Robert Henry Grenville Tatton (2 March 1883 – 1 March 1962) was the High Sheriff of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

from 1936 until 1937. He was the last member of his family to own

Wythenshawe Hall Wythenshawe Hall is a 16th-century timber-framed historic house and former manor house in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England, five miles (8 km) south of Manchester city centre in Wythenshawe Park. Built for Robert Tatton, it was home to the ...

and its estate, the ancestral home of the Tattons for 600 years, and the last male member of his line. After selling his Wythenshawe estate to

Manchester Corporation Manchester City Council is the local authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. Manchester is the sixth largest city in England by population. Its city council is composed of 96 councillors, three f ...

in 1926 Robert and his family moved first to

Wybunbury Wybunbury is a village (at ) and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 3¼ miles to the south east of Nantwich and 3¾ miles to the south of Crewe. The parish al ...

in Cheshire and then to Kent, where Robert died the day before his 79th birthday.

Early life

Robert was the only son of Thomas Egerton Tatton and his wife Essex Mary Cholmondeley. He had two older sisters: Alice (1877–1929) and Eva Beatrice (born 1879). After completing his education Robert enlisted in the

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

and rose to the rank of captain. He married Maud ''née'' Hamilton on 11 November 1911 in a ceremony held at the church of St Peter's in the East,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. The couple had four children: William Grey Maurice (born 1912), Betty Catherine (born 1914), Susan, and Christopher (born 1922).

Sale of Wythenshawe

Robert's father died in 1924 leaving him the Wythenshawe estate, where Robert was already living with his wife and family. Manchester Corporation had been trying to buy the estate for some time, to develop much-needed housing for the city's rapidly expanding population, but Thomas had refused to sell. In 1926 Robert bowed to the inevitable and sold of land to the corporation. He also sold Wythenshawe Hall and of its surrounding parkland to Ernest Simon, who donated them to Manchester Corporation "to be used solely for the public good".

Later life

After leaving Wythenshawe Hall Robert and his family moved to

, in the south of Cheshire. Shortly after the family home had been sold, Robert's eldest son, William Grey, died at school at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

, aged 14. The Tattons remained in Wybunbury until the end of the Second World War, during which conflict their remaining son, Christopher, was killed in action when the battleship on which he was serving, HMS ''

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

'', was sunk by the Japanese in 1941. After the war the family moved to

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Early life

Sale of Wythenshawe

Later life

References

Citations

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