| Biography | The Wilmot family may have been merchants in Derby until Robert bought property in Chaddesden and Osmaston in the early 17th century. There is possibly an earlier connection through the Babington family. The Osmaston estate was left to Robert Wilmot's second son, Nicholas, a serjeant at law who was knighted by Charles II in 1674. Nicholas' son Robert (1640-1722) served as Member of Parliament for Derby from 1690 to 1695
By 1696 Robert was living at Osmaston Hall. The house was entirely rebuilt about 1702 with several later additions and alterations to the house, gardens and parklands during the eighteenth century. Osmaston Hall remained the main residence for the family until they inherited Catton in 1823. Osmaston was then leased to the Fox family of Derby. In 1888 the house and estate were bought by the Midland Railway Company and used as an extension to their carriage and wagon works. The house later became a golf club house but was demolished in 1938. The remainder of the park was acquired by Derby City Council in 1946-1947 for an industrial estate.
Robert's elder son, also Robert (died 1738), developed the estate which had grown through purchase and marriage with other gentry families. Both of the second Robert's sons became men of more than local importance: The younger son (Sir) John Eardley Wilmot (1710-1792) was Chief Justice of Common Pleas from 1766 to 1771. The elder son (Sir) Robert Wilmot (1708-1772) became private secretary to William Cavendish, 3rd; Duke of Devonshire in about 1730. When Cavendish was appointed Viceroy of Ireland in 1737, Wilmot became the Viceroy's Deputy Resident Secretary in England. He was promoted to Resident Secretary in 1740, a post he held until his death, serving twelve successive Viceroys. In 1758, still with Devonshire patronage, he became Deputy Secretary, then Secretary, to the Lord Chamberlain of the Household, another post he held until his death.
Robert Wilmot had no children by his first marriage but, when his wife died in 1769, within two months he married his mistress who was the mother of his illegitimate children. When Wilmot was created a baronet in October 1772, he was granted a special remainder to allow his eldest son Robert to succeed to the baronetcy.
Robert Wilmot (1752-1834), the 2nd; baronet, married as his first wife the daughter of Admiral John Byron. Their son (Sir) Robert John Wilmot, later Wilmot-Horton (1784-1841), the 3rd; baronet, served as Member of Parliament for Newcastle under Lyme/Staffordshire from 1818 to 1830 and was Under Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1821-1828 and Governor of Ceylon 1831-1837. In 1806 he married Anne Beatrix Horton, daughter of Eusebius Horton of Horton. Anne Beatrix is said to have inspired Lord Byron's verse: She walks in beauty like the night/Of cloudless climes and starry skies/And all that's best of dark and bright/Meet in her aspect and her eyes. Wilmot assumed the surname Wilmot-Horton in 1823 on the death of his father in law Eusebius Horton.
Sir Robert Edward Wilmot, later Wilmot-Horton (1808-1880), the 4th baronet, used the surname Wilmot from his father's death in 1842 to his mother's death in 1872 when he assumed the surname Wilmot-Horton. He was succeeded as the 5th baronet by his brother Revd Sir George Edward Wilmot-Horton (1825-1887) who also died without issue and was succeeded as the 6th baronet by his cousin Rodney Wilmot (1853-1931), the grandson of Robert the 2nd; baronet by his second wife. The baronetcy became extinct in 1931.
In about 1400 Roger Horton from a Cheshire family purchased property in Catton, which had previously belonged to the de Albini and St Amand families. The estate passed to Roger's son William and then to another son John. John's son Walter, his son and grandson held the estate through the sixteenth century.
In the next generations Christopher (1582-1659) and Walter his son (1628-1680) both served as Sheriff of Derbyshire. Walter's son Christopher and grandson Walter (1678-1716) do not appear to have been very active in local politics or in enlarging the estate. Walter's son Christopher brought into the family property of the Buswell family through his marriage to Frances, daughter of Eusebius Pelsant who took the surname Buswell through his mother. Christopher was also responsible for the building of Catton Hall in 1741-1742 on the site of an earlier house. Christopher and Frances' son Christopher died young with no surviving children. His widow Lady Ann (Luttrell) is said to have caused a scandal by her morganatic marriage to Henry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland, brother of George III.
The estate passed to Christopher's brother Eusebius, whose daughter Anne Beatrix in 1806 married Sir Robert John Wilmot. The Wilmots took the surname Wilmot-Horton on Eusebius' death in 1823 and moved to Catton as their main residence. On the death of the 5th baronet, Revd Sir George Wilmot-Horton, in 1887 the estate passed to his niece Mrs Anson whose descendants used the surname Anson-Horton. From them it passed to the Neilson family. |