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Elma Amy Yerburgh (née Thwaites, 30 July 1864 – 6 December 1946) was a member of the Thwaites family who was owner and then chairman of the
Thwaites Brewery Thwaites Brewery is a regional brewery founded in 1807 by Daniel Thwaites in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and now located near Mellor in the Ribble Valley. Part of the company's beer business was sold to Marston's in March 2015, and the ori ...
company (of
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
, England) from 1888 to 1946. She was the daughter of Daniel Thwaites, M.P. for
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
, and was married to
Robert Yerburgh Robert Armstrong Yerburgh, (17 January 1853 – 18 December 1916), was a British barrister and Conservative politician. Early life Yerburgh was the son of the Reverend Richard Yerburgh and Susan Higgin and had ten full brothers and sisters: ...
, M.P. for
Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
. In the town of Blackburn she was known for her generosity to the company's workers and as a public benefactor, who helped fund the construction of the War Memorial wing to
Blackburn Royal Infirmary The Blackburn Royal Infirmary was an acute District General Hospital in Blackburn, Lancashire. It was managed by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust. History Although the foundation stone was laid on 24 May 1858, because of the depressed state of ...
and helped found the town's Empire Theatre, now named after her. Her name was also commemorated in "Elma's Pound", a beer specially brewed by Thwaites Brewery for Christmas 2007 to celebrate their 200th anniversary.


Family

She was born at Addison Lodge in Addison Road, near
Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road ...
, London, the daughter of Daniel Thwaites (1817–1888) and his wife, Eliza Amelia (née Gregory) (1824–1907). An older brother, Edward, was born on 20 March 1861, but died in the August of the same year. Daniel Thwaites had taken control of the family brewery business in 1858 following the death of his father and the retirement of his brothers. In London on 8 August 1888 she married
Robert Yerburgh Robert Armstrong Yerburgh, (17 January 1853 – 18 December 1916), was a British barrister and Conservative politician. Early life Yerburgh was the son of the Reverend Richard Yerburgh and Susan Higgin and had ten full brothers and sisters: ...
(1853–1916), who had been elected 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
Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
in the 1886 general election. The couple had first met earlier that year at Winfield House, the home of Sir Harry Hornby, M.P. for
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
. The wedding had been postponed for several weeks because of the ill health of her father. Shortly after the marriage, the couple joined her parents at the family estate at Barwhillanty, near Parton, Kirkcudbrightshire, where her father died on 21 September 1888. There were two sons of the marriage: * Robert Daniel Thwaites Yerburgh (10 December 1889 – 27 November 1955), who became M.P. for
South Dorset South Dorset is a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament since 2010 by Richard Drax, a Co ...
and was created the first
Baron Alvingham Baron Alvingham, of Woodfold in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 July 1929 for Robert Yerburgh. He had previously represented Dorset South in the House of Commons as a Conse ...
, of Woodfold in the County Palatine of Lancaster on 10 July 1929. * Richard "Guy" Cecil Yerburgh (5 November 1892 – 13 March 1926), who became a Major in the
Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG), is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infantry regiments in the British Army. The regiment has parti ...
and was decorated with the
Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...
and the
Croce di Guerra The War Cross for Military Valor ( it, Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare) is an Italian order for military valor. Established in 1922, the cross may be awarded only in time of war. Appearance The medal is a Greek cross made of copper. Inscri ...
and was invested as an Officer of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(O.B.E.).


