Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Chetwynd, Walter
CHETWYND, WALTER (d. 1693), antiquary, was the only son of Walter Chetwynd of Ingestre, Staffordshire, by his marriage on 2 July 1682 to Frances, only daughter of Edward Hesilrige of Arthingworth, Northamptonshire (Nichols, Collecteanea, v. 218). He represented the borough of Stafford in 1673–4, 1678–9, and 1686, the county in 1689–1690, and served the office of sheriff in 1680. He died in London on 21 March 1692–3 of small-pox, and was buried at Ingestre (Luttrell, Relation of State Affairs, iii. 58). On 14 Sept. 1668 he married Anne, eldest daughter of Sir Edward Bagot, bart., of Blithfield, Staffordshire, who died on 6 Dec. 1671, leaving an only daughter, Frances, who died in her infancy (Lord Bagot, Memorials of the Bagot Family, pp. 130, 139, 171).
Chetwynd was not only distinguished as an antiquary, but liberally encouraged fellow-students. To him we are indebted for that delightful book, Plot's 'Natural History of Staffordshire.' He introduced the author into the county, and assisted him with money and material. Chetwynd's own collections, which included the papers of William Burton the historian of Leicestershire [q. v.], presented to him by Cassibelan Burton [q. v.], were preserved at Ingestre Hall until its destruction by fire on 12 Oct. 1882. They consisted of two folio volumes, the one a vellum chartulary, containing copies of all the records of the Chetwynd family, with drawings of monuments, seals, &c. The other, the first draft of a survey of Pirehill hundred, not quite finished, but enriched with numerous pedegrees. Of these manuscripts Shaw made copious use (Hist. of Staffordshire, i. vi–vii, 389, ii. xxiv–v). In 1673 Chetwynd began to build a new church at Ingestre in place of the old structure, which, from rough usage during the civil war, had fallen to decay. On the day of consecration, three years later, care was taken that every rite of the church, including a baptism, a marriage, and a burial, should be solemnised, and at the close the pious founder offered upon the altar the tithes of Hopton, an adjoining village, to the value of 50l. a year, as an addition to the rectory for ever (Plot, Natural Hist. of Staffordshire, pp. 297–300). Chetwynd's portrait by Lely formerly hung in the hall at Ingestre; an engraving was taken for Harwood's edition of Erdeswick's 'Survey.' He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society on 31 Jan. 1677–8.
[Erdeswick's Survey of Staffordshire, ed. Harwood, pp. xlix–li and passim; Lodge's Peerage of Ireland (Archdall), v. 154–5; Lists of Members of Parliament (official return of), pp. 528, 538, 555, 569; Duckett's Penal Laws and Test Act, Appendix, 1883, pp. 196, 261, 290; Noble's Continuation of Granger, i. 154; Will reg. in P.C.C. 44, Coker; Wood's Athenæ Oxon. (Bliss), i. 736. iii. 153, 154; Nicolson's Historical Libraries (1776), p. 18; Gent. Mag. lxviii. ii. 920–922, 1009–10, lxxi. i. 17, 126, 321; Gough's British Topography, ii. 229, 230. 239.]