George Harry Booth-Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford and 3rd Earl of Warrington was an English cricketer, landowner and peer, who sat on the Whig benches in the House of Lords.
Background
George Harry Booth-Grey was born at Enville, Staffordshire, the only son of George Grey (1802–1835), who as Lord Grey of Groby had been summoned by writ to Parliament in 1832. He succeeded to that title (created 1603) as 9th Baron Grey of Groby at the death of his father on 24 October 1835.
Education
He was educated at Eton (1840-1843) before going up to Trinity College, Cambridge for one year.
Career
Having played cricket for Cambridge University, Lord Stamford and Warrington was elected President of Marylebone Cricket Club in 1851. In eight matches for Master Control Console between 1851 and 1858, he is recorded as having made 81 first class runs at an average of 7.36, with a highest score of 17. He played alongside fellow peers such as Lord Burghley, Lord Guernsey and Earl Winterton.
He served as a Captain in the Cheshire Yeomanry (1845-1856), before being appointed Honorary Colonel of the 7th Battalion, Lancashire Rifles (Volunteers) in 1871.
The church was completed in 1855. He was patron of several advowsons in addition to lordships of manors.
In 1856, following his contentious second marriage, he built Bradgate House near Groby. In 1860 twelve farms of his land at Bradgate were submerged to form Cropston Reservoir.
In 1879 he donated 16 acres (65,000 m2) of his land at Stalybridge to the local council as a public park (Stamford Park) and sold further land for housing development.
On his death at Bradgate Park in 1883, the earldom of Warrington (cr 1796) became extinct. He left his estates to his widow for life, who was then styled Dowager Countess of Stamford and Warrington, and on her death in 1905 they were divided. The land at Stalybridge was left equally between Mrs Duncombe and Lady Lambert, whose descendants (Deramore and Foley Grey respectively) settled its division in 1959.