Bridgwater, Francis Egerton, 3rd duke of
Bridgwater, Francis Egerton, 3rd duke of (1736–1803). Bridgwater succeeded his brother as duke in 1748 at the age of 11. His education was neglected and he grew up slovenly and uncouth. After the collapse of his proposed marriage to the widowed duchess of Hamilton (one of the Gunning sisters) in 1758, he devoted almost all his time to exploiting the coal resources on his Lancashire estates. To this end he employed Brindley in 1761 to construct a 6-mile canal from Worsley to Salford, with a famous aqueduct at Barton over the river Irwell and followed it with the Manchester to Liverpool canal, of 28 miles, along which he ran a passenger service taking nine hours. Though his enterprises imposed vast financial burdens on him, in the end they paid off and made him one of the richest men in the kingdom. He died unmarried and was buried at Little Gaddesden (Herts.), near his Ashridge estate, where his memorial inscription read: ‘he sent barges across fields the farmers formerly tilled.’
J. A. Cannon
More From encyclopedia.com
James Buchanan Duke , James Buchanan Duke (1856–1925) was a driving force in the development of the U.S. tobacco industry. Through innovative marketing and production tech… British and Irish History , duke. The title of duke, derived from the latin ‘dux’, is the highest in the peerage and until 1448 was restricted to members of the royal family. In… Richard Talbot Duke And Earl Of Tyrconnel , Tyrconnel, Richard Talbot, 1st Earl (I) (1630–91). Talbot, a younger son from Co. Kildare, fought for the king in the 1640s and escaped from the dest… Thomas Mowbray 1st Duke Of Norfolk , Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray, 1st duke of (1366–99). Mowbray was created earl of Nottingham on succeeding to his elder brother's lands in 1383, and receiv… Blenheim , Blenheim •bedim, brim, crim, dim, glim, grim, Grimm, gym, him, hymn, Jim, Kim, limb, limn, nim, prim, quim, rim, scrim, shim, Sim, skim, slim, swim,… David Stuart duke of Rothesay , Rothesay, David Stewart, 1st duke of [S] (1378–1402). First son and heir of Robert III of Scotland. Known as earl of Carrick when his father succeede…
About this article
Bridgwater, Francis Egerton, 3rd duke of
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
Bridgwater, Francis Egerton, 3rd duke of