One of the earliest English baronetcies created, Sir Roland Egerton left many male descendants in remainder to his title.
History
Egerton arms
Background
The baronetcy was created on 5 April 1617 for Sir Roland Egerton, whose family were established by the 13th century in Cheshire. The Anglo-Norman chevalier David le Clerc de Malpas migrated to England, and was appointed justice for Cheshire by King Henry III in 1252. Le Clerc held three knights' fees for the county, owing the King their service as and when summoned to war. His second son named Philip le Goch (translated from the brythonic as 'the Red') was lord of the manor of Egerton, Cheshire.
The late 15th-century head of the family, Philip Egerton of Egerton, married Margery, daughter of Sir William Mainwaring; he died in 1474 at the height of the civil strife, leaving a number of sons: the second was Sir Ralph Egerton of Ridley, whose illegitimate son by a concubine, Alice Sparks, was Thomas Egerton, created Viscount Brackley after rising to high office in the Elizabethan court (seeEarls and Dukes of Bridgewater). Their elder son, John Egerton of Egerton (died 1483), married Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Hugh Done of Oulton, and paternal granddaughter of James Touchet, Lord Audley. Their only son was Philip Egerton of Egerton and Oulton (died 1534), who married Joan, a widow of Sir Richard Winnington[1] and daughter and coheir of Gilbert Smith of Cuerdley, Lancashire, leaving only one son: Sir Philip (died 1563) who married Eleanor, daughter of Sir Randle Brereton, of Malpas; their eldest son was John Egerton (died 1590) married Jane, daughter of Sir Piers Mostyn, whose eldest son was Sir John Egerton.
On Lord Wilton's death in 1814 the barony became extinct as he had no sons, while he was succeeded in the viscountcy and earldom according to the special remainder by his grandson Thomas Grosvenor (1799–1882), who adopted the surname of Egerton becoming the second Earl, later passing on the title to his descendants. The baronetcy devolved to his kinsman, Sir John Grey Egerton as 8th Baronet, a descendant of a younger son of the first baronet; he represented Chester in the House of Commons.[3] In 1825 the 9th Baronet was granted by Royal Licence that all subsequent baronets upon succeeding to the title, could assume for themselves only the additional surname of Grey and the arms and supporters of Grey de Wilton. The 10th Baronet, Sir Philip, was a politician and noted palaeontologist.[4] The 16th baronet was a major general in the British Army who inherited the baronetcy at the age of 94; General Egerton opted not to use the customary style of Sir (nor the additional surname of Grey). As of 2016, the title is held by his son Sir William Egerton, the 17th Baronet, who succeeded in 2010.
Sir Reginald Arthur Egerton, another son of the aforementioned Major-General Caledon Egerton (died 1930), was Private Secretary to the Postmaster-General, Surveyor to the General Post Office, London, and Secretary-General to the GPO, Dublin. Sir Stephen Loftus Egerton (1932–2006) (son of William le Belward Egerton, son of William Egerton, son of Philip Henry Egerton, son of William Egerton, third son of Philip Egerton, father of the eighth and ninth Baronets), was a prominent diplomat; he served as HM Ambassador to Iraq from 1980 to 1982 and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1986 to 1989.
Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor 1879–1953 2nd Duke of Westminster, 4th Marquess of Westminster, 5th Earl Grosvenor, Viscount Belgrave, and Baron Grosvenor
William Grosvenor 1894–1963 3rd Duke of Westminster, 5th Marquess of Westminster, 6th Earl Grosvenor, Viscount Belgrave, and Baron Grosvenor
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