Thwaites Brewery

On the death of her father, Elma and her new husband inherited the family brewery business. Her father's will had made provision for the brewery to be sold, with the proceeds, together with the family estates, to be held in trust for Elma. Despite this, Elma decided to retain the brewery and continue the family business under the management of William Ward, who was executor of her father's will and Elma's cousin, being the son of Daniel's eldest sister, Betsey. During the early years after her marriage, Mrs. Yerburgh left the management of the brewery to William Ward, while she was occupied with family matters, including the birth of her two children. The couple spent most of their time living at Princes Gate in
South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
and at
Billinge Scar Billinge Scar was a 19th-century country house (now demolished) near Blackburn, Lancashire, England. It was built of stone in two storeys around an existing structure, with an Elizabethan facade complete with battlements. It had twelve bedrooms, ...
, near Blackburn, interspersed with visits to the other family estates before settling at
Woodfold Hall Elma Amy Yerburgh (née Thwaites, 30 July 1864 – 6 December 1946) was a member of the Thwaites family who was owner and then chairman of the Thwaites Brewery company (of Blackburn, England) from 1888 to 1946. She was the daughter of Daniel Thw ...
. Prior to the death of Daniel Thwaites, plans had been drawn up to incorporate the business into a
limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...
. These had been postponed as a result of his death, but were finally put in place in March 1897, after William Ward had left the business. Mrs. Yerburgh transferred the business into the new company, Daniel Thwaites & Co. Limited, for the total of £850,000 (of which £250,000 was placed in the Daniel Thwaites Settlement) in a mixture of
ordinary shares Common stock is a form of corporate equity ownership, a type of security. The terms voting share and ordinary share are also used frequently outside of the United States. They are known as equity shares or ordinary shares in the UK and other Comm ...
,
preference shares Preferred stock (also called preferred shares, preference shares, or simply preferreds) is a component of share capital that may have any combination of features not possessed by common stock, including properties of both an equity and a debt inst ...
,
debenture stock In corporate finance, a debenture is a medium- to long-term debt instrument used by large companies to borrow money, at a fixed rate of interest. The legal term "debenture" originally referred to a document that either creates a debt or acknowle ...
and cash, with the general public subscribing for £134,000 in new preference shares. Following incorporation, the brewery business continued to expand with a programme of modernisation, extension to the brewery buildings and the purchase of licensed premises. At the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Elma's husband, Robert, was suffering from heart trouble and the couple were in the spa town of
Bad Nauheim Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany. As of 2020, Bad Nauheim has a population of 32,493. The town is approximately north of Frankfurt am Main, on the east edge of the Taunus mountain range. It is a worl ...
in Germany. The couple were not allowed to leave immediately and were initially placed under curfew before being detained as prisoners of war under the orders of the military governor of
Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
. Nine weeks later, they were allowed to leave and were sent to Switzerland where they were required to stay for three weeks before returning to England. Robert's health continued to deteriorate and he died in December 1916, aged 63. In the inter-war period, Thwaites embarked on a programme of expansion by the acquisition of competitors and to fund this the directors decided to increase the share capital to £1million in 1922. The first major purchase came in August 1923, when the company acquired Henry Shaw & Co., which owned the New Brewery in Salford (in the centre of Blackburn) and had a strong presence in
Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to the sout ...
. Following the merger, Shaw's chairman, Sir John Rutherford, former M.P for
Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to the sout ...
became a director and substantial shareholder in Thwaites, becoming vice-chairman in 1924. At the same time, Thwaites bought the James Pickup Wines & Spirits Company, thus enabling them to expand their sales of wines and spirits. In May 1927, Thwaites acquired the Fountain Free Brewery, based in
Rishton Rishton is a town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, about west of Clayton-le-Moors and north east of Blackburn. It was an urban district from about 1894 to 1974. The population at the census of 2011 was 6,625. History Its ...
, together with its 11
tied house In the United Kingdom, a tied house is a public house required to buy at least some of its beer from a particular brewery or pub company. That is in contrast to a free house, which is able to choose the beers it stocks freely. A report for th ...
s.


Personality

Yerburgh was known for her "careful attention to detail", her "conscientiousness in fulfilling her duties" and her "decisiveness in business matters". She was "an honourable, upright, just and unselfish woman (who) remained singularly modest and retiring all her life". She sometimes appeared "brusque and too forthright" but this disguised an inherent reticent, shy nature. Despite being a generous benefactor and employer, she avoided courting publicity.


