Philip Antrobus
Philip Antrobus was the builder of Lowerhouse - the mill, more than fifty cottages, several houses and the school/library.
He married Mary Brooke on 17th May 1815. He died on 11th December 1829. Philip 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 mortality.
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 Chetham1, and specified where this money was to come from - the income from his Cheshire 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 then and now as The Rookery. The schedule shows that it was let to William Crossley. It is thought that this was probably William Crosley (with one s) the engineer of the Macclesfield Canal.
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, so George took other mills in Bollington. [Further text to come]
Footnote:
- Philip Antrobus's sister is referred to in the act once as Mary Cheetham and twice as Mary Chetham. [Return]
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