Sir Philip Egerton, MP

Family and Education 5th but 2nd surv. s. of Sir Rowland Egerton, 1st Bt.†, of Oulton, and Farthinghoe, Northants. by Bridget, da. of Arthur, 14th Lord Grey de Wilton, and coh. to her bro. Thomas. m. by 1656, Catherine (d.1707), da. and h. of Piers Conway of Hendre, Flints., 4s. (2 d.v.p.) 4da. suc. fa. in Cheshire estate 1646; kntd. 23 June 1660.1

Offices Held

Sheriff, Cheshire 1654-7, commr. for militia Mar. 1660, j.p. Mar. 1660-2, 1672-?89, capt. of militia horse Apr. 1660, lt-col. 1661-?89; commr. for assessment, Cheshire Aug. 1660-80, 1689, Chester 1677-80, Flints. 1690, corporations, Cheshire 1662-3, loyal and indigent officers 1662, dep. lt. 1665-?89; freeman, Liverpool 1667.2

Biography Egerton’s ancestors had held land in Cheshire since the 12th century. A cadet branch, established in Staffordshire, represented that county as early as 1429, but Egerton’s grandfather was the first of the family to sit for Cheshire. Egerton’s mother was an ardent Puritan. His father lent the King £1,080 early in the Civil War, a little more than half of what was asked, but ‘never manifested any malignancy’ towards Parliament, which voted him thanks for bringing the news of the surrender of Pontefract in 1645. Egerton succeeded to Oulton on his father’s death, when his elder brother inherited the Northamptonshire and Staffordshire property. He raised a troop of horse for the royalist rising of Sir George Booth in 1659, and was knighted at the Restoration.3

Egerton was active in repressing disaffection in the early years of Charles II. He first stood for Cheshire as a country candidate at a by-election in 1670, yielding to the aspiring courtier Thomas Cholmondeley after three days’ polling, but he was successful at the first general election of 1679. Shaftesbury marked him ‘honest’, and he became an active Member of the first Exclusion Parliament. He made no speeches, but was named to 15 committees, of which the most important were on the bills for security against Popery and to continue the ban on importing Irish cattle. According to Roger Morrice, he disappointed Shaftesbury’s expectations by voting against exclusion. It is not known whether he stood in September, when he was replaced by the exclusionist Sir Robert Cotton, Bt., but he was defeated in 1681.4

After Roger Whitley lost the mayoral election at Chester in 1682, it was reported that all the windows in Egerton’s town house were broken ‘by the rabble’. He helped to search the houses of the leading local Whigs after the Rye House Plot, and regained his seat in 1685. He was again active in James II’s Parliament, serving on 11 committees, including that to recommend expunctions from the Journals. He was reappointed deputy lieutenant in November 1688, and became a non-juror after the Revolution. In 1690 he was imprisoned in Chester Castle as a Jacobite suspect. He died on 15 Aug. 1698 and was buried at Little Budworth. The parliamentary record of this branch of the family was not resumed until 1807, when John Egerton was returned for Chester.5

Ref Volumes: 1660-1690 Author: Gillian Hampson Notes 1. Ormerod, Cheshire, ii. 222; Baker, Northants. i. 621. 2. Ormerod, ii. 221; HMC 3rd Rep. 245. 3. Ormerod, ii. 620; Cal. Comm. Adv. Money, 999; Committee at Stafford (Hist. Colls. Staffs. ser. 4, i), 153; Whitelocke Mems. i. 483; Cal. Comm. Comp. 3252; CSP Dom. 1660-1, p. 440. 4. HMC 10th Rep. IV, 371; CSP Dom. 1665-6, pp. 8, 47; 1670, p. 30. 5. CSP Dom. 1682, p. 472; HMC 3rd Rep. 245; HMC Kenyon, 244.

THE END OF OULTON HALL

Nowadays, this whole area is a racing circult, there is little evidence of the Hall and parklands that once stood here. Thousands of people come here to watch motor racing at weekends without ever knowing the history associated with this land. I too use to come here most weekends as a child. My grandfather, MR JACK THOMAS, helped run the bike racing. He was also known as MR OULTON. I would mix with all the bikers and watch the racing. I would also go and roam the whole area, knowing very little of the history I was walking on.

The Egerton Family were landowners for nearly 500 years and in the reign of Henry VII, they became Lords of the Manor. The family lived in a large Tudor house but this was destroyed by fire. So in 1715, John Egerton(1656-1731), began to rebuild his home.

During 1731, after inheriting this manor house, formal gardens and farmland from his uncle, John, his nephew Philip Egerton (1694-1766) began to build a brick wall to enclose the estate after he had enlarged it from 231 acres to 315 acres. After his death, his brother, John, took over and then succeeded by his son, Philip (1738-1786) in 1770.

Fashion changed and formal gardens were taken over by a landscaped garden surrounded by park land. Over the years, building work and improvements were made and the house containded a fine art collection.

But money was slowly running out and during the 1920's the Hall was leased to industrialist Mr F W Cooper. At 10am on Valentine's Day 1926, the family were having breakfast when the housemaid reported that the upper floors were on fire. By 10.30am the Tarporley Fire Brigade had arrived. You can imagine the scene, about 20 people were running in and out of the building trying to save the works of art and other people running for their lives, panic scenes.

Suddenly at 11.30am, the roof collapsed. Six people died either at the scene or later in hospital. The fire continued to burn for several days. The fire was reported in both the Telegraph and the Times. This fire had also been one of the first where more than one fire brigade worked together, three further brigades had to be called in, Chester City, Messrs Brunner Mond and Co and Winsford.

The ruin of the Hall remained standing until World War II, when they were hit by German bombs. General Patton was based here in the run up to the Normandy Landings. During this time, troops had used the estate but they left at the end of the war. The estate was covered in rubble, huts and a twelve foot roadway. It was returned to Sir Philip Grey Egerton in 1950.

It was at this time that two members of the Mid Cheshire Motor Club suggested that some of the roadway could be used for motor racing. And the rest as they say is history.

Very little of this great estate still exists today. The Entrance gates, lodges and screen designed by Joseph Turner in about 1775. In the grounds is a monument of 1846 to the memory of John Francis Egerton of the Bengal Horse Regiment, who died in India in 1846, designed by Scott and Moffatt. The stable block designed by Lewis Wyatt and a farm building has also survived. These are all Grade II listed buildings.

Links

http://mythsandlegendsofcheshire.blogspot.com/2011/02/end-of-oulton...