Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley

Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley

Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley, PC (1540 – 15 March 1617) was an English nobleman, judge and statesman who served as Lord Keeper and Lord Chancellor for twenty-one years.

Thomas Egerton was born in 1540 in the parish of Dodleston, Cheshire, England. He was the illegitimate son of Sir Richard Egerton and an unmarried woman named Alice Sparks. He was acknowledged by his father’s family, who paid for his education. He studied Liberal Arts at Brasenose College, Oxford, and received a Bachelor’s Degree in 1559. He then studied law at Lincoln's Inn and became a barrister.[1] He was a Roman Catholic, until a point in 1570 when his lack of conformity with the Church of England became an issue when his Inn passed on a complaint from the Privy Council.[2]

He built a respectable legal practice pleading cases in the Courts of Queen’s Bench, Chancery and Exchequer. After Queen Elizabeth I saw him plead a case against the crown he was made Queen's Counsel. In 1579 he was made a Master of the Bench of Lincoln’s Inn. On 28 June 1581 he was appointed Solicitor General.

He married Elizabeth Ravenscroft and by her fathered:

• Thomas, who married Elizabeth Venables; their daughter, Mary, was married to Thomas Leigh, 1st Baron Leigh
• John (his heir),
• Mary, who married Sir Francis Leigh.

As Solicitor General, Egerton became a frequent legal advocate for the crown, often arguing cases instead of the Attorney General. He was one of the prosecutors of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1586. He was also the prosecutor in the trial of Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel, for high treason. He was made Attorney General on 2 June 1592, he was knighted the next year. He was made Master of the Rolls on 10 April 1594 where he excelled as an equity judge and became a patron of the young Francis Bacon. After the death of the Lord Keeper Puckering he was appointed Lord Keeper of the Great Seal and made a Privy Councillor on 6 May 1596, remaining Master of the Rolls and thus the sole judge in the Court of Chancery.

During this time his first wife died, and he married Elizabeth Wolley, the widow of Sir John Wolley, and daughter of Sir William More of Loseley, Surrey. He bought Tatton Park, in 1598. It would stay in the family for more than three centuries.[3] Also at this time - 1597 or 1598 - he hired John Donne as secretary. This arrangement ended in some embarrassment, since Donne secretly married Ann More, Elizabeth's niece, in 1601.

Elizabeth died around the beginning of 1600, and then Egerton married Alice Spencer, whose first husband had been Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby.[4][5] She survived him by two decades, and was an important patron of the arts, usually known as the Dowager Countess of Derby.

As Lord Keeper, Egerton’s judgements were admired, but Common-law judges often resented him reversing their decisions. He also attempted to expand the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery to include the imposition of fines to enforce his injunctions. In the 9th Parliament of the reign of Elizabeth (1597–1598) he supported legal reform and the royal power to create monopolies.

Sir Thomas was a friend of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and often interceded to mend relations between Essex and the Queen. After Essex returned from Ireland in disgrace he was placed in the Lord Keeper’s custody, under house arrest at York House, Strand.[6] He was one of the judges at Essex’s first trial, and tried to persuade him to apologise and beg mercy from the Queen. He pronounced the sentence against Essex, although it was dictated by the Queen. During Essex’s rebellion, he was sent to persuade Essex to surrender, but was instead held hostage for several hours until one of Essex’s supporters freed him to gain pardon from the Queen.

When James VI of Scotland succeeded to the throne of England as James I he kept Egerton in office, and made him Lord Chancellor and Baron Ellesmere on 19 July 1603. He was removed from the office of Master of the Rolls on 18 May 1603, but as the office was granted to an absentee Scottish Lord he continued to perform its duties. He shortly after presided over the trial of Barons Cobham and Grey de Wilton for high treason for their part in the Main Plot.

In the first Parliament of James I Lord Ellesmere attempted to exercise the right of the Lord Chancellor to disqualify members from sitting in the House of Commons, but in the end yielded that right to the House itself. He attempted to persuade Parliament to support the King’s plans for a union of England and Scotland, but was unsuccessful. In 1606 he ruled that Scottish subjects born after the succession of James I were naturalised English subjects.

