Sir Elkanah Armitage DL (6 September 1794 – 26 November 1876) was a British industrialist and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician.

Early life

He was born the third of six sons of Elkanah Armitage, a farmer and linen weaver from

Failsworth Failsworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and south-west of Oldham. The orbital M60 motorway skirts it to the east. The population at the 2011 census was ...

, Lancashire. He left school at the age of 8 and went to work in the cotton industry, along with two of his brothers, at George Nadin & Nephews and soon rose to become manager on account of his diligence and growing shrewdness in business.

Personal life

In 1816 he married Mary Lomax Bowers. She died in 1836 having borne him eight children; Elkanah, Benjamin, Samuel, Joseph, John, Rebecca, Jane Ann and Mary Bowers. Armitage then married Elizabeth Kirk, daughter of Captain Henry Kirk of

Chapel-en-le-Frith Chapel-en-le-Frith () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire, England. It has been dubbed the "Capital of the Peak", in reference to the Peak District, historically the upperland areas between the Saxon lands (belo ...

and had one further son Vernon. Elizabeth died on 27 July 1868. Armitage lived at Gore Hill, Pendleton Green until 1853 when he purchased Hope Hall, 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 ...

Industrial career

In the 1810s Armitage and his first wife set up in business as drapers at 18 Chapel Street,

, then sometime shortly after 1822 he set up a weaving manufacture business with James Thompson and by 1829 he was employing 29 workers and selling his cloths in

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 ...

at considerable profit. The business was so successful that he was able to build a new factory at Pendleton,

and eventually employed 200 people making sailcloth, ginghams and checks. By 1848, despite economic slumps he had extended Pendleton New Mill and was employing over 600. In 1867 the Armitages took over the Nassau Mills in

Patricroft Patricroft is a suburb near Eccles, Greater Manchester, England. History Patricroft may derive its name from 'Pear-tree croft', or more likely, 'Patrick's Croft'. In 1836, Scottish engineer James Nasmyth, in partnership with Holbrook Gaskell, bu ...

, Eccles.

Political career

Armitage became active in politics from a young age and his name appeared on the Manchester petition for the abolition of the slave trade in 1806. In 1838 Manchester was incorporated as a

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

, and Armitage was elected to the first town council as a Liberal councillor representing Exchange

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. He became an

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

in 1841, and was

Mayor of Manchester This is a list of the Lord Mayors of the City of Manchester in the North West of England. Not to be confused with the Directly elected Greater Manchester Mayor. The Current and 124th Lord Mayor is Cllr Donna Ludford, Labour who has served Sin ...

from 1846 to 1848. During his term of office there was a surge of support for the

Chartist Movement Chartism was a working-class movement for political reform in the United Kingdom that erupted from 1838 to 1857 and was strongest in 1839, 1842 and 1848. It took its name from the People's Charter of 1838 and was a national protest movement, w ...

, with the first mass meeting held in Manchester in September 1848. In 1849 he was created a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

for his services as mayor during the crisis of the previous year.''Death of Sir Elkanah Armitage'', The Times, 27 November 1876, p.6 In 1857, Armitage stood for Parliament, unsuccessfully opposing

William Nathaniel Massey William Nathaniel Massey (3 June 1809 – 25 October 1881) was a British barrister, author and Liberal Member of Parliament. Early life Massey studied law, being admitted as a student at the Inner Temple in November 1826, and was called to the ...

for the seat of

and in 1866 he was appointed

High Sheriff of Lancashire The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales. The High Sheriff of Lanc ...

, having represented the same county also as Deputy Lieutenant before. Armitage was a lifelong friend and supporter of

John Bright John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies. A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn La ...

and the

Anti-Corn Law League The Anti-Corn Law League was a successful political movement in Great Britain aimed at the abolition of the unpopular Corn Laws, which protected landowners’ interests by levying taxes on imported wheat, thus raising the price of bread at a tim ...

. He shared Bright's Pacifist stance and spoke out against the war in the Crimea, in opposition to Prime Minister

Palmerston Palmerston may refer to: People * Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer * Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston ** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman an ...

. He served for many years as Chairman of the Governors of the

Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) in Manchester, England, is the largest independent school (UK), independent day school for boys in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1515 as a Grammar school#free tuition, free grammar school next to Manchester C ...

and as a Governor of

Manchester Royal Infirmary Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) is a large NHS teaching hospital in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. Founded by Charles White in 1752 as part of the voluntary hospital movement of the 18th century, it is now a major regional and nati ...

. He was also a Salford Police Commissioner.

Death

Armitage died on 26 November 1876 at Hope Hall, Pendleton at the age of 82, his funeral procession was half a mile long and was made up of a hundred carriages. His mortal remains were laid to rest at

Weaste Cemetery Weaste Cemetery is a public cemetery in Weaste, Salford, Greater Manchester, in England. Opened in 1857, it is the oldest of Salford's four cemeteries, covering 39 acres and containing over 332,000 graves. Location The cemetery lies south of Ecc ...

. His will which was passed on 13 January 1877, valued his estate at £200,000. which today would be worth over 14 million pounds.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armitage, Elkanah 1794 births 1876 deaths Deputy Lieutenants of Lancashire High Sheriffs of Lancashire Knights Bachelor People from Failsworth Mayors of Manchester