Randolph & Penelope Egerton & family

Major General Randolph Egerton, his two wives, two sons and a daughter are buried in the north aisle of the nave of Westminster Abbey. Their gravestones were removed when the nave floor was re-laid in 1834 and only small lozenge stones then marked the graves.

The inscription which was on Randolph's original gravestone read:

Randolph Egerton of Betley in Staffordshire, Esq. Major General of Horse to King Charles the first and eldest lieutenant and Lieutenant Colonel of His Majesty Charles the second owne troop of guards under the command of his Grace, James, Duke of Monmouth; first married to Penelope, daughter of the Rt. Hon. Robert, Viscount Kilmurray of the Kingdom of Ireland, and now to Elizabeth, daughter and heyre [heir] of Henry Murray Esq. (one of the gentlemen of His Majesty's bedchamber to King Charles I) by Anne, Viscountess Bayning. Obiit [died] 20 Oct 1681

Penelope - Randolph's first wife

Penelope originally had a monument, by sculptor William Stanton, but this was taken down when Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman's was erected in its place in the early 20th century. It had already been moved slightly west of its original position in 1775 to accommodate the monument to Stringer Lawrence. Only the black marble inscription panel now remains, which has been set into the floor of the nearby north west tower chapel, behind the monument of Charles James Fox. The Latin inscription can be translated:

Penelope, among many daughters the most beloved of Robert, Lord Nedham, Viscount Kilmurray, and Helena, sole heir of the ancient family of Dutton in the County Palatine of Chester, and wife of the most afflicted Randolph Egerton, late Major General in Carolina, and now member of Parliament for Staffordshire, whose unshaken fidelity to both the Charles, kings of Great Britain, and remarkable actions, posterity shall relate (whom she never made uneasy until her death). Here, near the arms of the Egertons, illustrious Barons of Malpas, together with her infant son Randolph, desired to be laid. She died in child bed, 19 April 1670

The coat of arms showed: "gules a fess ermine between three pheons argent" for Egerton impaling "argent on a bend engrailed azure between two bucks heads sable" for Needham. He had daughters Elizabeth, Christiana and Jane by Penelope. Jane died unmarried and was buried in the Abbey on 27th January 1740.

Elizabeth - Randolph's second wife

Randolph's second wife Elizabeth had a gravestone which read:

The Hon. Elizabeth Egerton, eldest daughter and co-heir of Henry Murray, Esq, by Anne, Viscountess Bayning, relict [widow] of Randolph Egerton, Esq. and now wife to the Hon. Charles Egerton, Esq. 4th son of John, Earl of Bridgwater. She departed this life 30 Jan. 1712.

In modern dating the year of her death is 1713. The inscription is the same as was on her coffin plate.

James Egerton

Their son James has a white mural monument with coat of arms remaining on the wall. This reads:

Near this place lies enterr'd ye body of James Egerton Esqre. only son of Major General Egerton and the Honorable Mrs Eliz. Egerton. He dyed the 13th of April in the 10th year of his age 1687. For the outstanding, their span is short, and old age rare

Elizabeth Egerton's 2nd husband

Charles Egerton, Member of Parliament, the second husband of Elizabeth Egerton was buried on 15th December 1717. He was a son of John, 2nd Earl of Bridgwater and married Elizabeth in St Giles in the Fields, London.

Further information

History of Parliament online