Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 10th Baronet facts for kids
Sir Wilfrid Lawson (1764 – 1806) was an important landowner from Cumberland, England. He was known as the 10th Baronet of Isel, which means he held a special title passed down in his family. He studied at St John's College, Cambridge.
Sir Wilfrid Lawson was born in Aspatria in 1764. In 1787, he married Anne Hartley. Lawson loved art and had a great collection of paintings and prints. He was also friends with famous writers, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who was one of the Lake Poets. Coleridge said Sir Wilfrid was "extremely liberal and good-natured" and owned a "Kingly mansion." He also noted that Sir Wilfrid "never lets money stand in the way of his inclinations."
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Sir Wilfrid's Amazing Collections
Sir Wilfrid spent a lot of money on his collections. He was good at getting fair prices for things he wanted.
His Books and Plants
He owned one of the best libraries in the North of England. It was especially good for books about Natural History, like plants and animals. People said it was one of the top libraries in England, almost as good as Sir Joseph Banks's collection.
Lawson was also a botanist, which means he studied plants. He enjoyed collecting rare and interesting plants. He often showed them off at local events.
His Armor Collection
Sir Wilfrid was also a big collector of military armour. He had one of the finest collections of armor in all of England.
His Estate and Public Service
In 1797, Sir Wilfrid made his land bigger. Three years later, he made his old manor house larger. He also created huge botanical gardens that were about 350 acres (140 ha) in size. He even built a lake that covered about 8 acres (3.2 ha).
Even though he was not a politician, Sir Wilfrid helped his community in many ways. He was chosen as the Sheriff of Cumberland for 1801–02. At the time of his death, he was a Major in the Loyal Cumberland Rangers, a local military group.
His Death and Legacy
On June 21, 1806, Sir Wilfrid became ill while visiting Buxton in Derbyshire and sadly passed away. He did not have any children, so his special title of Baronet ended. His lands went to his wife's nephew, Thomas Wyberg.
People greatly missed Sir Wilfrid. His obituary, a notice about his death, showed how kind and generous he was. It said he was a "friend to the poor." During a time when food was scarce, he gave out large amounts of potatoes and meat to the poor people in his area every week.
Lady Anne Lawson, Sir Wilfrid's wife, passed away on December 5, 1811, at the age of 47. She was buried in Aspatria Churchyard.
Eponyms
- Erica lawsonia is a type of plant named after him by Henry Cranke Andrews.
