Francis Egerton Bridgwater

Bridgwater, Francis Egerton, 3rd duke of (1736-1803). Bridgwater succeeded his brother as duke in 1748 at the age of 11. After the collapse of his proposed marriage to the widowed duchess of Hamilton (one of the Gunning sisters) in 1758, he devoted his time to exploiting the coal resources on his Lancashire estates. To this end he employed Brindley in 1761 to construct a canal from Worsley to Salford, with a famous aqueduct at Barton over the river Irwell, and followed it with the Manchester to Liverpool canal, of 28 miles. He died unmarried and was buried at Little Gaddesden (Herts.), near his Ashridge estate.