Thomas de Trafford
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Joseph de Trafford, 1st Baronet, DL
(22 March 1778 – 10 November 1852) was a member of a prominent family of English Roman Catholics. He served as commander of the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry
at the time of the Peterloo Massacre
. He was born at Croston Hall near Chorley
, Lancashire
on 22 March 1778, son of John Trafford and Elizabeth Tempest, and was christened Thomas Joseph Trafford (no de).
, Devon
, on 17 August 1803, and the couple lived at Trafford Hall, in Trafford Park
. They had nine daughters and five sons, including:
By 12 November 1819, he is recorded as selling the advowson
of the parish of St Bartholomew's Church, Wilmslow
to Edward Vigor Fox for £6,000. This gave the right to nominate the rector when the parish became vacant, and was a right conferred by lordship of the manor
in many cases. Selling that right was legal, so long as the post was not already vacant. However, in this case it appears that Trafford and Fox drew up the sale after they learned that Joseph Bradshaw, the incumbent, was close to death. The sale was concluded at ten to three in the afternoon, and Bradshaw died at half past eleven the same night. Fox's subsequent nomination of George Uppleby as rector was contested by the Bishop of Chester
, and the case wound through the courts during the 1820s. Eventually on 3 June 1829, the House of Lords
heard Fox's appeal of earlier decisions voiding the appointment. The Lords could not find any evidence that Uppleby had conspired with Trafford and Fox to buy the appointment (an offence known as simony
) and so they ruled in favor of Fox and Trafford.
Slater's Directory for 1845 names Thomas Ayres as Sir T. J. de Trafford's land agent in Stretford
. In Edward Twycross
's The Mansions of England and Wales (1847), Thomas is noted as the owner of Trafford Hall in the parish of Eccles
on the southern bank of the Irwell
, 5 miles (8 km) west of Manchester
. The mansion is described as built of stone with a front featuring a classical portico with columns and a pediment. Tithe maps
from the mid-19th century show that Thomas owned more than 700 plots in the Bollin
valley near Wilmslow
, amounting to about 430 acres (1.7 km²).
Thomas is recorded as having divided the Manors of Trafford and Stretford
, giving land including a portion of Croston Manor to his son John Randolphus. In 1853, John Randolphus applied for a £5,000 government loan to drain lands in "Croston, Penwortham, Wigan." In 1874, John Randolphus reunited Croston Manor for the first time since 1318 by purchasing the remainder from trustees of Thomas Norris.
It appears that Thomas Trafford was alert to the financial opportunities presented by the burgeoning coal mining industry. He leased mining rights at the Pemberton
Four Feet Mine in Hindley
to a partnership of Byrom, Taylor and Byrom for 33 years from 24 December 1849. Trafford was entitled to rent of "£75 per foot per Cheshire acre, and £100 per annum at the least." This venture evidently did not prove as profitable as the lessors had hoped. Within three years the partnership was bankrupt and the mine lease was auctioned on 27 October 1852.
on 23 August 1817. The yeomanry had been formed in response to the perceived threat of riot after the Blanketeers
' march of 10 March 1817.
By 1819, social discontent because of rising food prices and lack of suffrage had fueled a rise in radical groups in northern England. On 16 August 1819, Major Trafford was sent a note by a magistrate, local coalowner William Hulton
, urging him to dispatch the cavalry regiment to a public meeting being addressed by the orator Henry Hunt
. Major Trafford did send his 116 troops in response, but he appears not to have been present for the disastrous attack on the assembled crowd. Fifteen people died and hundreds were wounded. The government and landowners viewed the yeomanry's actions at Peterloo as a courageous defence against insurrection. Following the Peterloo Massacre
, on 27 August 1819, Lord Sidmouth
sent a message of thanks from the Prince Regent to Major Trafford, among others. However, public horror at the actions of the yeomanry grew after the massacre. Major Trafford resigned his commission in 1820, and the yeomanry corps was disbanded on 9 June 1824.
in 1834. He is also recorded as serving as Deputy Lieutenant
of Lancashire.
He was created the First Baronet de Trafford
on 7 September 1841. On 8 October 1841, Queen Victoria issued a royal license to "Sir Thomas Joseph Trafford ... that he may henceforth resume the ancient patronymic of his family, by assuming and using the surname of De Trafford, instead of that of 'Trafford' and that such surname may be henceforth taken and used by his issue." The Anglicisation to Trafford had probably occurred in the 15th century, when the Norman article "de", signifying that a family originated from a particular place, was generally dropped in England. The resumption of such older versions of family names was a romantic
trend in 19th-century England, encouraged by a mistaken belief that the article "de" indicated nobility.
