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Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster

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For other people named Robert Grosvenor, seeRobert Grosvenor (disambiguation).

The Most Honourable
The Marquess of Westminster
KG
The Marquess of Westminster byJohn Jackson
Personal details
Born(1767-03-22)22 March 1767
St George Hanover Square,London, England
Died17 February 1845(1845-02-17)(aged 77)
Eaton Hall,Cheshire, England
Resting placeSt Mary's Church, Eccleston,Cheshire
Political partyTory,thenWhig
SpouseEleanor Egerton
Children
Parents
Residence(s)Eaton Hall,Grosvenor House
Alma mater

Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster,KG(22 March 1767 – 17 February 1845) was the son of the1st Earl Grosvenor,whom he succeeded in 1802 as 2nd Earl Grosvenor. He was created Marquess of Westminster in 1831. He was an English Member of Parliament (MP) and an ancestor of the modern-dayDukes of Westminster.Grosvenor continued to develop the family's London estates, he rebuilt their country house,Eaton Hallin Cheshire where he also restored the gardens, and built a new London home,Grosvenor House.He maintained and extended the family interests in the acquisition of works of art, and in horse racing and breeding racehorses.

Personal life[edit]

Robert Grosvenor was born on 22 March 1767 in theparishofSt George Hanover Square,London. He was the third son and the only surviving child ofRichard Grosvenor, 1st Earl GrosvenorandHenrietta, Lady Grosvenor,and was initially known as Viscount Belgrave. He was educated atWestminster School,Harrow School,andTrinity College, Cambridge,where he graduatedMAin 1786.[1]In addition to his formal education,William Giffordacted as his private tutor.[2]Gifford accompanied Grosvenor when the latter undertook hisGrand Tourbetween 1786 and 1788.[2][3]Gifford described him as a "most amiable" and "accomplished" pupil.[2]

On 28 April 1794 Grosvenor married Eleanor, the only child of Sir Thomas Egerton (later the1st Earl Wilton). They had four children; in 1795 Richard, Lord Belgrave, who succeeded his father; in 1799 Thomas, who became the2nd Earl of Wiltonon the death of his grandfather; in 1801 Robert, later the1st Baron Ebury;and finally a daughter, Amelia, who died in her early teenage years.[3]

Political and public life[edit]

Grosvenor was elected as MP forEast Looein 1788 and served this constituency until 1790; during this time he was appointed aLord of the Admiralty.His first speech in theHouse of Commons of Great Britaincontained a quotation from the ancient Greek oratorDemosthenes,which led to thesatiristPeter Pindarcalling him "the lord of Greek".[2]In 1790 he was elected as MP forChesterand continued to serve in this seat until 1802. Between 1793 and 1801 he was a commissioner of the Board of Control. He raised a regiment of volunteers from thecity of Westminsterto fight against France and in 1798 was appointed its major-commandant. When his father died on 5 August 1802 he became the 2nd Earl Grosvenor. Grosvenor wasMayorof Chester in 1807–08, and was responsible for the building ofThomas Harrison'sNorthgatein the city in 1810.[2]He served asLord Lieutenant of Flintshirefrom 1798 to 1845.[4]

When Grosvenor entered parliament, he continued the family tradition of being aToryand supportingWilliam Pitt the Younger.However, after Pitt's death in 1806, he changed his allegiance and became aWhig.This led to his support for the victims of thePeterloo massacre,forCatholic Emancipation,for the abolition of theCorn Laws,and his voting for theReform Bill.[2][3]He was a man of principle; he championedQueen Carolineand is reputed to have thrown either a Bible or aPrayer Bookat the head ofKing George IV.[3]And when theDuke of Wellingtonwas presented with thefreedomof the city ofChester,Grosvenor refused to allow thetown hallto be used for the event.[3]The relations between Grosvenor and the king later improved,[5]and in thecoronation honoursof 1831 he was created Marquess of Westminster.[6]He participated in thecoronationof Queen Victoria in 1837.[5]On 11 March 1841 he was received as aKnight of the Garter.[7]

Development of the estate[edit]

Porden'sEaton Hall

Soon after Robert Grosvenor inherited the Eaton estate, he rebuilt the country house at Eaton Hall in Cheshire, and he also developed the London estate, creating the areas now known asBelgraviaandPimlico.Eaton had become "an unfashionable and run-down estate".[8]The existing country house had been built for his great-grandfather,Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronetand designed byWilliam Samwell.He appointedWilliam Pordenas architect, who had previously surveyed his London estate. The original plan was for the new house to cost £10,000 (equivalent to £1,150,000 as of 2023),[9]and for it to take two years to build. In the event, it took just under ten years and cost over £100,000 (equivalent to £8,240,000 as of 2023).[9]The previous house was encased and surrounded by "every possible permutation of thegothicstyle ".[10]It includedturrets,pinnacles,arched windows, octagonal towers, andbuttresses(both regular andflying). Four new wings were added to the house.[11]When the futureQueen Victoriavisited in 1832 at the age of 13, she wrote in her journal: "The house is magnificent".[5]However, others described it as being "as extravagant and opulent as the very latest upholsterer-decorators could make it".[5]It was described as "the most gaudy concern I ever saw" and "a vast pile of mongrel gothic which... is a monument of wealth, ignorance and bad taste".[5]

