property developer and benefactor The Most HonourableThe Marquess of WestminsterKG PCPainting of Lord Westminster then Viscount Belgrave by Henry William PickersgillLord Steward of the HouseholdIn office 22 March 1850 21 February 1852MonarchVictoriaPrime MinisterLord John RussellPreceded byThe Earl FortescueSucceeded byThe Duke of MontrosePersonal detailsBorn 1795 01 27 27 January 1795Millbank House Westminster LondonDied31 October 1869 1869 10 31 aged 74 Fonthill House Fonthill Gifford Wiltshire EnglandResting placeSt Mary s Church Eccleston Cheshire53 09 27 N 2 52 46 W 53 1576 N 2 8794 W 53 1576 2 8794NationalityEnglishPolitical partyWhigSpouseLady Elizabeth Leveson GowerChildrenEleanor Percy Duchess of Northumberland Mary Parker Countess of Macclesfield Gilbert Grosvenor Elizabeth Lawley Baroness Wenlock Hugh Grosvenor 1st Duke of Westminster Lady Evelyn Grosvenor Caroline Leigh Baroness Leigh Lady Octavia Shaw Stewart Lady Agnes Campbell Lord Gilbert Grosvenor Jane Pennington Baroness Muncaster Richard Grosvenor 1st Baron Stalbridge Lady Theodora GuestParent s Robert Grosvenor 1st Marquess of Westminster Lady Eleanor EgertonResidence s Eaton Hall Cheshire Grosvenor House LondonAlma materWestminster SchoolChrist Church OxfordOccupationLandowner politician Contents 1 Background and education 2 Political and public life 3 Development of the estate 4 Personality and personal interests 5 Family 6 Memorials 7 References 8 Sources 9 External linksBackground and education EditGrosvenor was born at Millbank House Westminster London the eldest of the three sons of Robert Grosvenor 1st Marquess of Westminster and Lady Eleanor Egerton He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church Oxford where he graduated MA 1 He undertook the Grand Tour in 1815 Political and public life EditIn 1818 Grosvenor was elected as Whig MP for Chester and was later appointed as a Justice of the Peace 2 In 1830 he was elected MP for Cheshire until the constituency was divided in 1832 and from then until 1834 he represented South Cheshire He was Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire from 1845 to 1867 and Lord Steward of the Household between 1850 and 1852 in the Whig administration headed by Lord John Russell 1 On 22 March 1850 he was admitted to the Privy Council 3 He was presented with the Order of the Garter on 6 July 1857 4 Of his political activity it is said that he seldom spoke in the House of Lords 1 Development of the estate EditGrosvenor devoted himself to the improvement of his London property 1 and added to his properties in Dorset and Cheshire he was described as being a model landlord 2 Eaton Hall Cheshire had been rebuilt in flamboyant Gothic style for his father by William Porden Grosvenor commissioned the Scottish architect William Burn to make alterations to it including raising the centre of the south front to make it look like a tower 5 Burn also designed Fonthill House Wiltshire for him in Scottish Baronial style 6 On his estates Grosvenor built farms schools and numerous cottages 7 Among his schools were the Bishopsfield Schools in Hoole Chester 8 He also commissioned Shaftesbury Town Hall for the people of the town 9 Personality and personal interests Edit nbsp Statue of Grosvenor wearing his Garter robesGrosvenor continued the family interest in horse racing 1 and when he was living in the country estate he spent time hunting and fishing 2 He gave generously to charity and built and restored churches 1 He was an early patron of the Chester architect John Douglas 10 In 1865 66 Douglas designed St John s Church for him in his estate village of Aldford 8 About the same time Grosvenor gave fields in Chester to the city council for the formation of Grosvenor Park 11 For this park Douglas designed a number of items including the Entrance Lodge the gates and a cover for Billy Hobby s Well 8 In 1865 the citizens of Chester began to raise money for the erection of a statue to mark the public and private worth of his lordship and the high estimation in which he is held by his neighbours and tenants as well as by all classes of the community Over 5 000 equivalent to 510 000 as of 2021 12 was raised The statue showing the marquess in his Garter robes was designed by Thomas Thornycroft and erected in 1869 it still stands in Grosvenor Park 11 nbsp Elizabeth Marchioness of Westminster by Sir Thomas Lawrence nbsp St Mary s Church Eccleston the enclosure which marks the site of the Grosvenor family vault within the demolished old church nbsp St Mary s Church Eccleston the tablet in the new church which lists the Grosvenors buried in the demolished old churchGrosvenor s parents had instilled high moral principles in their children and these stayed with Richard throughout his life 2 He has been described as of austere character and unswerving devotion to duty as family man politician and landlord 6 His obituary in The Times says he administered his vast estate with a combination of intelligence and generosity not often witnessed 1 Family EditLord Westminster married Lady Elizabeth Leveson Gower younger daughter of George Leveson Gower 2nd Marquess of Stafford later 1st Duke of Sutherland in 1819 2 Following their marriage Westminster and his wife initially lived at Eaton Hall Cheshire the family s country house with Lord and Lady Grosvenor During the London season from April each