Generosity as an employer

As an employer, she always took a close interest in the welfare of her staff and would often provide treats funded out of her own pocket. A sick workman, or one with an ill family member, would receive extra money and food. When she was told that someone had taken advantage of her generosity, she replied: "As long as I do not miss helping someone in real need, I can stand being bitten." In December 1897, Mrs. Yerburgh began the tradition of giving a Christmas gift of 10 lbs of prime English beef to each workman and a turkey or goose to office staff. In 1926, despite her managers trying to scrap the Christmas box, she insisted that it be continued, but replaced the beef with £1 for each workman. This gesture became known as "Elma's Pound" and still continues. During the First World War, many of the brewery's employees served in the armed forces. While employees were away on military service, Mrs. Yerburgh continued to pay their wages and ensured that their families were looked after and that their jobs were kept open until after the end of the war. On their return to work, the men received their backdated wages; the brewery also organised an outing to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
for all ex-servicemen and their families, where they received an envelope containing £25 for each year of military service.


Homes

Mrs. Yerburgh owned several properties across the United Kingdom; at her death these were Woodfold Park near Blackburn, Caythorpe Court in Lincolnshire, and Barwhillanty, in Scotland. During her lifetime, she also had homes in London on Addison Road, Princess Gate and
Kensington Gore Kensington Gore is the name of a U-shaped thoroughfare on the south side of Hyde Park in central London, England. The streets connect the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal College of Art, the Royal Geographical Society, and in Kensington Garde ...
; at
Freeby Freeby is a village and civil parish in the Melton district of Leicestershire, England, about east of Melton Mowbray. As well as the village of Freeby the civil parish includes the villages of Brentingby, Saxby, Stapleford and Wyfordby. The ...
in Leicestershire and at Bryn Eithin and Cae Eithin in
Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...
in North Wales. Yerburgh Avenue in Colwyn Bay is named after her.


Billinge Scar

Elma and her husband originally lived at Billinge Scar, to the west of Blackburn (at ), which had been acquired by her father in 1876. It had twelve bedrooms and a schoolroom where Elma was educated and was decorated with an ornate "Elizabethan façade complete with battlements". The property was later purchased by industrialist, William Birtwistle, but was demolished in the 1940s, with only the coach-house remaining.


Woodfold Hall

The couple later moved into the nearby family home at
Woodfold Hall Elma Amy Yerburgh (née Thwaites, 30 July 1864 – 6 December 1946) was a member of the Thwaites family who was owner and then chairman of the Thwaites Brewery company (of Blackburn, England) from 1888 to 1946. She was the daughter of Daniel Thw ...
, near Mellor, north-west of Blackburn (at ). The hall was originally built for Henry Sudell, a cotton merchant, in 1799, before being acquired by John Fowden Hindle, who was
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 Lanca ...
In the late 1850s, the property was initially rented by Daniel Thwaites, Sr. before being purchased by his son in 1865. At its height, the property comprised over 20 ground floor rooms, built surrounding a courtyard; the house stood in a 400-acre estate, with a dairy and small brew house. During World War II, Mrs. Yerburgh moved away from the property to live in Scotland, and Woodfold Hall became a home for elderly women evacuated from Merseyside. On her death in 1946, the estate was inherited by her son, now Lord Alvingham, but he soon abandoned the property. In May 1949, the house contents were sold by auction and the house roof was removed (to avoid property taxes), allowing the house to decay. After an initial proposal to redevelop the estate as a golf course in 2000, the hall was refurbished and converted into "luxury apartments". The
orangery An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very large ...
on the estate is a
Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.


