Page:The Complete Peerage Ed 2 Vol 2.djvu/330

 314 BRIDGWATER Rachael, da. of Wriothesley (Russell), 2nd Duke of Bedford, by Elizabeth, only da. and h. of John Rowland, of Streatham. He d. i ijan. 1744/5, aged 63. Will pr. 1745. His widow w., 14 Dec. 1745, at St. James's, Westm., Sir Richard Lytteltox, K.B., who d. s.p., i Oct. i770.{^) She d. his widow, 22, and was bur. 28 May 1777, at Little Gaddesden. Will pr. 1777. [John Egerton, ;/)'/^i3' Viscount Brackley, ist s. and h. ap. by ist wife, b. 3 Feb. 1703/4, d. young and v.p., while at school at Eton, 30 Jan., and was bur. 5 Feb. 17 18/9, aged 15, at Little Gaddesden. M.I.] [Charles Egerton, 5/}'/<?d' Marquess of Brackley, 3rd, but istsurv. s. and h.ap., being ist s. by 2nd wife, i^. 27 July 1725. He^. an infant, and v.p., 2 May 1 73 1, of small pox, after inoculation, aged 5.] DUKEDOM. 11. EARLDOM. VL ri745- 2. John (Egerton), Duke of Bridgwater, iSifc., 4th, but 1st surv. s. and h., being 2nd s. by the 2nd wife, b. 29 Apr. 1727. He d. unm. and a minor, of fever, 26 Feb., and was bur. 4 Mar. i-j^-j/S, at Little Gaddesden, aged 20. Admon. Mar. 1748 to his mother. DUKEDOxM. III. 3. Francis (Egerton), Duke of Bridgwater, icfc., yst. and only surv. br. and h. He was b. 21 May 1736. He d. unm., of influenza, at his house in Cleveland Row, St. James's, 8, and was bur. 16 Mar. 1803, in his 67th year, at Little Gaddesden.(^) M.I.(^) Will dat. 28 Jan. 1803, pr. i8o3.('') At his death the Dukedom of Bridgwater, and the Marquessate of Brackley became extinct, the Earldom devolving: as under. EARLDOM VIL 1748 to 1803. (^) "You will be happy too in Sir Richard Lyttleton and his Duchess; they are the best humoured people in the world." (Horace Walpole to Sir Horace Mann, 14 May 1761). V.G. C") As for his politics, he supported the Court, protested against the repeal of the Stamp Act, voted with Pitt aaainst Fox's India Bill ot 1783, and for the Regency Bill. V.G. (■=) On his monument is this line, "Impulit ille rates ubi duxit aratra colonus." ('^) He is justly called the founder of inland navigation in this country, as through his enterprise, assisted by James Brindley (^/. at Turnhurst, co. Stafford, 27 Sep. 1 772, aged 56) as engineer, the first canal was opened in 1761, which was rapidly followed by many others. The profits therefrom were enormous, his return to the income tax being ;ri 10,000 a year. He left the estate of Brackley, Northants, that of Worsley, co. Lancaster (together with the canal property, worth some ^75,000 a year), "Bridgwater House," in Cleveland Row, St. James's, his pictures (valued at ^Ti 50,000, and afterwards called "The Stafford Gallery"), his plate, ir'c, to his nephew, Lord Gower (a few months afterwards Marquess of Stafford and subse- quently [1833] cr. Duke of Sutherland), with rem. to his said nephew's 2nd s.,