George Ormerod (20 October 1785 – 9 October 1873) was an English Antiquarian and historian. Among his writings was a major county history of Cheshire, in North West England.
Biography
George Ormerod was born in
Manchester and educated first privately, then briefly at the King's School,
Chester, before continuing his education privately again under Rev Thomas Bancroft, vicar of
Bolton. He matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford, in 1803, graduated BA in 1806 and received the honorary degree of MA in 1807. In 1806, when he came of age, he inherited extensive estates in
Tyldesley and south Lancashire. In 1808, he married Sarah Latham, the daughter of John Latham (1761–1843), a doctor living in
Bradwall Hall,
Sandbach. Following their marriage they first lived in
Rawtenstall but moved to
Great Missenden the following year.
In 1810 he was the tenant at
Damhouse in Astley.
By this time he had become involved with research into the history of Cheshire and to make this task easier he bought Chorlton House and estate, which was four miles from Chester.[ ()]
History of Cheshire
The full title of the work is
The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester... incorporated with a republication of King's Vale Royal and Peter Leycester's Cheshire antiquities (see Bibliography). An extremely rare initial print in two volumes with duplicated plates was followed by a general subscription in ten parts, which formed three volumes, between 1816 and 1819. Much of his research was from documents held in
Chester Castle and from books and documents lent to him by Hugh Cholmondeley, Dean of Chester. He also borrowed material from some of the leading county families. Much of the transcription of these records was performed by Rev. J. Eaton, his research assistant, and by Faithful Thomas, the deputy keeper of the records at Chester Castle. Ormerod made tours of the county and claimed to have visited each township at least once.
Like other county histories of the period, the work consists mainly of family history, Manorialism history and antiquarian topography. He deliberately excluded reference to commerce, industry and urbanisation. Between a quarter and a third of the work was written by Ormerod himself while the rest consists of transcripts of documents and reprints of earlier works.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1819.
Career and works
In 1816 Ormerod was responsible for organising the restoration of the
Anglo-Saxons crosses in
Sandbach.
He later became a founder member of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire in 1848 and of the Chester Archaeological Society in 1849. He was also a founder member of the
Chetham Society and served as a member of its Council from its foundation in 1843 until 1848.
For this society he edited
Lancashire Civil War Tracts in 1844 and some other works. Following his move to
Gloucestershire he became interested in the antiquities and
Roman Empire history of the local area, publishing a series of books and papers, including
Strigulensia in 1861, which was about the
archaeology of the local region around
Chepstow Castle, which in the
Middle Ages had been known as "
Striguil".
Family
On 2 August 1808, Ormerod married Sarah Latham, the eldest daughter of the physician, John Latham. They had seven sons and three daughters:
-
Thomas Johnson Ormerod (1809–74), religious minister, married Maria Susan Bailey, daughter of Joseph Bailey.
-
George Wareing Ormerod (1810–91), solicitor and geologist.
-
John Arderne Ormerod (1813–64), religious minister, died unmarried.
-
Susan Mary Ormerod (1814–96), died unmarried in Exeter.
-
Henry Mere Ormerod (1816–98), solicitor.
-
William Piers Ormerod (1818–60), anatomist and surgeon.
-
Edward Latham Ormerod (1819–73), physician, married Mary Olivia Porter in 1853 and Maria Millet in 1856.
-
Arthur Stanley Ormerod (1821–84), religious minister.
-
Georgiana Elizabeth Ormerod (1822–96), scientific illustrator.
-
Eleanor Anne Ormerod (1828–1901), entomologist, died unmarried.
See also
Bibliography
External links
