Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater

Who was Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater?

Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, known as Lord Francis Egerton until 1748, was a British nobleman, the younger son of the 1st Duke. He did not marry, and the Dukedom expired with him, although the Earldom was inherited by a cousin, Lieutenant-General John Egerton.

He is famous as the originator of British inland navigation, the commissioner of the Bridgewater Canal—often said to be the first true canal in Britain and the modern world —which was built for him by James Brindley to service his coal mines at Worsley, in Lancashire.