THE CIRCLE OF SIR PETER BYRNE LEICESTER & SIR JOHN FLEMING LEICESTER
IN THE EAST CHESHIRE GENTRY OF THE 18TH AND EARLY 19TH CENTURIES.

Introduction

The county histories written in the 19th century tend to focus on the landed families of the time so there are numerous sources of information for Cheshire such as County Families of Lancashire and Cheshire, by J. Croston, George Ormerod's History of Cheshire, J.P. Earwaker's East Cheshire Past and Present and Burke's Landed Gentry. The objective of the current study is to build up a picture of the neighbours and associates of Sir Peter Byrne Leicester (1732-1770) and Sir John Fleming Leicester (1762-1827) at Tabley House near Knutsford. Sir John became the 1st Lord de Tabley in 1826, the year before his death.

The gentry families of East Cheshire in the 18th and 19th century appear complex for several reasons. A number ran out of male heirs in this period and when the heiress married, her husband adopted her surname to succeed to the estate. It was very common for surnames to be used as Christian names so one encounters numerous people bearing the names of two local families such as Wilbraham Egerton or Egerton Leigh. In some families the same Christian names were used in each generation of the heirs of the estate and also by their cadet branches so that there were numerous people of the same name. A notable example is the Leycester family of Toft, which used the name Ralph for many generations. In addition some of the prominent families had two or more branches in the areas such as the Davenports and the Leghs.

A few sources have been found showing the East Cheshire Gentry en masse and these give us an insight into the circle of the Leicesters at this period.

1. The Cheshire Hunt
2. The Cheshire Yeomanry Cavalry
3. A Charity Ball
4. Mourners at the funeral of Thomas Langford Brooke in 1815
5. Mourners at the funeral of Peter Langford Brooke in 1840

1. CHESHIRE HUNT

I am grateful to Mrs. Karen Humphries, housekeeper at Tatton, for the details of those depicted in pictures of the Cheshire Hunt in 1823 and 1839, as shown on the legends to engravings made of the pictures.

Cheshire Hunt 1823

Cheshire Hunt 1839

The Tarporley Hunt Club 1962

Painted in 1963 by Terence Cuneo and on display at the Willington Hall Hotel

The remarkable endurance of the Cheshire gentry is illustrated by the members of the Tarporley Hunt Club shown in the portrait of 1963. In all thirty seven members are shown and three noted in the caption as being absent. Twenty members are shown below of whom 18 can be recognised as members of the families mentioned in the portraits made more than a century earlier. Viscount Leverhulme was an example of new wealth through soap, margerine and chemicals. The Leverhulme's house at Thornton Hough on the Wirral was sold in 2001. Lord Daresbury is from the Greenall brewing family which was formerly based at Walton Hall near Warrington.

Since this portrait was painted at least two of these lines have failed to produce a male heir - Langford Brooke of Mere and Leicester Warren of Tabley. Mere Old Hall and Mere New Hall have been sold and Tabley House is now owned by Manchester University.

*Those marked with an asterisk were absent at the time of the portrait.

2. THE CHESHIRE YEOMANRY CAVALRY

On 26 November 1796, a meeting in Cheshire, presided over by Sir Peter Warburton, convened at Northwich by George Harry, 5th Earl of Stamford and Warrington, the Lord Lieutenant of the County resolved to form a regiment of six troops to be commanded by a Colonel, Lieu Col., 1 Major, 3 Captains, 5 Lieutenants, and 6 Cornets as a company of Light Cavalry.

The London Gazette of 18 February 1797 listed the officers as:

Source: The Earl of Chester's Yeomanry Cavalry, 1797-1897, Ballantyne Press, published in 1898.

3. A CHARITY BALL IN 1828

Announced on 2 February 1828 in Macclesfield Courier and Herald, Congleton Gazette, Stockport Express and Cheshire General Advertiser

Stewards

Gentlemen's tickets, one guinea, Ladies' tickets, half a guinea. The Company (Clergymen excepted) will be required to appear in Fancy Dress, Naval or Military uniforms.

This company constitutes the "great and the good" of East Cheshire in 1828. Peter Marsland and Samuel Oldknow were both cotton manufacturers and they represent the rising class of industrialists in the Stockport and Manchester area. William Turner is also in this group. He was a manufacturer in Blackburn and purchased Shrigley Hall.

4. THE FUNERAL OF THOMAS LANGFORD BROOKE IN 1815

Following the death of Thomas Langford Brooke a single sheet showing the details of the procession and church service was printed for John Morris, "in grateful memory of a most respected master", by J. Gleave of Manchester. I am grateful to Mrs. Griffiths, daughter of the late Colonel Langford-Brooke for permission to examine this sheet. Among the mourners were the following relatives:

Meyrick Banks (son-in-law)
William Hulton (brother-in-law)
General Heron
The Rev. Geo. Heron.

The following friends and associates are shown as they were listed in the various coaches:

5. THE FUNERAL OF PETER LANGFORD BROOKE IN 1840

As reported in Macclesfield Courier and Herald, Congleton Gazette, Stockport Express & Cheshire Advertiser on 25 January 1840

Private Carriages for

The procession into the church included the following:

Rev. J. Hordern, Vicar of Rostherne, (the officiating clergyman)
Rev. Thomas Egerton
Rev. George Mallory
Rev. H. Cornwall Legh

Pall bearers were:

The chief mourners were:

The last line are professional men. Roscoe was an attorney, Ogilvie the estate agent and Holland & Dean were surgeons.