Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater
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Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater (May 21, 1736–March 8, 1803) (also the 6th Earl of Bridgewater) was a British nobleman. He did not marry, and the dukedom expired with him, although the earldom was retained through John William Egerton.
He accumulated great wealth through his canal and coal interests, and his annual income was said to have exceeded £80,000. The family owned three estates at the time, Belton House, a small Sussex estate, and the old house and 6,000 acres (24 km²) at his house of Ashridge.
With the Bridgewater fortune now exceeding £2,000,000, and the Duke being the richest noble in England, he set about rebuilding Ashridge. He began to pull the old buildings down, but died before his plans could be completed, leaving his heir, John, 7th Earl, with nothing but a pile of rubble.
The duke is renowned as the commissioner of the Bridgewater Canal – the first true canal in Britain (and the modern world) – which was built for him by James Brindley to service his coal mines at Worsley, in Lancashire.
[edit] See also
| Preceded by John Egerton |
Duke of Bridgewater | Succeeded by Title extinct |
| Earl of Bridgewater | Succeeded by John Egerton |
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