Caythorpe Court

In September 1907, she acquired the house and estate at
Caythorpe Court Caythorpe Court is a Grade II* listed former hunting lodge situated about one mile to the east of Caythorpe, Lincolnshire, England. It was originally built in 1901 for Edgar Lubbock, a brewer and banker, to the designs of Sir Reginald Blomfield. ...
in Lincolnshire, following the death of its first owner,
Edgar Lubbock Edgar Lubbock LLB (22 February 1847 – 9 September 1907) was an English amateur footballer who twice won the FA Cup and played first-class cricket. He later became a partner in the Whitbread Brewery, a Director and Deputy Governor of the Bank ...
, a brewer and banker. Caythorpe Court was the smallest of the properties owned by Mrs. Yerburgh, being referred to by her as "The Cottage". During Mrs. Yerburgh's ownership, the gardens were re-designed by
Percy Cane Percival Stephen Cane (1881–1976) was an English garden designer and writer. Biography Cane was born and educated in Essex, studying horticulture and architecture. He designed scores of gardens over a long and distinguished career, and won ...
. During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the property was used as an Auxiliary Military Hospital, with accommodation for 20 officers, at the wishes of Robert Yerburgh; in the next war, it became the headquarters for the 1st Airborne Division Signals. On Mrs. Yerburgh's death in December 1946 her will requested that the estate should be sold to become an Agricultural Education establishment. She also requested that the main buildings should be maintained as near as possible in their original condition. The property was acquired by
Lincolnshire County Council Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
, who operated it as the Kesteven Farm Institute; this later became the Kesteven Agricultural College before becoming part of the
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...
-based
De Montfort University De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body. The name De Montfort University was tak ...
. It is now operated by PGL as a centre for adventure based holidays for both adults and children.


The Empire Theatre

In February 1910, Mrs. Yerburgh granted a lease (at an annual rent of £12 2s and 6d) on 970 square yards of land she owned at the corner of Aqueduct Road and Bolton Road, Blackburn (at ) to Ferdinand Caton and Christopher Hope who founded the Empire Electric Theatre. Over the years, the theatre changed its identity several times until it was closed in the 1970s. A charitable trust was then formed to acquire the theatre and it eventually re-opened as the
Thwaites Empire Theatre Thwaites may refer to: Companies * Thwaites Brewery * Thwaites & Reed, oldest clockmakers in the world Surnames *Ann Thwaites (1789–1866) English philanthropist also known as Mrs Thwaites, Ann Thwaytes and Mrs Thwaytes *Brenton Thwaites (bor ...
in October 2002.


Blackburn Royal Infirmary

The Blackburn and East Lancashire Royal Infirmary had originally opened in 1864 on a site in the Hollin Bank area (at ). On the death of Daniel Thwaites in 1888, Mrs. Yerburgh presented £10,000 to the infirmary in his memory. Robert Yerburgh had been President of the Board of Management of the infirmary, and on his death in 1916, his widow donated a further £3,500 to the hospital. Following the First World War, the Blackburn Memorial Committee decided to erect a memorial to local men lost in the war by the construction of a new wing, the War Memorial Wing, for which the Mayor, Lawrence Cotton, issued a public appeal to raise £100,000. According to local legend, when the committee approached Thwaites Brewery for a contribution, Mrs. Yerburgh, on being informed that £38,000 was still required, wrote out a cheque for £36,000 saying "I have no doubt the good people of Blackburn and district will donate the rest." By 1923, sufficient funds had been raised to enable construction to commence and on 24 May 1924, after a procession through the streets of Blackburn and amongst much pomp and ceremony, Mrs. Yerburgh laid the
foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...
with the words: "In the faith of Jesus Christ we place this Foundation Stone, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." On 16 June 1928, construction was complete and Mrs. Yerburgh was invited to formally open the new wing which she did with the words "I hereby declare this War Memorial Wing of the Blackburn and East Lancashire Royal Infirmary to be now open." A bronze plaque was later placed in the entrance hall to the new wing, bearing the inscription:
Blackburn and East Lancashire Royal Infirmary.
WAR MEMORIAL WING
These buildings were erected as a memorial to the men from Blackburn
And East Lancashire who fell in the Great War 1914—1918
The foundation stone was laid by Mrs. R.A. Yerburgh on May 24th 1924
and the opening ceremony performed by her on June 16th, 1928.
Nine years later, a ward in the new wing was named after Mrs. Yerburgh. In 2006, the new
Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital The Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital is an acute District General Hospital in Blackburn, Lancashire operated by the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust. History The original hospital on the site was established as an infirmary for the local work ...
was opened and the Royal Infirmary was closed. The property was sold to
Barratt Homes Barratt Developments plc is one of the largest residential property development companies in the United Kingdom operating across England, Wales and Scotland. It was founded in 1958 as Greensitt Bros., but control was later assumed by Sir L ...
and most of the old infirmary was demolished. The memorial wing has been retained for integration into the re-development of the site and is planned to be converted into 53 apartments. By retaining the War Memorial Wing, it was hoped that "the memory of those men and women of East Lancashire who have laid down their lives for their country will live on and hopefully never be forgotten". In March 2011, the old War Memorial wing was still standing although in a derelict condition with no work going on. By 2018 the War Memorial Wing had been demolished and built over. Commemorative stained glass windows from the structure have been incorporated into corridor design in the new Royal Blackburn Hospital.


