John Jervis Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache, was a British Conservative Member of Parliament and a major landowner and estate manager in Cheshire, becoming Baron Tollemache of Helmingham Hall in Suffolk.
Background
Born John Jervis Halliday, he was the son of Admiral John Richard Delap Halliday (who in 1821 assumed by Royal licence the surname and arms of Tollemache in lieu of Halliday), eldest son of Lady Jane Halliday, youngest daughter and co-heir of Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart. His mother was Lady Elizabeth Stratford, daughter of John Stratford, 3rd Earl of Aldborough.
Career
Little is known of his education and it is thought that he received a private education which did not lead to university. He inherited considerable wealth, including Helmingham Hall in Suffolk and estates in Northamptonshire, Cheshire and Ireland. Tollemache served as High Sheriff of Cheshire for 1840 and was then elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Cheshire South from 1841 to 1868, and Cheshire West from 1868 to 1872.
In 1876 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Tollemache, of Helmingham Hall in the county of Suffolk.
Lord Tollemache married Georgina Louisa Best, daughter of Thomas Best, in 1826. They had five children together.
John. R. Doctorate. Tollemache, married Eleanor Starnes, the daughter of Honorary
Tollemache was the largest landowner in Cheshire, owning 28,651 acres (11595 km2). His estate exceeded those of the Duke of Westminster who owned 15,138 acres (6126 km2), Lord Crewe with 10,148 acres (4107 km2) and Lord Cholmondeley with 16,992 acres (6876 km2).
He believed in a self-reliant labouring class and made popular the idea of his tenants having a cottage with sufficient land to keep a few animals. His catch-phrase for this was "three acres and a cow", a policy he carried out in Framsden, the estate village of Helmingham Hall.
In addition to building many cottages with land attached he built over 50 farmhouses.
On this project he spent £280,000. Tollemache"s major building project was a family home in the form of a Norman-style castle, Peckforton Castle, on a massive scale on Peckforton Hills in his Cheshire estate. lieutenant cost around £60,000 (£5,700,000 as of 2016), and is described as the last serious fortified home built in England.
Membership
14th United Kingdom Parliament. 15th United Kingdom Parliament. 16th United Kingdom Parliament.
17th United Kingdom Parliament.
18th United Kingdom Parliament. 19th United Kingdom Parliament.
20th United Kingdom Parliament.
Personality
He was considered to be a good estate manager. William Ewart Gladstone described him as "the greatest estate manager of his day". He was generous to his tenants and advocated improvement of their social conditions.