George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer
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George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer (or de la Mer) (August 1622 – 8 August 1684) was a British peer.
He was son of William Booth, a member of an ancient family settled at Dunham Massey in Cheshire, and of Vere Egerton, daughter and co-heir of Sir Thomas Egerton. He took an active part in the English Civil War with his grandfather, Sir George Booth, 1st Baronet, on the parliamentary side. He was returned for Cheshire to the Long Parliament in 1645 and to Oliver Cromwell's parliaments of 1654 and 1656. In 1655 he was appointed military commissioner for Cheshire and treasurer at war. He was one of the excluded members who tried and failed to regain their seats after the fall of Richard Cromwell in 1659.
He had for some time been regarded by the royalists as a wellwisher to their cause, and was described to the king in May 1659 as "very considerable in his country, a presbyterian in opinion, yet so moral a man . . . I think your Majesty may safely on him and his promises which are considerable and hearty". He now became one of the chief leaders of the new royalists who at this time united with the cavaliers to effect the restoration. A rising was arranged for the 5th of August in several districts, and Booth took charge of operations in Cheshire, Lancashire and North Wales. He got possession of Chester on the 19th, issued a proclamation declaring that arms had been taken up in vindication of the freedom of parliament, of the known laws, liberty and property, and marched towards York. The plot, however, was known to Thurloe. It had entirely failed in other parts of the country, and Lambert advancing with his forces defeated Booth's men at Nantwich Bridge. Booth himself escaped disguised as a woman, but was discovered at Newport Pagnell on the 23rd in the act of shaving, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
He was, however, soon liberated, took his seat in the parliament of 1659–1660, and was one of the twelve members deputed to carry the message of the Commons to Charles II at the Hague. In July 1660 he received a grant of ??, having refused the larger sum of 20,000 at first offered to him, and on April 20, 1661, on the occasion of the coronation, he was created Baron Delamer, with a licence to create six new knights. The same year he was appointed Custos Rotulorum of Cheshire.
In later years he showed himself strongly antagonistic to the reactionary policy of the government. He died on 8 August 1684, and was buried at Bowdon.
He married (I) Lady Catherine Clinton, daughter and co-heir of Theophilus, 4th Earl of Lincoln, by whom he had one daughter; and (2) Lady Elizabeth Grey, daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford, by whom, besides five daughters, he had seven sons, the second of whom, Henry, succeeded him in the title and estates and was created earl of Warrington. The earldom became extinct on the death of the latters son, the 2nd earl, without male issue, in 1758, and the barony of Delamer terminated in the person of the 4th baron in 1770; the title was revived in 1821 in the Cholmondeley family and rests now with George Booth of Hudson, Ohio[citation needed].
| Honorary Titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Interregnum |
Custos Rotulorum of Cheshire 1661–1673 |
Succeeded by Hon. Henry Booth |
| Parliament of England | ||
| Preceded by Peter Venables Sir William Brereton, Bt |
Member for Cheshire with Peter Venables 1646–1653 |
Succeeded by Robert Duckenfield Henry Birkenhead |
| Preceded by Robert Duckenfield Henry Birkenhead |
Member for Cheshire with John Bradshaw 1654–1656, Henry Brooke 1654–1656, John Crewe 1654–1656, Richard Legh 1656–1659, Thomas Marbury 1656–1659, Peter Brooke 1656–1659 1654–1659 |
Succeeded by John Bradshaw Richard Legh |
| Preceded by John Bradshaw Richard Legh |
Member for Cheshire with Sir Thomas Mainwaring, Bt 1660–1661 |
Succeeded by The Lord Brereton Peter Venables |
| Parliament of England | ||
| Preceded by New Creation |
Baron Delamer 1661–1684 |
Succeeded by Henry Booth |
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.