Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton, GCH, PC (30 December 1799 – 7 March 1882), known as Thomas Grosvenor until 1814, was a British nobleman and

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

politician. He served as

Lord Steward of the Household The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is one of the three Great Officers of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarch. He is, by tradition, the first great officer of ...

in 1835 in Sir Robert Peel's first government.

Background

Wilton was the second son of

Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster, (22 March 1767 – 17 February 1845) was the son of the 1st Earl Grosvenor, whom he succeeded in 1802 as 2nd Earl Grosvenor. He was created Marquess of Westminster in 1831. He wa ...

and his wife Lady Eleanor Egerton, daughter of

Thomas Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton Thomas Grey Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton (14 August 1749 – 23 September 1814), known as Sir Thomas Grey Egerton, Bt from 1766 to 1784, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1772 to 1784 when he was raised to the peerage ...

Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster (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 polit ...

was his elder brother and Robert Grosvenor, 1st Baron Ebury, his younger brother. In 1814, at the age of 14, he succeeded to the earldom of Wilton according to a special remainder on the death of his maternal grandfather.thepeerage.com Thomas Grosvenor Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton
/ref> He assumed by sign manual the surname of Egerton in lieu of Grosvenor in 1821. He also inherited

Heaton Park Heaton Park is a public park in Prestwich, Manchester, England, covering an area of over . The park includes the grounds of a Grade I listed, neoclassical 18th century country house, Heaton Hall. The hall, remodelled by James Wyatt in 1772, i ...

through his maternal grandfather.History of Heaton Park at heatonpark.org.uk.

Political career

Lord Wilton took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

on his twenty-first birthday in 1820. In January 1835 he was appointed

in the Tory administration of

Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–183 ...

and the following February he was admitted to the Privy Council. However, the government fell in April 1835 and Lord Wilton was never to return to a government office.

Horse racing

Lord Wilton was also a leading sportsman. Considered an expert horseman, he established the Heaton Park Races in 1827.

Yachting

He was also interested in yachting, and was a founding member of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club in 1844. He was Commodore of the

Royal Yacht Squadron The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to we ...

from 1849 to 1881. Yacht Xarifa

In this capacity, he was most notable for inviting members of the

New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...

to race in the Royal Yacht Squadron regatta open to all nations around the Isle of Wight on 22 August 1851. The N. Y. Y. C. yacht ''America'' won the event and its silver trophy was subsequently renamed the

America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...

. Lord Wilton was inducted into the

America's Cup Hall of Fame The America's Cup Hall of Fame, located at the Herreshoff Marine Museum of Bristol, Rhode Island, USA, honors individuals for outstanding achievement in the America's Cup sailing competition. Candidates eligible for consideration include skippers ...

in 2001 in a ceremony at the Royal Yacht Squadron during the America's Cup Jubilee.

Music

Lord Wilton was also a composer. He composed the anthem "O Praise the Lord, all ye heathen", a hymn titled "Hymn to Eros", as well as several other vocal compositions.

Family

Lord Wilton married firstly Lady Mary Stanley, daughter of the

Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (1 September 1752 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 21 October 1834), usually styled Lord Stanley from 1771 to 1776, was a British peerage, British pe ...

, in 1821. They had eleven children, of whom only five reached adulthood: * Lady Eleanor Egerton (1823–1824). * Thomas Egerton, Viscount Grey de Wilton (1825–1830). * Lady Mary Egerton (1827–1838). * Lady Margaret Egerton (1830–1831). * Arthur Egerton, Viscount Grey de Wilton (1831-1831). * Lady Elizabeth Egerton (1832–1892). Married Dudley FitzGerald-de Ros, 24th Baron de Ros in 1853. *

Arthur Egerton, 3rd Earl of Wilton Arthur Edward Holland Grey Egerton, 3rd Earl of Wilton (25 November 1833 – 18 January 1885), styled Viscount Grey de Wilton from 1833 to 1882, was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament from the Egerton family. Wilton was the thi ...

(1833–1885). * Lady Katherine Grey Egerton (1835–1920). Married the Hon. Henry John Coke (1827–1916), son of Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester. * Lady Emily Egerton (1837–1839). * Seymour Egerton, 4th Earl of Wilton (1839–1898). Married Laura Caroline, daughter of William Russell. They were parents of Arthur Egerton, 5th Earl of Wilton. * Lady Alice Magdalene Grey Egerton (1842–1925). Married Sir Henry des Voeux, 5th Baronet. For some time before his first wife's death in December 1858, Lord Wilton had been having a semi-public affair with the disreputable Caroline Cook (also known as Nelly or Lilly Cook) as well as with Lady Ailesbury. The Forgotten Prime Minister, vol. ii, p.193. Angus Hawkins, Oxford University Press, 2008 He married secondly Isabella Smith in September 1863. They had no children. Lord Wilton died in March 1883, aged 82, and was succeeded in the earldom by his third but eldest surviving son

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

. The Countess of Wilton died in January 1916.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilton, Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl Of 1799 births 1882 deaths Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Egerton, Thomas

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

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