Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 2nd Baronet

Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 2nd Baronet, (1 May 1808 – 4 May 1886) was a prominent English Catholic. Born at Croston Hall near Chorley, Lancashire on 1 May 1808, he was the fourth child and the eldest son of Sir Thomas de Trafford.

Early life

In 1821 he was entered as a pupil at the Manchester Grammar School and became a boarder in the high master's house. In 1826 he entered the Royal Dragoons, becoming a lieutenant in 1830, and retiring in 1832. He is recorded as having placed the last keystone in position for the Victoria Bridge, connecting Manchester and Salford across the River Irwell, on 23 March 1839.

On the death of his father, on 10 October 1852, he became the 2nd Baronet de Trafford, 25th Lord of Trafford, and took up residence at the family home of Trafford Hall, in Trafford Park.

On 17 January 1855, he married Lady Annette Mary Talbot, eldest sister and co-heiress of Bertram Talbot, 17th Earl of Shrewsbury. The ceremony took place at the Catholic Church, Rugby and was performed by William Bernard Ullathorne, Bishop of Birmingham. It was the first marriage since the Reformation to be performed with full Catholic ceremony. They had five daughters and three sons:^[1]

• Mildred Mary Josephine (27 March 1856 – 29 December 1934), married Charles Bellew, 3rd Baron Bellew, 8 August 1883.
• Humphrey Francis, born 3 July 1862, who became the Third Baronet
• Charles Edmund, born 21 May 1864, who played cricket for Lancashire and the MCC, and captained Leicestershire for 17 seasons.^[2] Charles married Lady Agnes, daughter of Rudolph Feilding, 8th Earl of Denbigh, on 15 October 1892. Their eldest son Captain Hubert Edmund de Trafford was awarded the DSC for heroism during World War I and later emigrated to Malta, his daughter later returned to England and married Admiral Arthur Francis Turner.
• Gundrede Annette Teresa, married Sir Timothy Carew O'Brien, 3rd Baronet, also a cricketer, on 22 September 1885.
• Mary Annette
• Sicele Agnes (22 February 1867 – 5 February 1948). On 2 June 1892 she became the second wife of Charles William Clifford, son of Sir Charles Clifford, the first Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives.
• Mary Hilda, who became a nun.
• Gilbert Talbot Joseph, born 1871 or 1872. Died 15 July 1890, aged 19.

The national land survey of 1873 records Sir Humphrey as holding 1,990 acres (810 ha) of land in Cheshire, producing an annual gross rental income of £3,361.^[3] In 1861 he served as High Sheriff of Lancashire

Manchester Ship Canal

In 1882, a meeting held at the Didsbury home of engineer Daniel Adamson resulted in the creation of the Manchester Ship Canal committee. Sir Humphrey de Trafford was an implacable opponent of the proposed canal, which the committee proposed would cross his land at Trafford Park.^[4] He objected, amongst other things, that it would bring polluted water close to his residence, interfere with his drainage, and render Trafford Hall uninhabitable, forcing him to "give up his home and leave the place".^[5] Despite Sir Humphrey's opposition the Ship Canal Bill became law on 6 August 1885, after two previous Bills had failed to get through Parliament.

Sir Humphrey became paralysed in 1884 and never recovered. He died at 10 am on Tuesday, 4 May 1886, aged 78.^[6] Construction of the Manchester Ship Canal began the following year.

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