Sir Thomas Joseph de Trafford, 1st Baronet (22 March 1778–10 November 1852) was a member of a prominent family of English Roman Catholics. He was born at Croston Hall near
ChorleyChorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry. As recently as the 1970s the skyline was dominated by numerous factory chimneys, but most are now demolished: remnants of the industrial past include Morrison's chimney and a...
,
LancashireLancashire 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. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
on 22 March 1778, son of John Trafford and Elizabeth Tempest, and was christened
Thomas Joseph Trafford (no
de). Thomas claimed to be a direct descendant of
Edward IEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial...
(15 generations removed).
Thomas married Laura Anne Colman, daughter of Francis Colman of
HillersdonHillersdon House is a Victorian manor house overlooking Cullompton in Devon, England. It was designed by the notable theatre architect Samuel Beasley. Building work took place from 1848-1852, and it is a Grade II* listed building....
,
DevonDevon is a large county in England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, although that is an unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county itself and often indicating a traditional or historical context. The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to...
, on 17 August 1803 and the couple lived at Trafford Hall, in
Trafford ParkTrafford 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....
.
Sir Thomas Joseph de Trafford, 1st Baronet (22 March 1778–10 November 1852) was a member of a prominent family of English Roman Catholics. He was born at Croston Hall near
ChorleyChorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry. As recently as the 1970s the skyline was dominated by numerous factory chimneys, but most are now demolished: remnants of the industrial past include Morrison's chimney and a...
,
LancashireLancashire 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. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
on 22 March 1778, son of John Trafford and Elizabeth Tempest, and was christened
Thomas Joseph Trafford (no
de). Thomas claimed to be a direct descendant of
Edward IEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial...
(15 generations removed).
Marriage and family
Thomas married Laura Anne Colman, daughter of Francis Colman of
HillersdonHillersdon House is a Victorian manor house overlooking Cullompton in Devon, England. It was designed by the notable theatre architect Samuel Beasley. Building work took place from 1848-1852, and it is a Grade II* listed building....
,
DevonDevon is a large county in England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, although that is an unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county itself and often indicating a traditional or historical context. The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to...
, on 17 August 1803 and the couple lived at Trafford Hall, in
Trafford ParkTrafford 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....
. They had nine daughters and five sons, including:
- Elizabeth Jane, born about 1804, died September 1813, aged 9
- Laura Anne, who married Thomas William Riddell of Felton, Northumberland
Felton 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
- Humphrey Francis, born 1 May 1808, died 4 May 1886, who became the Second Baronet
- Jemima, who in 1829 married her cousin Henry Tempest of Heaton
Heaton is a mostly residential district and council ward of Bolton, Greater Manchester, lying about 2 miles to the north west of the town centre. It is bounded by Deane to the south, Markland Hill to the west and Smithills and Halliwell to the north....
(near Bolton), Lancashire , who was a JPA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Lancashire
- Maria, born about 1811, died 9 May 1826, aged 15
- Thomas William, born 23 August 1813, died 1844
- Jane Seymour, who in 1842 married George Archer Shee, eldest son of Sir Martin Archer Shee
Sir Martin Archer Shee RA was a British portrait painter and president of the Royal Academy.He was born in Dublin, of an old Catholic Irish family, and his father, a merchant, regarded the profession of a painter as an unsuitable occupation for a descendant of the Shees...
, a former President of the Royal AcademyThe Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London, England. 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...
. Jane and George's great-grandson George 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 Boythumb|1st ediion 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, Osbourne.-Performance History:...
.
- Caroline , married William Gerard Walmesley of Westwood, Lancashire, son of Charles Walmesley (1781-1833), on 18 October 1838, and died in 1883
- John Randolphus, born 11 April 1820, married Lady Adelaide Cathcart, daughter of General Sir Charles Murray Cathcart, 2nd Earl Cathcart
Charles 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). Suceeded to the Croston Estates, previously held jointly by his father with the Trafford estates. Eldest son Sigismund de Trafford.
- Charles Cecil, born 18 December 1821, died 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, married Gertrude Mary Walmesley, daughter of Herman Walmesley, on 19 September 1876, died 19 January 1895 at Haselour Hall, Tamworth
Tamworth 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. At the 2001 census the town had a population of...
- Sybilla Catherine, who married Reverend John Sparling, third son of William Sparling of Petton Park, Shropshire
Shropshire , alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated, in print only, Shrops, is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Wales to the west. Shropshire is one of England's most rural and sparsely populated counties with a population density of 91/km²...
in 1843
- Belinda
- Harriet, who married James Cunningham, a captain in the Fourth Dragoon Guards, in 1853
Estates
After his father's death on 29 October 1815, and despite his position as the fifth son, Thomas went on to inherit his father's estate. Two elder brothers both named Joseph had died in infancy and two others, Humphrey and John, had both died before their father.
Slater's Directory for 1845 names Thomas Ayres as Sir T.J. de Trafford's land agent in
StretfordStretford 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's
The Mansions of England and Wales (1847), Thomas is noted as the owner of Trafford Hall in the parish of
EcclesEccles 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, five miles west of
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
. The mansion is described as built of stone with a front featuring a classical portico with columns and a pediment.
Tithe mapsThe 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, made available by Cheshire County Council, show that Thomas owned more than 700 plots in the
BollinThe River Bollin is a major tributary of the River Mersey in the north-west of England.The town of Macclesfield used to dispose all its waste and sewage into the Bollin. The profusion of human sewage in the Bollin was still around in 1850....
valley near
WilmslowWilmslow is a town in Cheshire, England. It lies to the south of the city of Manchester between Alderley Edge and Handforth. At the 2001 Census, the population of the town was 30,326....
, amounting to about 430 acres.
Thomas is recorded as having divided the Manors of Trafford and
StretfordStretford 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
PembertonPemberton is an area of Wigan, and an electoral ward of the wider 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
HindleyHindley 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 and is within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire...
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.
Public office and creation of baronetcy
Thomas Trafford served in the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry Cavalry, receiving a commission as a Major-Commandant on 23 August 1817.
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 LancashireThe 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 LieutenantIn 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 TraffordThe de Trafford Baronetcy, of Trafford Park in the County Palatine of Lancaster, 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 hailed from a particular place, was generally dropped in England. The resumption of such older versions of family names was a
romanticRomanticism is a complex artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during 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 is an area of central London, England, 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. Laura died on 22 October 1852 and Thomas died at
Trafford ParkTrafford 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....
on 10 November 1852.