EAST CHESHIRE GENTRY IN THE 18TH AND EARLY 19TH CENTURIES

MEN OF PROPERTY AND STATUS

Included on these pages are details of some Cheshire gentry families who were neighbours of the Leicesters of Tabley House in the 18th and early 19th centuries. These are being compiled as part of an adult education class Fine Arts and Society in the Late Georgian House, run by Lesley Edwards under the aegis of Keele University Department of Continuing Education. The intention is to build up a picture of the circle of Sir Peter Byrne Leicester and his son, Sir John Fleming Leicester, in Cheshire and the intermarriages between the families. These pages continue to be updated and should be regarded as "work in progress". The topics included so far are:

Some Family Trees of Cheshire Gentry in the 18th Century and Early 19th Century

Families such as Tatton of Wythenshawe and Trafford of Trafford, although based in Lancashire, are included because of their extensive Cheshire connections and interests. The Savage family died out in the 18th century but is included to complement the description of the Savage Chapel at St. Michael's, Macclesfield.

A Word of Warning. I have not carried out my own research on the families listed below with the exception of the Langford Brookes of Mere. The information shown is mainly from two sources: Ormerod's History of Cheshire and Earwaker's East Cheshire Past and Present, published in 1877. The first work was published almost 200 years ago in 1819 and there was a revised and enlarged edition by other authors in 1882. Ormerod took much of his information on early pedigrees from the work of Sir Peter Leicester, whose Historical Antiquities were published in 1673. Earwaker is probably the most reliable source for East Cheshire and he frequently points out mistakes and confusions in previously published pedigrees. Doubtless much new research has been carried out in the last 130 years so these family trees should not be regarded as the most reliable sources on the subject. I include them for general historical interest, to show how the families were related, to put into context people who built manors, married heiresses to enlarge their estates, fought in battles, achieved high office or left behind some monument to their passing.

Those interested in the detailed genealogy of these families should first consult Ormerod and Earwaker's works for themselves. They can now be obtained on CD from the Family History Society of Cheshire. Next I would advise that they look at the most recent editions of Burke's Landed Gentry, Burke's Peerage, and Debrett's Peerage. After that they may need to examine original source material.

Sources Used:

1. Historical Antiquities by Sir Peter Leicester, printed in 1673 is very rare. It is frequently quoted in standard histories of the county. This is a useful source for information on the earlier history of Cheshire landed families. It is based on documents examined by Sir Peter Leicester, including Domesday. The information is incorporated into Ormerod's work as described below.

2a. The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, by George Ormerod, London, 1819, (Wilmslow, Knutsford, Congleton and Alderley FHS).

2b. The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, incorporated with a republication of King's Vale Royal and Leycester's Cheshire Antiquities, 2nd Ed., by George Ormerod, revised and enlarged by Thomas Helsby, Esq., published by George Routledge and sons, Ludgate Hill, London, 1882. This is now available from the Family History Society of Cheshire on CD ROM. A reprint of the work was published by Eric Morten of Didsbury.

3. East Cheshire Past and Present by J.P. Earwaker, London, 1877 (CRO, Knutsford) This is widely regarded as the best work on East Cheshire of the 19th century. It is useful for family trees of landed families. Now available from the Family History Society of Cheshire on CD ROM .

Links

Earls of Chester and links to the families of Venables of Kinderton and Vernon of Shipbrook.