Death

For the duration of the Second World War, Mrs. Yerburgh spent most of her time at her Scottish home, "Barwhillanty". Now in her eighties and suffering from lack of mobility, she left the day-to-day management of the brewery in the hands of her co-directors. In order to provide for the succession of the family business, she decided to leave her properties to her son
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
(Baron Alvingham), with her shares in the company being passed to her grandsons, John and Oscar (the children of Guy). Mrs. Yerburgh fell seriously ill in November 1946 and died at Barwhillanty on 6 December, aged 82; she was buried at Parton kirkyard. Her gravestone bears the inscription: "In loving memory of Elma Amy Yerburgh, born 30th July 1864, died 6th December 1946. 'And the spirit shall return unto God who gave it'." In her will, she made legacies to several charities, continuing the benevolence she had demonstrated all her life. Following her death, she was dubbed Blackburn's "Lady Bountiful".


Tributes and memorials

On 5 September 1935, Mrs. Yerburgh was made an Honorary Freeman of the County Borough of Blackburn; she was the first, and only, woman to be so honoured. In the ceremony awarding the honour, Alderman Taylor said:
Today, we meet to honour a lady who has rendered eminent services for, and done untold good in, her native town. In honouring her, we honour Blackburn. The freedom of the borough is the highest dignity we can confer, and Mrs. Yerburgh richly deserves it. She had ever shown practical sympathy with those less fortunate than herself.
In 1960, a new
public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
, named the "Elma Yerburgh", was built in King Street, Blackburn (at ), to replace the old Commercial Hotel which had been demolished during the construction of a new housing development at Montague Street. The pub is now the site of a tool hire depot. In 2007, to commemorate their 200th anniversary, Thwaites Brewery launched a special range of beers including its Christmas beer, ''Elma's Pound'', in recognition of Elma Yerburgh's generosity. The beer (4.9 per cent ABV), was described as a "full-bodied, auburn coloured beer (which) boasts bittersweet flavours with a spicy aromatic finish". In the history of Thwaites Brewery written by
Jehanne Wake Jehanne Deirdre Alexandra Wake (née Williams) is a British biographer, historian and archivist. She has written critically acclaimed biographies of Princess Louise, the sixth child of Queen Victoria, and of the four early American Caton sister ...
, published in 2007 to mark the 200th anniversary of its foundation, John Yerburgh dedicates the book to his grandmother:
She guided the brewery through years of difficulty and two world wars as well as ones of steady expansion and post-war reconstruction. She was a brilliant businesswoman and it is through her skill and foresight that Daniel Thwaites still exists as a family company. As she recognised, the strength of any firm lies in its people. The calibre of the employees today will ensure that the high standards she set for quality and innovation at Thwaites will continue for another 200 years.


References


External links


Photographs of Elma and Daniel Thwaites
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yerburgh, Elma 1864 births 1946 deaths People from Blackburn English brewers 19th-century English businesspeople 20th-century English businesspeople 19th-century English businesswomen 20th-century English businesswomen