, London from 1847 to 1852. In 1852, Thomas was thrown from his horse and broke several ribs. While he was convalescing, his wife, Laura, died on 22 October 1852. The family delayed Laura's burial to 5 November, and Thomas died five days later at Trafford Park
on 10 November 1852. Thomas Trafford's funeral was held on 19 November 1852, with a procession departing Trafford Park at 8:30am. An immense crowd attended the service at Manchester Cathedral
.
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(22 March 1778 – 10 November 1852) was a member of a prominent family of English Roman Catholics. He served as commander of the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry
Manchester and Salford Yeomanry
The Manchester and Salford Yeomanry cavalry was a short-lived yeomanry regiment formed in response to social unrest in northern England in 1817. The volunteer regiment became notorious for its involvement in the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, in which as many as 15 people were killed and 400–700 were...
at the time of the Peterloo Massacre
Peterloo Massacre
The Peterloo Massacre occurred at St Peter's Field, Manchester, England, on 16 August 1819, when cavalry charged into a crowd of 60,000–80,000 that had gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation....
. He was born at Croston Hall near Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
on 22 March 1778, son of John Trafford and Elizabeth Tempest, and was christened Thomas Joseph Trafford (no de).
Marriage and family
Thomas married Laura Anne Colman, daughter of Francis Colman of HillersdonHillersdon House
Hillersdon House is a Victorian manor house overlooking Cullompton in Devon, England. It was designed by the notable theatre architect Samuel Beazley. Building work took place from 1848–1852, and it is a Grade II* listed building....
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, on 17 August 1803, and the couple lived at Trafford Hall, in Trafford Park
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
. They had nine daughters and five sons, including:
- Elizabeth Jane, born 22 October 1804, died September 1813, aged 9
- Laura Anne, born 23 November 1805, who married Thomas William Riddell of Felton, NorthumberlandFelton, NorthumberlandFelton is a small village in north Northumberland in North East England. Felton is situated about 10 miles south of the town of Alnwick, and 9 miles north of Morpeth. The nearest city is Newcastle upon Tyne and the Scottish border is about an hour away. At the last UK Census in 2001, Felton had a...
on 4 September 1845 at All Saints Catholic Chapel, Barton-upon-Frode and died 16 May 1877 - Jemima, born 30 January 1807, died 17 January 1883, who in 1829 married her cousin Henry Tempest of HeatonHeaton, Greater ManchesterHeaton is a mostly residential district and council ward of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It lies about two miles north west of Bolton town centre...
(near Bolton), Lancashire, who was a JPJustice of the PeaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Lancashire - Humphrey Francis, born 1 May 1808, died 4 May 1886, who became the Second Baronet
- Jane Seymour, born 27 July 1809, who in 1842 married George Archer Shee, eldest son of Sir Martin Archer SheeMartin Archer SheeSir Martin Archer Shee RA was a British portrait painter and president of the Royal Academy.-Biography:...
, a former President of the Royal AcademyRoyal AcademyThe Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
. Jane and George's great-grandson George Archer-SheeGeorge Archer-SheeGeorge Archer-Shee became a British cause célèbre in 1910 when the issue of whether he stole a five shilling postal order ended up being decided in the High Court....
was the subject of a notorious 1910 prosecution for allegedly stealing a 5 shilling postal order. The case formed the basis for the play The Winslow BoyThe Winslow Boythumb|1st edition cover The Winslow Boy is an English play from 1946 by Terence Rattigan based on an actual incident in the Edwardian era, which took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne.-Performance History:...
. - Maria, born 16 November 1810, died 9 May 1826, aged 15
- Caroline, born 29 March 1812, married William Gerard Walmesley of Westwood, Lancashire, son of Charles Walmesley (1781–1833), on 18 October 1838, and died 21 December 1883
- Thomas William, born 23 August 1813, never married, died 7 May 1844
- Sybilla Catherine (or Catherine-Sybilla), born 23 September 1815, who married Reverend John Sparling, third son of William Sparling of Petton Park, ShropshireShropshireShropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
in 1843, and died 22 May 1886 - Belinda, born 29 November 1816, never married, died 19 February 1900
- Harriet (or Harriotte), born 25 August 1818, who married James Cunningham, a captain in the Fourth Dragoon Guards, on 27 April 1853
- John Randolphus, born 11 April 1820, married Lady Adelaide Cathcart, daughter of General Sir Charles Murray Cathcart, 2nd Earl CathcartCharles Cathcart, 2nd Earl CathcartCharles Murray Cathcart, 2nd Earl Cathcart GCB was a British Army general who became Governor General of the Province of Canada and Lieutenant Governor of Canada West .-Life:Cathcart, eldest surviving son of William Schaw Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart, was born at...