year the family lived in Grosvenor House In 1827 the couple visited Norway Sweden and Russia and in 1835 36 they toured through Germany and Italy When the 1st Marquess died in 1845 they followed the family tradition of using Eaton Hall as their country house and Grosvenor House as their London residence where they entertained lavishly 2 Lord Westminster and his wife had thirteen children ten of whom survived into adulthood and three of whom lived into their nineties 2 Their second son Hugh Lupus Grosvenor succeeded him as 3rd Marquess he was later created Duke of Westminster 1 Their youngest son Lord Richard Grosvenor was ennobled as Baron Stalbridge 13 Lady Eleanor Grosvenor 22 October 1820 4 May 1911 m Algernon Percy 4th Duke of Northumberland Lady Mary Grosvenor 2 December 1821 2 January 1912 m Thomas Parker 6th Earl of Macclesfield The Hon Gilbert Grosvenor 10 April 1823 2 January 1824 Lady Elizabeth Grosvenor 9 July 1824 16 December 1899 married Beilby Lawley 2nd Baron Wenlock Hugh Grosvenor 1st Duke of Westminster 13 October 1825 22 December 1899 Lady Evelyn Grosvenor 16 December 1826 25 January 1839 Lady Caroline Grosvenor 14 June 1828 24 March 1906 m William Leigh 2nd Baron Leigh Lady Octavia Grosvenor 22 September 1829 29 May 1921 m Col Sir Michael Shaw Stewart 7th Baronet Lady Agnes Grosvenor 24 January 1831 22 January 1909 m Sir Archibald Campbell 3rd Baronet Lord Gilbert Grosvenor 6 January 1833 20 March 1854 Lady Jane Grosvenor 29 August 1834 13 July 1921 m firstly Gamel Pennington 4th Baron Muncaster m secondly Hugh Lindsay Richard Grosvenor 1st Baron Stalbridge 28 January 1837 18 May 1912 14 Lady Theodora Grosvenor 7 July 1840 24 March 1924 writer m Thomas Merthyr Guest 15 Lord Westminster died at Fonthill House Fonthill Gifford in Wiltshire on 31 October 1869 after a short illness and was buried in the family vault in St Mary s Church Eccleston Cheshire His wealth at death is recorded as being under 800 000 equivalent to 78 620 000 as of 2021 1 12 Lady Westminster died in 1891 and was buried in St Mary s Churchyard in Motcombe Dorset England expressly stating in her will the desire to be buried there among her relatives Memorials EditWestminster Memorial Hospital Shaftesbury Dorset was founded in Grosvenor s memory in 1871 16 Near the east end of Pimlico Road in the City of Westminster London is a drinking fountain decorated with mosaics in his honour 17 References Edit a b c d e f g h i Tedder H R rev K D Reynolds 2004 Grosvenor Richard second marquess of Westminster 1795 1869 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press Retrieved on 18 April 2010 subscription or UK public library membership required a b c d e f g Newton Diana Lumby Jonathan 2002 The Grosvenors of Eaton Eccleston Cheshire Jennet Publications pp 25 26 ISBN 0 9543379 0 5 London Gazette 26 March 1850 p 907 retrieved 19 April 2010 London Gazette 10 July 1857 p 2405 retrieved 19 April 2010 Eaton Halls Eaton Estate 2002 p 4 a b Hubbard 1991 p 59 Hubbard 1991 p 60 a b c Hubbard 1991 p 239 Historic England Town Hall 1108741 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 18 December 2020 Hubbard 1991 p 28 a b Information Sheet Grosvenor Park Cheshire West and Chester archived from the original on 16 July 2011 retrieved 18 April 2010 a b 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 11 June 2022 Children of Richard Grosvenor 2nd Marquess of Westminster and Lady Elizabeth Mary Leveson Gower Darryl Lundy thePeerage com retrieved 19 April 2010 Descendants of Henry VIII King of England gen 10 240 259 Archived from the original on 14 June 2011 Retrieved 1 May 2010 Guest nee Grosvenor Lady Theodora 1840 1924 author and benefactor Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press 2004 doi 10 1093 ref odnb 59926 Retrieved 29 September 2020 Subscription or UK public library membership required Burton Page Tony September 2010 For the health of the community Dorset Life Retrieved 6 November 2016 Historic England Fountain on east side of junction with Avery Farm Row 1265617 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 23 October 2018 Sources EditHubbard Edward 1991 The Work of John Douglas The Victorian Society ISBN 0 901657 16 6External links EditHansard 1803 2005 contributions in Parliament by the Marquess of WestminsterParliament of the United KingdomPreceded byThomas GrosvenorJohn Egerton Member of Parliament for Chester1818 1830 With Thomas Grosvenor 1818 1826Lord Robert Grosvenor 1826 1830 Succeeded byLord Robert GrosvenorSir Philip Grey EgertonPreceded byDavies DavenportWilbraham Egerton Member of Parliament for Cheshire1830 1832 With Wilbraham Egerton 1830 1831George Wilbraham 1831 1832 constituency dividedNew constituency Member of Parliament for South Cheshire1832 1835 With George Wilbraham Succeeded byGeorge WilbrahamSir Philip Grey EgertonHonorary titlesPreceded byThe Earl of Stamford Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire1845 1867 Succeeded byThe Lord EgertonPolitical officesPreceded byThe Earl Fortescue Lord Steward1850 1852 Succeeded byThe Duke of MontrosePeerage of the United KingdomPreceded byRobert Grosvenor Marquess of Westminster1845 1869 Succeeded byHugh Lupus Grosvenor Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Richard Grosvenor 2nd Marquess of Westminster amp oldid 1167940483, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