Lord Ellesmere supported the Royal Prerogative, but was concerned to define it, and ensure it was never confused with the ordinary legal processes.[7] Towards the end of his life, he stood out against the arguments made by Sir Edward Coke, the Lord Chief Justice, and ultimately aided the King in securing his dismissal. He attempted to resign several times after this, as he became increasingly old and infirm, and the King finally accepted his resignation on 5 March 1617, after creating him Viscount Brackley on 7 November 1616. He was promised the earldom of Bridgewater, but showed little interest, and died twelve days after leaving office on 15 March 1617. He is buried in Dodleston, Cheshire.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Egerton,_1st_Viscount_Brackley

• _________________________
• Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley1
• M, #105354, b. 1540, d. 15 March 1616/17
• Last Edited=7 Jul 2011
• Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley was born illegitimately in 1540.1 He was the son of Sir Richard Egerton and Alice Sparke.1 He married, firstly, Elizabeth Ravenscroft, daughter of Thomas Ravenscroft and Catharine Grosvenor, before 1576.1 He married, secondly, Elizabeth More, daughter of Sir William More and Margaret Daniell, circa 1596.3 He married, thirdly, Alice Spencer, daughter of Sir John Spencer and Katherine Kitson, on 20 October 1600.3 He died on 15 March 1616/17 at York House, Whitehall, London, England.3 He was buried on 10 April 1617 at Doddleston, Chester, England.3
• He was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England.1 He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1572 entitled to practice as a Barrister-at-Law.1 He held the office of Solicitor-General between 1581 and 1592.1 He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Cheshire between 1584 and 1587.1 He held the office of Treasurer of Lincoln's Inn in 1587.1 He held the office of Attorney-General between 1592 and 1594.1 He held the office of Master of the Rolls between 1594 and 1603.1 He held the office of Chamberlain of Chester between 1594 and 1603.1 He was invested as a Knight on 18 May 1594.1 He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (P.C.) on 6 May 1596.1 He held the office of Lord Keeper between 6 May 1596 and 24 July 1603.1 On 18 December 1598 he inherited the estate of Tatton, Chester (and others) from Richard Brereton (his brother-in-law).1 He was created 1st Baron of Ellesmere, co. Shropshire [England] on 21 July 1603.1 He held the office of Lord Chancellor from 24 July 1603 to 3 March 1616/17.1 He held the office of Lord High Steward on 9 November 1603, for the trial of peers.1 He held the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire between 1607 and 1616.1 He held the office of Chancellor of Oxford University between 1610 and 1617.1 He held the office of Lord High Steward on 24 May 1616, for the trial of peers.1 He was created 1st Viscount Brackley [England] on 7 November 1616.1
• Children of Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley and Elizabeth Ravenscroft
  • 1.Hon. Mary Egerton+4
  • 2.Sir Thomas Egerton+3 b. b 1579, d. Aug 1599
  • 3.John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgwater+3 b. 1579, d. 4 Dec 1649
• Citations
• 1.[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume II, page 271. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
• 2.[S3409] Caroline Maubois, "re: Penancoet Family," e-mail message to Darryl Roger Lundy, 2 December 2008. Hereinafter cited as "re: Penancoet Family."
• 3.[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume II, page 272.
• 4.[S15] George Edward Cokayne, editor, The Complete Baronetage, 5 volumes (no date (c. 1900); reprint, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 1983), volume IV, page 89. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Baronetage.
• From: http://www.thepeerage.com/p10536.htm#i105354
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• EGERTON, Thomas I (1540-1617), of Lincoln's Inn, Islington, York House and Harefield, Mdx. and of Chester.