and Henrietta Mather, on 13 July 1850, died 3 February 1879 (or possibly 15 February 1871). Succeeded to the Croston Estates, previously held jointly by his father with the Trafford estates. Eldest son Sigismund de Trafford. - Charles Cecil, born 18 or 28 December 1821, never married, died 15 December 1878, a captain in the Third Regiment of the Duke of Lancaster's Own Militia and also an officer in the 1st Dragoons
- Augustus Henry, born 12 April 1823 (or 1828), married Gertrude Mary Walmesley, daughter of Herman Walmesley, on 19 September 1876, died 19 January 1895 at Haselour Hall, TamworthTamworthTamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
Estates
After his father's death on 29 October 1815, and despite his position as the fifth son, Thomas inherited his father's estates in Lancashire and Cheshire. Two elder brothers, both named Joseph, had died in infancy and two others, Humphrey and John, had both died before their father.By 12 November 1819, he is recorded as selling the advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
of the parish of St Bartholomew's Church, Wilmslow
St Bartholomew's Church, Wilmslow
St Bartholomew's Church, Wilmslow, is in the town of Wilmslow, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of...
to Edward Vigor Fox for £6,000. This gave the right to nominate the rector when the parish became vacant, and was a right conferred by lordship of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
in many cases. Selling that right was legal, so long as the post was not already vacant. However, in this case it appears that Trafford and Fox drew up the sale after they learned that Joseph Bradshaw, the incumbent, was close to death. The sale was concluded at ten to three in the afternoon, and Bradshaw died at half past eleven the same night. Fox's subsequent nomination of George Uppleby as rector was contested by the Bishop of Chester
Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
, and the case wound through the courts during the 1820s. Eventually on 3 June 1829, the House of Lords
Judicial functions of the House of Lords
The House of Lords, in addition to having a legislative function, historically also had a judicial function. It functioned as a court of first instance for the trials of peers, for impeachment cases, and as a court of last resort within the United Kingdom. In the latter case the House's...
heard Fox's appeal of earlier decisions voiding the appointment. The Lords could not find any evidence that Uppleby had conspired with Trafford and Fox to buy the appointment (an offence known as simony
Simony
Simony is the act of paying for sacraments and consequently for holy offices or for positions in the hierarchy of a church, named after Simon Magus , who appears in the Acts of the Apostles 8:9-24...
) and so they ruled in favor of Fox and Trafford.
Slater's Directory for 1845 names Thomas Ayres as Sir T. J. de Trafford's land agent in Stretford
Stretford
Stretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, it is to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
. In Edward Twycross
Edward Twycross
Edward Twycross was a Dublin silversmith, solicitor, and author who published a book, "The Mansions of England and Wales" in 1847. This book is used as a historical reference for the stately homes of England and in tracing genealogies of members of the British Aristocracy.This rare book was ...
's The Mansions of England and Wales (1847), Thomas is noted as the owner of Trafford Hall in the parish of Eccles
Eccles, Greater Manchester
Eccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...
on the southern bank of the Irwell
River Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
, 5 miles (8 km) west of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The mansion is described as built of stone with a front featuring a classical portico with columns and a pediment. Tithe maps
Tithe maps
The term Tithe map is usually applied to a map of an English or Welsh parish or township, prepared following the Tithe Commutation Act 1836. This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods. The map and its accompanying schedule gave the names of all owners and occupiers of land in the...
from the mid-19th century show that Thomas owned more than 700 plots in the Bollin
River Bollin
The River Bollin is a major tributary of the River Mersey in the north-west of England.It rises in Macclesfield Forest at the western end of the Peak District, and can be seen in spring form, from the Buxton to Macclesfield road. The stream then descends the through Macclesfield and Wilmslow where...
valley near Wilmslow
Wilmslow
-Economy:Wilmslow is well known, like Alderley Edge, for having many famous residents, notably footballers, stars of Coronation Street and rich North West businessmen. The town is part of the so-called Golden Triangle in the north west together with Alderley Edge and Prestbury...
, amounting to about 430 acres (1.7 km²).
Thomas is recorded as having divided the Manors of Trafford and Stretford
Stretford
Stretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, it is to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
, giving land including a portion of Croston Manor to his son John Randolphus. In 1853, John Randolphus applied for a £5,000 government loan to drain lands in "Croston, Penwortham, Wigan." In 1874, John Randolphus reunited Croston Manor for the first time since 1318 by purchasing the remainder from trustees of Thomas Norris.
It appears that Thomas Trafford was alert to the financial opportunities presented by the burgeoning coal mining industry. He leased mining rights at the Pemberton
Pemberton, Greater Manchester
Pemberton is an area of Wigan, and an electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Douglas, contiguous to Wigan's town centre, and east of the M6 motorway...
