Charles Goore (11 December 1701 – 13 March 1783) was an English merchant, and politician, who twice held the office of

Mayor of Liverpool The mayor of Liverpool is the executive mayor of the city of Liverpool in England. The incumbent mayor is Joanne Anderson, who was elected in May 2021. The mayor of Liverpool was previously branded 'the most powerful politician in England outs ...

Early life

Charles Goore was born on 11 December 1701, to Richard Goore of Goore House near

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston. Ormskirk is known for its gingerbread. Geography and administr ...

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 ...

. His mother was Alice Mather, the daughter of Thomas Mather of New Hall,

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

and Martha Bunbury. Staniforthiana, 1760 by Frances Margery Hext His wife, Margery Halsall was the great great great niece of

Humphrey Chetham Humphrey Chetham (10 July 1580 – 1653) was an English textile merchant, financier and philanthropist, responsible for the creation of Chetham's Hospital and Chetham's Library, the oldest public library in the English-speaking world.Crosby ...

, through his brother Ralph Chetham. Charles and Margery resided in a house situated in the churchyard of

Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas, Liverpool The Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas is the Anglican parish church of Liverpool. The site is said to have been a place of worship since at least the 1250s. The church is situated close to the River Mersey near the Pier Head. The Chapel of ...

Mercantile activity

Goore was part of a consortium of Liverpool merchants who in 1744 invested in '' Old Noll'' which they put to work as a

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

.during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

Political career

Goore was a member of the

Liverpool Corporation Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Mayor J ...

and was known throughout the city for being a successful shipping merchant. He was a founding member of the

African Company of Merchants The African Company of Merchants or Company of Merchants Trading to Africa was a British chartered company operating from 1752 to 1821 in the Gold Coast area of modern Ghana, engaged in the Atlantic slave trade. Background The company was establ ...

when it was established in 1752 to oversee the slave trade. He was a liberal subscriber to the

Bluecoat school A bluecoat school is a type of charity school in England, the first of which was founded in the 16th century. Most of them have closed; some remain open as schools, often on different sites, and some of the original buildings have been adapted ...

and also to the Liverpool Infirmary, of which he became a deputy treasurer upon its completion in 1748. He also donated towards the construction of the now demolished St. Thomas's Church and was appointed one of the commissioners and trustees. In 1747 he was a

bailiff A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offi ...

before being voted into the position of

, first in 1754 and again in 1768. Prior to taking his second term as mayor, he issued a statement due to his increasing years in which he announced his support for William Pownall. The circular is dated 16 October 1767: The following day, he officially announced his backing for William Pownall: This appeal was successful and William Pownall was voted into office, however, he died five months later, and on 12 March 1768, Goore was voted to fill in the position for the remaining months. The following year, Goore was voted as Deputy Mayor during Matthew Strong's term.4 October 1770, Rind's Virginia Gazette from Williamsburg, Virginia · Page 3 Goore died on 13 March 1783, at his home in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Family

Goore had four children, Charles Mather Goore, who died from

Smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

aged 16 months, Richard Goore, Henry Goore and Elizabeth Goore. His daughter Elizabeth was the only offspring to marry. She married her father's apprentice and future Mayor,

Thomas Staniforth Thomas Staniforth (1735–1803) was an English slave-trader, merchant and politician. He was originally from Sheffield, but spent most of his life in Liverpool. Staniforth was the son of Samuel Staniforth Esq. and Alethea Macro of Darnall Hall ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goore, Charles 1701 births People from Ormskirk Mayors of Liverpool 1783 deaths English slave traders