Colonel Sir Benjamin Alfred Dobson (1847–1898) was an English textile machinery manufacturer and mayor of
Bolton. He was chairman of
Dobson & Barlow, the company co-founded in 1790 by his great-great-uncle Isaac Dobson.
Early life and family
Dobson was born in
Douglas, Isle of Man
Douglas ( gv, Doolish, ) is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of . The River Douglas forms part of the town's harbour ...
on 27 October 1847. His father Arthur Dobson was from Belfast, but was the great-nephew of Isaac Dobson, founder of
Dobson & Barlow.
He was educated at
Carlisle Grammar School and the
Collegiate Institute, Belfast. His first job was with the
Belfast and Northern Counties Railway before he moved to England in 1869 to join Dobson & Barlow.
He married Coralie Palin (1852–1904) who in 1895 became the first woman to wear the official chain and badge as Mayoress of Bolton.
They built a house called "Doffcockers" on Chorley Old Road in Bolton; it was named after the hamlet of
Doffcocker. When Dobson was knighted in 1897 he threw a garden party for 1,000 guests in its extensive grounds, which accommodated a model railway. The house was demolished in 1913, but the gateposts remained until at least 1938.
Screenwriter
Chris Bryant (1936–2008, born Christopher Brian Spencer Dobson) was his great-grandson.
Career
Dobson joined Dobson & Barlow when his uncle Benjamin Dobson (1823–1874) was its chairman, and became a partner on his uncle's retirement in 1871.
He travelled extensively on business, visiting Europe, Egypt, India, Japan, Canada, and the United States, and in 1890 went to Constantinople, Turkey, to see the work of the Yedi Koule Cotton Spinning Mills using his firm's machinery.
Dobson took out 22 patents,
and wrote works on the textile industry including ''Humidity in Cotton Spinning'' (1895), ''Some difficulties in cotton spinning'' (1893), ''Electric Welding'' (1894) and ''On the artificial lighting of workshops'' (1893).
He joined the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1871 and served on its council 1885 to 1891, and from 1894 until his death.
Dobson was
Mayor of Bolton
This is a list of the Mayors in England, Mayors of Bolton in the north west of England. The office of Mayor is a ceremonial, non-political post. As the Borough's First Citizen, the Mayor serves as the civic representative at a wide range of functi ...
for four years, 1894–1898, dying in office.
He also served in the
Bolton Rifles (the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the
Loyal North Lancashire Regiment), rising to the rank of
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
and gaining the
Volunteer Decoration for 20 years' service as an officer.
Dobson died on 4 March 1898, from
pneumonia, aged 50.
He left an estate of £240,134, and is buried at
St Peter's Church, Bolton.
Honours and legacy
Dobson was made a Chevalier of the
Légion d'honneur in 1878 "for services to French industry".
He was knighted on 9 August 1897, being described as "of Doffcockers, Heaton, in the Parish of Deane, Co. Lancs, Mayor of Bolton".
A statue of Dobson by
John Cassidy stands beside
Bolton Town Hall.
References
External links
Portraitby
David Winder
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobson, Benjamin Alfred
1847 births
1898 deaths
Mayors of places in Lancashire
People educated at Carlisle Grammar School
Engineers from Belfast
Knights of the Legion of Honour
British textile industry businesspeople