• b. 23 Jan. 1540, illegit. s. of Sir Richard Egerton of Ridley, Cheshire by Alice Sparke. educ. Brasenose, Oxf. 1556; L. Inn 1560, called 1572. m. (1) bef. 1576, Elizabeth (d.1588), da. of Thomas Ravenscroft of Bretton, Flints., 2s. John and Thomas II 1da.; (2) privately 1597, Elizabeth (d.1600), da. of William More I, sis. of Sir George More of Loseley, wid. of Richard Polsted and John Wolley, s.p.; (3) 1600, Alice, da. of Sir John Spencer†, of Althorp, Northants., wid. of Ferdinando, 5th Earl of Derby, s.p. Kntd. 1594; cr. Baron Ellesmere 1603, Visct. Brackley 1616.2
• From: http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/eg...
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• Spencer (pre 1603)
• Spencer, of Althorp, co. Northampton (pre 1603)
• Sir John Spencer MP, of Wormleighton, co. Warwick, and Althorp, co. Northampton
• born 1524
• mar. bef. Oct 1545 Katherine Kitson (bur. at Great Brington, co. Northampton), first cousin of Margaret Kitson, wife of John Washington, of Warton, co. Lancaster, the direct ancestor of Gen George Washington, 1st President of the United States of America, and 1st dau. of Sir Thomas Kitson, of Hengrave, co. Suffolk, Sheriff of London 1533, by his wife Margaret Donnington, later Countess of Bath, only child and hrss. of John Donnington, of Stoke Newington, co. Middlesex, and Donnington, co. York
• children
  • 1. Sir John Spencer MP, .... etc.
  • 6. Alice Spencer (d. 26 Mar 1637; bur. at Harefield, co. Middlesex), mar. (1) bef. 1580 Ferdinando [Stanley], 5th Earl of Derby, and (2) 20 Oct 1600 as his third wife Thomas [Egerton], 1st Viscount Brackley, and had issue by her first husband
• ________________
• The Visitation of the county of Warwick in the year 1619. Taken by William Camden, Clarenceaux king of arms (1877) Vol. 12
• http://archive.org/details/visitationcount01britgoog
  • Spencer - CHART Pg.282-285
• http://archive.org/stream/visitationcount01britgoog#page/n311/mode/1up
• Pg.285
• Joh's Spencer de Elthorp in Comitat. Northamp. miles. = Katherina fil. Tho. Kitson de Comitat. Suff. militis.; ch: Alicia (m. Ferdinan. Comitis Darbiae & Tho. Egerton), Mary (m. Edw. Aston), Joh'es (m. Margareta Catlin), Katherina (m. Tho. Leigh), Elizab. (m. Georgij Carye), Margareta (m. Egidij Alington & Edw. Elrington), Anna (m. Will'i Monteagle & Henrici Compton & Rob'ti Dorset). Willi'm (m. Margareta Bowier), Ricus (m. Elinora Brokett), Thomas (m. Maria' Cheeke) Spencer.
• Alicia uxor Ferdinan. Comitis Darbiae 2 ux. Tho. Egerton Dn's Ellesmer et Cancellarius Angliae.
• ________________
• Collins's peerage of England; genealogical, biographical, and historical (1812)
• http://archive.org/details/collinsspeerage_01coll
• http://archive.org/stream/collinsspeerage_01coll#page/n411/mode/1up
• Pg.386
• Sir John Spencer, the only son, .... etc.
• http://archive.org/stream/collinsspeerage_01coll#page/n412/mode/1up
• Pg. 387
• He died November 8th, 1586, having married Katherine daughter of Sir Thomas Kitson, of Hengrave in Suffolk, Knight, by whom he had issue; first Sir John Spencer, Knight; second, Thomas Spencer, of Claredon in Warwickshire, Esq.; third, Sir William Spencer, of Yarnton, com. oxford, Knight, fourth, Richard Spencer, of Offley in Hertfordshire, Esq.; fifth, Edward Spencer, who died without issue; sixth, Margaret married to Giles Allington of Horseheath in Cambridgeshire, Esq. and afterwards to Edward Eldrington, Esq.; seventh, Elizabeth married to George Lord Hunsdon; eighth, Katherine, wife of Sir Thomas Leigh, of Stoneley in Warwickshire, Knight; ninth, Mary married to Sir Edward Aston of Tixhall in Staffordshire, Knight; tenth, Anne, wife of William Lord Monteagle who had no issue by her; and afterwards married to Henry Lord Compton; and lastly to Robert Sackville, son and heir of Thomas Lord Buckhurst, lord treasurer; eleventh, Alice, married to Ferdinando, Earl of Derby, and then to Sir Thomas Egerton, Knight, lord keeper of the great seal.
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• Links
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Leigh,_1st_Baron_Leigh
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Egerton,_1st_Earl_of_Bridgwater
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Leigh_(died_1625)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Wolley
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_More_(died_1600)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wolley_(MP)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Spencer
• ___________________________________