Four Feet Mine in Hindley
Hindley, Greater Manchester
Hindley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Lying three miles east of Wigan it covers an area of 1044 hectares. Historically a part of Lancashire, Hindley which includes Hindley Green borders the towns of Ince-in-Makerfield and Leigh within Wigan...
to a partnership of Byrom, Taylor and Byrom for 33 years from 24 December 1849. Trafford was entitled to rent of "£75 per foot per Cheshire acre, and £100 per annum at the least." This venture evidently did not prove as profitable as the lessors had hoped. Within three years the partnership was bankrupt and the mine lease was auctioned on 27 October 1852.
Military service and role in Peterloo Massacre
Thomas Trafford was commissioned Major-Commandant in charge of the newly formed Manchester and Salford YeomanryManchester and Salford Yeomanry
The Manchester and Salford Yeomanry cavalry was a short-lived yeomanry regiment formed in response to social unrest in northern England in 1817. The volunteer regiment became notorious for its involvement in the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, in which as many as 15 people were killed and 400–700 were...
on 23 August 1817. The yeomanry had been formed in response to the perceived threat of riot after the Blanketeers
Blanketeers
The Blanketeers or Blanket March was a demonstration organised in Manchester in March 1817. The intention was for the participants, who were mainly Lancashire weavers, to march to London and petition the Prince Regent over the desperate state of the textile industry in Lancashire, and to protest...
' march of 10 March 1817.
By 1819, social discontent because of rising food prices and lack of suffrage had fueled a rise in radical groups in northern England. On 16 August 1819, Major Trafford was sent a note by a magistrate, local coalowner William Hulton
William Hulton
William Hulton was an English landowner and magistrate.William Hulton was the son of William Hulton and Jane of Hulton Park, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. He was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford...
, urging him to dispatch the cavalry regiment to a public meeting being addressed by the orator Henry Hunt
Henry Hunt (politician)
Henry "Orator" Hunt was a British radical speaker and agitator remembered as a pioneer of working-class radicalism and an important influence on the later Chartist movement. He advocated parliamentary reform and the repeal of the Corn Laws.Hunt was born in Upavon, Wiltshire and became a prosperous...
. Major Trafford did send his 116 troops in response, but he appears not to have been present for the disastrous attack on the assembled crowd. Fifteen people died and hundreds were wounded. The government and landowners viewed the yeomanry's actions at Peterloo as a courageous defence against insurrection. Following the Peterloo Massacre
Peterloo Massacre
The Peterloo Massacre occurred at St Peter's Field, Manchester, England, on 16 August 1819, when cavalry charged into a crowd of 60,000–80,000 that had gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation....
, on 27 August 1819, Lord Sidmouth
Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth
Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, PC was a British statesman, and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1804....
sent a message of thanks from the Prince Regent to Major Trafford, among others. However, public horror at the actions of the yeomanry grew after the massacre. Major Trafford resigned his commission in 1820, and the yeomanry corps was disbanded on 9 June 1824.
Public office and creation of baronetcy
After the repeal of the Test Acts and the passage of the Catholic Relief Act in 1829, the Trafford family became eligible for offices previously barred to them by their religion. Thomas Trafford was appointed High Sheriff of LancashireHigh Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales...
in 1834. He is also recorded as serving as Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Lancashire.
He was created the First Baronet de Trafford
De Trafford Baronets
The de Trafford Baronetcy, of Trafford Park in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was restored after the Catholic Emancipation, by Royal Decree on 7 September 1841, for Thomas de Trafford...
on 7 September 1841. On 8 October 1841, Queen Victoria issued a royal license to "Sir Thomas Joseph Trafford ... that he may henceforth resume the ancient patronymic of his family, by assuming and using the surname of De Trafford, instead of that of 'Trafford' and that such surname may be henceforth taken and used by his issue." The Anglicisation to Trafford had probably occurred in the 15th century, when the Norman article "de", signifying that a family originated from a particular place, was generally dropped in England. The resumption of such older versions of family names was a romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
trend in 19th-century England, encouraged by a mistaken belief that the article "de" indicated nobility.
Later life
Thomas de Trafford is recorded as living at 12 Grosvenor Street, in MayfairMayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, London from 1847 to 1852. In 1852, Thomas was thrown from his horse and broke several ribs. While he was convalescing, his wife, Laura, died on 22 October 1852. The family delayed Laura's burial to 5 November, and Thomas died five days later at Trafford Park
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
on 10 November 1852. Thomas Trafford's funeral was held on 19 November 1852, with a procession departing Trafford Park at 8:30am. An immense crowd attended the service at Manchester Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral is a medieval church on Victoria Street in central Manchester and is the seat of the Bishop of Manchester. The cathedral's official name is The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester...
.