Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood | |
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 Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood painted by William Charles Ross in 1826. | |
| Member of Parliament for Preston | |
| In office 10 December 1832 – 29 July 1847 Serving with
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| Preceded by | |
| Succeeded by | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 May 1801 Wennington Hall, Wennington, England |
| Died | 12 April 1866 (aged 64) Piccadilly, London, England |
| Resting place | Kensal Green Cemetery, London, England |
| Political party |
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| Spouses | Eliza Debonnaire Metcalfe
(m. 1826)Virginie Marie Garcia
(m. 1837) |
| Parents |
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| Education | Trinity College, Oxford |
| Fleetwood | |
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 Arms of Fleetwood: Party per pale nebuly azure and or, six martlets, 2, 2 and 2 counterchanged | |
| Country |  England |
Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, 1st Baronet, (9 May 1801 – 12 April 1866)[1] was an English landowner, developer and Member of Parliament who founded the town of Fleetwood, in Lancashire, England. Born Peter Hesketh, he changed his name by Royal assent to Hesketh-Fleetwood, incorporating the name of his ancestors, and was later created Baronet Fleetwood. Predeceased by an older brother, he inherited estates in west Lancashire in 1824. Inspired by the transport developments of the early 19th century, he decided to bring the railway to the Lancashire coast and develop a holiday resort and port. He hired architect Decimus Burton to design his new town, which he named Fleetwood; construction began in 1836. Hesketh-Fleetwood was instrumental in the formation of the Preston and Wyre Railway Company and with his financial support, a railway line was built between Preston and Fleetwood which opened in 1840.
Hesketh-Fleetwood married twice and had several children, most of whom died in infancy. His new town flourished, but the expense of building it left him close to bankruptcy and forced him to sell most of his estates including Rossall Hall, which had been his family home. He left Lancashire and died in London, succeeded by his son Louis.