John Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache

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.

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 Dysart. His mother was Lady Elizabeth Stratford, daughter of John Stratford, 3rd Earl of Aldborough. Tollemache was elected to the House of Commons for Cheshire South in 1841, a seat he held until 1868, and then represented 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.cite book | last =Kidd | first =Charles | authorlink = | coauthors =David Williamson (eds) | title =Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage |edition= | publisher =St Martin's Press | date =1990 | location =New York | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = ]

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. 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.

Landowner

Tollemache was the largest landowner in Cheshire, owning acre to km2|28651. His estate exceeded those of the Duke of Westminster who owned acre to km2|15138, Lord Crewe with acre to km2|10148 and Lord Cholmondeley with acre to km2|16992. He was considered to be a good estate manager; William 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.cite journal | quotes = | last =Durdey | first =Ronald | authorlink = | coauthors = | date = | year =2007–2008 | month = | title =John Tollemache and his Castle | journal =Cheshire History | volume = 47| issue = | pages =75–87 | issn =0141-8696 | pmid = | doi = | id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote = ]

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 £60,000Pevsner N, Hubbard E. "The Buildings of England: Cheshire", pp. 300–302 (Penguin Books; 1971) (ISBN 0 14 071042 6)] and is described as the last serious fortified home built in England. [cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=56862 |title=Images of England: Peckforton Castle|accessdate=2008-02-29 |publisher=English Heritage ]

References

External links

* [http://www.thepeerage.com/p2551.htm#i25509 Peerage.com]