To restore the gardens and grounds, Grosvenor employedJohn Webb,a pupil ofWilliam Emes,who had been the previous designer of thelandscapingaround the house.[12]Newterracewalls were created on the east side of the house. Belgrave Avenue, the approach to the house from the west, was levelled and drained, and 130,000 trees were planted along it. The paths along the approach, which was 1.75 miles (3 km) long, were made between 18 feet (5 m) and 20 feet (6 m) wide, so that they would be suitable for the use ofcarriages.On the east side of the house, aserpentinelake was created on the near side of theRiver Dee.[13]By the 1820s, formal garden beds were becoming fashionable andWilliam Andrews Nesfieldwas employed to design formalparterresaround the house. He added more terracing,balustradedwalls, and flower beds surrounded byboxedging.[14]

Grosvenor House,showing the new entrance

For the London estate, Grosvenor created a "fashionable new residential quarter" near Buckingham House (laterBuckingham Palace). He appointedThomas Cundyas architect and surveyor, andThomas Cubittas builder.[15]The entry in theOxford Dictionary of National Biographystates: "This urban development was to make the Grosvenors one of the richest families in Britain".[2]He also bought more property in Cheshire, atShaftesburyin Dorset, and atStockbridgein Hampshire.[2]The family's London house had been inMillbank,but in 1806 Grosvenor bought a house in Upper Grosvenor Street and greatly extended it; this was to become Grosvenor House. He added anart galleryto thePark Laneside of the house in 1827 and built a new entrance in Upper Grosvenor Street consisting of aDoric screenbetween largepedimentedgateways that separated acour d'honneurfrom the street[15]in the Parisian manner in 1843.

Personal interests[edit]

Grosvenor continued the family's interests in art and horse racing. He added to the art collection; his acquisitions included four paintings byRubensfor which he paid £10,000, and he paid £100 forGainsborough'sThe Blue Boy.[3]To develop the facilities for horse racing, he expanded the Eaton Stud. The finest horse produced by the stud during Grosvenor's time wasTouchstone.This horse won 16 of the 21 races for which it was entered, including theSt Leger,and on two occasions, theAscot Gold Cupand theDoncaster Cup.After retirement, the horsesired323 winners of over 700 races.[5]

Death[edit]

St Mary's Church, Eccleston:the enclosure which marks the site of the Grosvenor family vault within the demolished old church
St Mary's Church, Eccleston: the tablet in the new church which lists the Grosvenors buried in the demolished old church

Grosvenor died at Eaton Hall on 17 February 1845 and was buried in the family vault atSt Mary's Church, Eccleston.[2]He was succeeded by his eldest son,Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster.[16]In 1998 a statue of Grosvenor, by Jonathan Wylder, was erected inBelgrave Square,London. On the statue is a quotation byRuskinthat reads "When we build let us think we build for ever".[17]

References[edit]

Citations

  1. ^"Grosvenor, the Hon. Robert, afterwards Marquess of Westminster (GRSR783R)".A Cambridge Alumni Database.University of Cambridge.
  2. ^abcdefghiTedder, H. R., rev. H. C. G. Matthew (2004) 'Grosvenor, Robert, first marquess of Westminster (1767–1845)',Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,Oxford University Press,Retrieved on 12 April 2010.(subscription orUK public library membershiprequired)
  3. ^abcdefNewton & Lumby 2002,p. 21.
  4. ^Peerage: Westminster,Leigh Rayment, archived from the original on 8 June 2008,retrieved20 April2010{{citation}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^abcdefNewton & Lumby 2002,p. 24.
  6. ^London Gazette,9 September 1831, p. 666,retrieved20 April2010
  7. ^London Gazette,11 March 1841, p. 666,retrieved19 April2010
  8. ^Mako 2009,p. 16.
  9. ^abUKRetail Price Indexinflation figures are based on data fromClark, Gregory (2017)."The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)".MeasuringWorth.Retrieved7 May2024.
  10. ^Newton & Lumby 2002,p. 22.
  11. ^Newton & Lumby 2002,pp. 22, 24.
  12. ^Mako 2009,pp. 14, 16.
  13. ^Mako 2009,pp. 16–19.
  14. ^Mako 2009,pp. 21–22.
  15. ^abNewton & Lumby 2002,pp. 21–22.
  16. ^Newton & Lumby 2002,p. 25.
  17. ^Belgrave Square,WebCite, archived fromthe originalon 13 May 2008,retrieved12 April2010

Sources

  • Newton, Diana; Lumby, Jonathan (2002),The Grosvenors of Eaton,Eccleston, Cheshire: Jennet Publications,ISBN0-9543379-0-5
  • Mako, Marion (2009),The Gardens at Eaton Hall,Eaton: Eaton Estates

External links[edit]

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament forEast Looe
1788–1790
With:Alexander Irvine1788–1790
The Earl of Carysfort1790 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament forChester
1790–1801
With:Thomas Grosvenor1790–1795
Thomas Grosvenor1795–1801 		Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Parliament of Great Britain
 Member of Parliament forChester
1801–1802
With:Thomas Grosvenor 		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire
1798–1845 		Succeeded by
Custos Rotulorum of Flintshire
1802–1845
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Marquess of Westminster
1831–1845 		Succeeded by
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Earl Grosvenor
1802–1845 		Succeeded by
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