THE
WYATT EDGELL FAMILY
William Edgell inherited Milton Place in Egham through the will of a
distant relative. His son, also called William, died in
1769 (aged 72) leaving his property to his 3 daughters, Elizabeth, Mary and Martha.
When Martha died the property passed to a distant relative, Richard Wyatt, who was married to Priscilla,
the daughter of John Edgell, William’s brother. His name then became Richard Edgell Wyatt. Until Richard
died intestate in 1795 Milton Place was an “artistic and social centre” but his
collection of pictures and works of art were then sold at auction. His son, who
succeeded him, took the additional
surname of Edgell, becoming Edgell
Wyatt Edgell. He had appealed to the King, George the 3rd, to be
allowed to do so “from affectionate respect to the family of his late mourned
mother”. Permission was given and
recorded in “Copies of evidence...” (see below). Edgell Wyatt Edgell was one of the main contributors to the new
Church building at Egham (the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist) in 1817.
He also founded a charity, the Wyatt-Edgell Egham Coal Charity with an
endowment of about £52 a year to be administered by Trustees, to distribute
coal to local “tenants in certain cottages in the Parish of Egham”. He died in 1853, aged 84 and was buried in
a vault under St John’s Parish Church in Egham.
On
display:
1.
A “Note” written
by Lord Braye, grandson of Edgell Wyatt Edgell, inside the gift of a book from
Edgell Wyatt Edgell (then aged 84) to another grandson, Henry Adrian Wyatt
Edgell. 1904.
2.
Bound volume entitled “Copies of evidence of the
pedigrees of the families of Moore, Edgell and Wyatt & others” with
additional handwritten notes by his grandson, Lord Braye. 1924
3.
A rough map of the Egham Estate sold to Edgell Wyatt
Edgell. 1825
4.
A brief history of Milton Manor naming Edgell Wyatt
Edgell as the owner who “has taken down the old mansion and erected an elegant
house upon its site...” (from “A
Descriptive and Historical Account of Egham...”n.d.)
5.
A photograph of Milton Place in 1865 and a photograph
showing a family group at Milton Place in 1886.
6.
A leaflet with the objects and rules of the Wyatt-Edgell
Egham Coal Charity. 1889.
7.
Bundles of letters (one of 4) relating to the
Wyatt-Edgell Coal Charity, for the year 1895. (Note “We are gentlemen” above
signature!)
8.
Cheque book (partly used) of expenses claimed from the
Wyatt-Edgell Coal Charity account,1881-1883. The Coal Charity was later taken
over by the Charity Commission.
9.
Family tree of the Wyatt Edgell family in the 18th
and 19th centuries (from Frederic Turner’s “Egham, Surrey, 1926)
Joan Wintour
January 2014