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The title Earl of Bridgewater was created secondly in 1617 for John Egerton, Baron Ellesmere and Viscount Brackley, after the town of Bridgwater in Somerset, where he owned estates.[1] The Egerton family descended from Sir Richard Egerton of Ridley, Cheshire, whose illegitimate son Sir Thomas Egerton was a prominent lawyer who served as Master of the Rolls from 1594 to 1603, as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal from 1593 to 1603 and as Lord High Chancellor of England from 1603 to 1617. Thomas Egerton was knighted in 1594, admitted to the Privy Council in 1596 and in 1603 he was raised to the Peerage of England as Baron Ellesmere, in the County of Shropshire, and in 1616 to Viscount Brackley. In 1598 he had inherited the Tatton estate in Cheshire from his brother-in-law Richard Brereton. He was succeeded by his son, John who represented Callington and Shropshire in the House of Commons and served as Lord-Lieutenant of several counties in Wales and western England and who in 1617 was made Earl of Bridgewater in the Peerage of England.Family History:

Sir John was the son of Hugh Massey of Tatton, who died about 1371, and by his elder brother's death succeeded to the paternal estates. (fn. 27) His marriage with Alice de Worsley took place in or before 1372. (fn. 28) He was sheriff of Cheshire in 1389. (fn. 29) He sided with Richard II in 1399 and was imprisoned in Chester Castle; (fn. 30) four years later he joined in the Hotspur rising and was killed at the battle of Shrewsbury. (fn. 31) Thomas his eldest son incurred forfeiture on the like account, (fn. 32) but was restored, and dying in 1420, was succeeded by his brother Geoffrey. (fn. 33) Their mother Alice died eight years later, Geoffrey being then forty years of age. (fn. 34) On his death in 1457 without lawful issue (fn. 35) the Worsley manors went to his nephew William son of Richard Massey. (fn. 36) William died eleven years later; (fn. 37) his son and heir Sir Geoffrey (fn. 38) left an only child Joan, who by her first husband, William Stanley, (fn. 39) also left an only daughter Joan, heiress of Worsley, aged eighteen at her mother's death in 1511. (fn. 40) By John Ashton, her first husband, who died in 1513, Joan Stanley, the daughter, had no issue; but by her second, Sir Richard Brereton, a younger son of Sir Randle Brereton of Malpas, she had two sons and a daughter. (fn. 41) The eldest, Richard, died without issue, before his parents; (fn. 42) the second, Geoffrey, died in 1565, leaving an only son Richard, who at his grandfather's death in 1570 succeeded to Worsley. (fn. 43) He married Dorothy daughter of Sir Richard Egerton, of Ridley in Cheshire, but their only child Richard died in infancy. It was no doubt by Dorothy's influence that the Worsley manors were then granted by will to her father's illegitimate son, Sir Thomas Egerton, a distinguished lawyer, who rose to be Lord Chancellor, and was created Viscount Brackley in 1616. (fn. 44) Richard Brereton died in 1598; his widow Dorothy afterwards married Sir Peter Legh of Lyme, and dying in 1639 was buried at Eccles with her former husband. (fn. 45)

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Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley was born illegitimately in 1540.1 He was the son of Sir Richard Egerton and Alice Sparke.1 He married, firstly, Elizabeth Ravenscroft, daughter of Thomas Ravenscroft and Catharine Grosvenor, before 1576.1 He married, secondly, Elizabeth More, daughter of Sir William More and Margaret Daniell, circa 1596.3 He married, thirdly, Alice Spencer, daughter of Sir John Spencer and Katherine Kitson, on 20 October 1600.3 He died on 15 March 1616/17 at York House, Whitehall, London, EnglandG.3 He was buried on 10 April 1617 at Doddleston, Chester, EnglandG.3

    He was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire, EnglandG.1 He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1572 entitled to practise as a Barrister-at-Law.1 He held the office of Solicitor-General between 1581 and 1592.1 He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Cheshire between 1584 and 1587.1 He held the office of Treasurer of Lincoln's Inn in 1587.1 He held the office of Attorney-General between 1592 and 1594.1 He held the office of Master of the Rolls between 1594 and 1603.1 He held the office of Chamberlain of Chester between 1594 and 1603.1 He was appointed Knight on 18 May 1594.1 He was appointed Privy Counsellor (P.C.) on 6 May 1596.1 He held the office of Lord Keeper between 6 May 1596 and 24 July 1603.1 On 18 December 1598 he inherited the estate of Tatton, Chester (and others) from Richard Brereton (his brother-in-law).1 He was created 1st Baron of Ellesmere, co. Shropshire [England] on 21 July 1603.1 He held the office of Lord Chancellor from 24 July 1603 to 3 March 1616/17.1 He held the office of Lord High Steward on 9 November 1603, for the trial of peers.1 He held the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire between 1607 and 1616.1 He held the office of Chancellor of Oxford University between 1610 and 1617.1 He held the office of Lord High Steward on 24 May 1616, for the trial of peers.1 He was created 1st Viscount Brackley [England] on 7 November 1616.1