George Irton 1667-1749

George IRTON 1667-1749

Irton's bookplate (British Museum Franks Collection 16086)

Biographical Note

Son of John Irton of Irton Hall, Cumberland, a member of a long established family there who occupied Irton Hall from the middle ages until the end of the 19th century. He inherited the family estates from his father in 1700, having recently married Elizabeth Poole, with whom he had eight children.

Books

An early eighteenth-century engraved armorial bookplate, "Geo. Irton of Irton Hall" (Franks 16086) is probably associated with this George, though it may possibly have been commissioned by his eldest son and heir George (1700-1762). The extent of his library is not known, but this is likely to have been a family collection built up over the generations. The Hall was sold in 1872 and the contents, including the library, auctioned at Irton and Ambleside.

Sources

• The Irtons of Irton Hall.
• History of Irton Hall.
• Gambier Howe, E. R. J. Franks bequest: catalogue of British and American book plates bequeathed to the ... British Museum. London, 1903-4.
• Taylor, S., The Irtons of Irton Hall, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society 41 (1941).