Sir Benjamin Heywood, 1st Baronet (12 December 1793 – 11 August 1865) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
er and
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
.
Early life
Benjamin Heywood was born on 12 December 1793 in
St Ann's Square,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He was the grandson of
Thomas Percival
Thomas Percival (29 September 1740 – 30 August 1804) was an English physician, health reformer, ethicist and author who wrote an early code of medical ethics. He drew up a pamphlet with the code in 1794 and wrote an expanded version in 18 ...
, the son of Nathaniel Heywood and Ann Percival, the brother to
Thomas Heywood
Thomas Heywood (early 1570s – 16 August 1641) was an English playwright, actor, and author. His main contributions were to late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre. He is best known for his masterpiece ''A Woman Killed with Kindness'', a ...
and
James Heywood, and the nephew to
Samuel Heywood. He lived at "Claremont" to the north west of the
city centre
A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
in
Irlams o' th' Height
Irlams o' th' Height is a suburb of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is located on top of the Irwell Valley, on higher ground than Pendleton, hence the reference to ''The Height''.
The first part of the name derives from the Irlam fami ...
.
[McConnell (2004)] He graduated from the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
.
Career
Heywood entered his father's bank becoming a partner in 1814 and sole proprietor in 1828. He was an enthusiast for workers' education and was a founder of the
Manchester Mechanics' Institute
The Mechanics' Institute, 103 Princess Street, Manchester, is notable as the building in which three significant British institutions were founded: the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS) and the University of ...
, serving as its president from 1825 until 1840. Heywood briefly served as
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
from 1831 until 1832, receiving his baronetcy in recognition of his work in support of the
1832 Reform Bill. He was also active in the
Manchester Statistical Society
The Manchester Statistical Society is a learned society founded in 1833 in Manchester, England. It has a distinguished history, having played an important part in researching economic and social conditions using social surveys. It continues to ...
.
Personal life
The family had a strong affinity with the south
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
and
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
area and bought a summer retreat at Dove Leys, near
Denstone
Denstone is a village and civil parish situated between the towns of Uttoxeter in East Staffordshire and Ashbourne in Derbyshire. It is located next to the River Churnet. The All Saints village church, vicarage and school were built by Sir Thom ...
(When the Claremont area (
Irlams o' th' Height
Irlams o' th' Height is a suburb of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is located on top of the Irwell Valley, on higher ground than Pendleton, hence the reference to ''The Height''.
The first part of the name derives from the Irlam fami ...
) of
Pendleton,
Salford
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
, was built up, many of the streets were given names such as Duffield Road, Doveleys Road, Denstone Road, among others.)
He was the father of:
*
Sir Thomas Percival Heywood, 2nd Baronet
The Heywood Baronetcy, of Claremont in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 9 August 1838 for the banker, politician and philanthropist Benjamin Heywood. He had been instrument ...
;
*
Oliver Heywood
Oliver Heywood (9 September 1825 – 1892) was an English banker and philanthropist.
Born in Irlam O'Th' Height, Lancashire, the son of Benjamin Heywood, and educated at Eton College, Heywood joined the family business, Heywood's Bank in ...
; and
*Rev. R.H. Heywood.
Honours
*
Baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
, (1838)
*Fellow of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
, (1843)
See also
*
Heywood's Bank
Heywood's Bank was a private banking firm established and run in Manchester by members of the Heywood family of Pendleton between 1788 and 1874.
Family and banking history
The bank was founded in Manchester by Benjamin Heywood and his two sons, ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*McConnell, A. (2004)
Heywood, Sir Benjamin, first baronet (1793–1865), ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', Oxford University Press, Retrieved 10 Aug 2007 (subscription required)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heywood, Benjamin
English bankers
English philanthropists
Heywood, Benjamin, 1st Baronet
Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Lancashire
Fellows of the Royal Society
Politicians from Manchester
UK MPs 1831–1832
1793 births
1865 deaths
19th-century British philanthropists
Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society
19th-century English businesspeople