George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer (August 1622 – 8 August 1684), known as Sir George Booth, 2nd Baronet, from 1652 to 1661, was an English peer.
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George Booth was son of William Booth, the son and heir apparent to Sir George Booth, 1st Baronet, of the ancient family settled at Dunham Massey in Cheshire, by his wife Vere Egerton, daughter and co-heir of Sir Thomas Egerton. He took an active part in the English Civil War alongside his grandfather, Sir George Booth, 1st Baronet on the Parliamentarians' side. He was returned to the Long Parliament as Member of Parliament for Cheshire in 1645.[1]
George Booth was nominated to the Barebones Parliament for Cheshire in 1653 and was elected MP for Cheshire in the First Protectorate Parliament in 1654 and in the Second Protectorate Parliament in 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 in the restored Rump Parliament after the fall of Richard Cromwell in 1659.[1]
He had for some time been regarded by the Royalists as a well-wisher to their cause, and was described to the king in May 1659 as "very considerable in his county, 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".[1] He thus became one of the chief leaders of the new Royalists who united with the Cavaliers to effect the Restoration.[1]
An uprising was arranged for 5 August in several districts, and Booth took charge of operations in Cheshire, Lancashire and North Wales. After gaining control of Chester on the 19th, he issued a proclamation declaring that "arms had been taken up in vindication of the freedom of Parliament, of the known laws, liberty and property",[1] and then marched towards York. The plot, however, was known to John Thurloe. Having been foiled in other parts of the country, Lambert's advancing forces defeated Booth's men at the battle of Winnington Bridge near Nantwich.[1][2] Booth himself escaped disguised as a woman, but was discovered at Newport Pagnell on the 23rd whilst having a shave, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London.[1]
However, he was soon liberated and returned to his seat in the Convention Parliament in 1660. He was one of the twelve members deputed to carry the message of the House of Commons to Charles II at The Hague. In July 1660 he received a grant of £10,000 according to the House of Commons Journal for 30 July 1660, having refused the larger sum of £20,000 at first offered to him, and on 20 April 1661, on the occasion of the coronation, he was created Baron Delamer, with a licence to nominate six new knights. The same year he was appointed Custos Rotulorum of Cheshire.[1]
In later years he showed himself staunchly opposed to the reactionary policies of the government. He died on 8 August 1684, and was buried at Bowdon.[1]
Booth's first marriage was to Catherine, daughter and co-heir of Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln, with whom he had one daughter. After the death of hist first wife he married 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 Booth titles and estates and who was later created Earl of Warrington. Although this earldom became extinct on the death of the 2nd Earl in 1758, the Booth Barony of Delamer carried on another generation, only becoming extinct upon the 4th Baron's death in 1770. The Booths' even older title of Baronet then devolved upon a distant cousin, the Rev. George Booth, Rector of Ashton, although the family's representation in the House of Lords had ceased; the Delamer title was later recreated in 1821 for the Cholmondeley family, kinsmen of the Marquesses of Cholmondeley and the Cholmeley Baronets.[1]
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Catherine Clinton[3] | |||
| Vere Booth | 19 July 1643 | 14 November 1717 | |
| By Elizabeth Gray[4] | |||
| Diana Booth | 16?? | 7 October 1713 | married 1677, Admiral Sir Ralph Delaval, 2nd Baronet; married 21 October 1699, Sir Edward Blackett, 2nd Baronet |
| George Booth | 16?? | 1726 | |
| Elizabeth Booth | 16?? | 4 July 1681 | married Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway; no issue |
| Charles Booth | |||
| Cecil Booth | 16?? | 16 May 1711 | |
| Ann Booth | Died young | ||
| Jane Booth | |||
| Sophia Booth | |||
| William Booth | 17 April 1648 | 1662 | |
| Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington | 13 Jan 1652 | 2 Jan 1693/94 | |
| Rev. Robert Booth | 1662 | 8 Aug 1730 | |
| Nevill Booth | 1667 | 1685 | |
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peter Venables Sir William Brereton, Bt |
Member of Parliament for Cheshire with Peter Venables 1646–1653 |
Succeeded by Robert Duckenfield Henry Birkenhead |
| Preceded by Robert Duckenfield Henry Birkenhead |
Member of Parliament for Cheshire with John Bradshaw 1654–1656 Henry Brooke 1654–1656 John Crew 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 of Parliament for Cheshire with Sir Thomas Mainwaring, Bt 1660–1661 |
Succeeded by The Lord Brereton Peter Venables |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Interregnum |
Custos Rotulorum of Cheshire 1661–1673 |
Succeeded by Hon. Henry Booth |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by New Creation |
Baron Delamer 1661–1684 |
Succeeded by Henry Booth |
| Baronetage of England | ||
| Preceded by George Booth |
Baronet 1652–1684 |
Succeeded by Henry Booth |