John Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache
Encyclopedia
John Jervis Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache (5 December 1805 – 9 December 1890), was a British Conservative
Member of Parliament
and a major landowner and estate manager in Cheshire
.
. His mother was Lady Elizabeth Stratford, daughter of John Stratford, 3rd Earl of Aldborough
.
Tollemache served as High Sheriff of Cheshire
for 1840 and was then elected to the House of Commons
as MP for Cheshire South from 1841 to 1868, and Cheshire West from 1868 to 1872. In 1876 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Tollemache, of Helmingham Hall
in the county of Suffolk
.
Lord Tollemache married Georgina Louisa Best, daughter of Thomas Best, in 1826. After her death 1846 he married Eliza Georgiana Duff, daughter of Sir James Duff, in 1850. Lord Tollemache died in December 1890, aged 85, and was succeeded in the barony by his son from his first marriage, Wilbraham Frederic Tollemache. Another son, the Hon. J. R. D. Tollemache, married Eleanor Starnes, the daughter of Hon. Henry Starnes
and and his wife, Eleanor Stuart.
Lady Tollemache, who was 24 years younger than her husband, died in 1918.
Little is known of his education and it is thought that he received a private education which did not lead to university. He inherited considerable wealth, including Helmingham Hall
in Suffolk
and estates in Northamptonshire
, Cheshire and Ireland.
who owned 15138 acres (61.3 km²), Lord Crewe
with 10148 acres (41.1 km²) and Lord Cholmondeley
with 16992 acres (68.8 km²). He was considered to be a good estate manager; William Ewart Gladstone
described him as "the greatest estate manager of his day". He was generous to his tenants and advocated improvement of their social conditions. He believed in a self-reliant labouring class and made popular the idea of his tenants having a cottage with sufficient land to keep a few animals. His catch-phrase for this was "three acres and a cow
". In addition to building many cottages with land attached, built over 50 farmhouses. On this project he spent £280,000.
Tollemache's major building project was a family home in the form of a Norman
-style castle, Peckforton Castle
, on a massive scale on Peckforton Hills
in his Cheshire estate. It cost around £60,000 and is described as the last serious fortified home built in England.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and a major landowner and estate manager in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
.
Personal life and career
Born John Jervis Halliday, he was the son of Admiral John Richard Delap Halliday (who in 1821 assumed by Royal license the surname and arms of Tollemache in lieu of Halliday), eldest son of Lady Jane Halliday, youngest daughter and co-heir of Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of DysartLionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart
Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart KT , styled Lord Huntingtower from 1712 to 1727, was a Scottish nobleman.In 1729, he was elected High Steward of Ipswich....
. His mother was Lady Elizabeth Stratford, daughter of John Stratford, 3rd Earl of Aldborough
Earl of Aldborough
Earl of Aldborough, of the Palatinate of Upper Ormond, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 9 February 1777, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Amiens, for John Stratford, 1st Viscount Aldborough...
.
Tollemache served as High Sheriff of Cheshire
High Sheriff of Cheshire
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
for 1840 and was then elected to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
as MP for Cheshire South from 1841 to 1868, and Cheshire West from 1868 to 1872. In 1876 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Tollemache, of Helmingham Hall
Helmingham Hall
Helmingham Hall is a moated manor house in Helmingham, Suffolk, England. It was begun by John Tollemache in 1480 and has been owned by the Tollemache family ever since. The house is built around a courtyard in typical late medieval/Tudor style....
in the county of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
Lord Tollemache married Georgina Louisa Best, daughter of Thomas Best, in 1826. After her death 1846 he married Eliza Georgiana Duff, daughter of Sir James Duff, in 1850. Lord Tollemache died in December 1890, aged 85, and was succeeded in the barony by his son from his first marriage, Wilbraham Frederic Tollemache. Another son, the Hon. J. R. D. Tollemache, married Eleanor Starnes, the daughter of Hon. Henry Starnes
Henry Starnes
Henry Starnes was a Quebec businessman and political figure.- Biography :He was born in Kingston in Upper Canada in 1816 and studied at the Montreal Academical Institution and the Petit Séminaire de Montréal. He began work with James Leslie's food importing business in Montreal and became a...
and and his wife, Eleanor Stuart.
Lady Tollemache, who was 24 years younger than her husband, died in 1918.
Little is known of his education and it is thought that he received a private education which did not lead to university. He inherited considerable wealth, including Helmingham Hall
Helmingham Hall
Helmingham Hall is a moated manor house in Helmingham, Suffolk, England. It was begun by John Tollemache in 1480 and has been owned by the Tollemache family ever since. The house is built around a courtyard in typical late medieval/Tudor style....
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and estates in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, Cheshire and Ireland.
Landowner
Tollemache was the largest landowner in Cheshire, owning 28651 acres (115.9 km²). His estate exceeded those of the Duke of WestminsterDuke of Westminster
The title Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. The current holder of the title is Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster....
who owned 15138 acres (61.3 km²), Lord Crewe
Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe
Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe KG, PC , known as The Lord Houghton from 1885 to 1895 and as The Earl of Crewe from 1895 to 1911, was a British statesman and writer....
with 10148 acres (41.1 km²) and Lord Cholmondeley
Marquess of Cholmondeley
Marquess of Cholmondeley is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for George Cholmondeley, 4th Earl of Cholmondeley. Each Marquess of Cholmondeley is a descendant of Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
with 16992 acres (68.8 km²). He was considered to be a good estate manager; William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
described him as "the greatest estate manager of his day". He was generous to his tenants and advocated improvement of their social conditions. He believed in a self-reliant labouring class and made popular the idea of his tenants having a cottage with sufficient land to keep a few animals. His catch-phrase for this was "three acres and a cow
Three acres and a cow
Three acres and a cow was a slogan used among land reform campaigners of the 1880s, and revived by the distributists of the 1920s. It refers to ideal land holding for every citizen....
". In addition to building many cottages with land attached, built over 50 farmhouses. On this project he spent £280,000.
Tollemache's major building project was a family home in the form of a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
-style castle, Peckforton Castle
Peckforton Castle
Peckforton Castle is a country house built in the style of a medieval castle. It stands in woodland at the north end of Peckforton Hills northwest of the village of Peckforton, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building...
, on a massive scale on Peckforton Hills
Peckforton Hills
The Peckforton Hills are a sandstone ridge running broadly northeast–southwest in the west of the English county of Cheshire. They form a significant part of the longer Mid Cheshire Ridge which extends southwards from Frodsham towards Malpas....
in his Cheshire estate. It cost around £60,000 and is described as the last serious fortified home built in England.