Philip Antrobus
Philip Antrobus was the builder of Lowerhouse - the mill (1819)
and more than fifty cottages, possibly some additional houses.
It is not certain that Antrobus actually got the mill into operation
before he died (1829), but probable that he did. It was, however,
unused at the time of his death.
He married Mary Brooke on 17th May 1815. Philip died on 11th December
1829. He left a comprehensive Will dated 13th November 1829.
The short time between the date of his Will and that of his death
suggests that he was not in good health and that he was facing
the possibility of his early demise.
His Will was most comprehensive but nevertheless omitted one most
important, indeed, essential, instruction. The Will provided for
annuities to his wife Mary for her keep and the upbringing of his
large family of young children, five boys, John, Peter, Philip, George,
and Thomas, and three daughters, Margaret Jane, Mary Elizabeth,
and Frances, and to his sister, Mary Chetham[1],
and specified where this money was to come from - the income from
his Cheshire properties (as distinct from his Staffordshire properties).
However, he omitted to give his Executors, Peter Brooke and John
Brooke, the necessary authority to lease the properties in order
to obtain income! The private Act
of Parliament obtained that authority (full
text
).
From the Act we can see that Philip Antrobus owned estates in Staffordshire and Cheshire. It details only the Cheshire estates which were all in Bollington and Prestbury. The Act ends with a Schedule of these properties and each is listed with more or less detail, the tenant's name, the size of the property and the annual (rental) value.
One of the tenants is someone of interest in a different context.
Philip Antrobus owned the house known now as The
Rookery, but then
just Rookery. The schedule shows that it was let to William Crossley.
It is thought that this was William Crosley the engineer
of the Macclesfield
Canal who would at this time have recently completed construction
of the canal at Bollington. He continued as engineer through the
early years of operation.
George Antrobus
Son of Philip Antrobus, George grew up to be a mill operator like his father. After his father's death, while George was still a child, the Lowerhouse estate was leased to Samuel Greg jnr, so George took other mills in Bollington. [Further text to come]
Footnote:
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to the reference in the text above
1 Philip
Antrobus's sister is referred to in the Act once as Mary Cheetham
and twice as Mary Chetham.
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