Sir Hardman Earle, 1st Baronet (11 July 1792 – 25 January 1877) was a British railway director and

slave owner The following is a list of slave owners, for which there is a consensus of historical evidence of slave ownership, in alphabetical order by last name. A * Adelicia Acklen (1817–1887), at one time the wealthiest woman in Tennessee, she inh ...

. Earle owned plantations and enslaved people in what is now modern-day Guyana. He bought shares in the Liverpool to Manchester railway line and became a director of the company, which later amalgamated into the London and North Western Railway.

Early life

Earle was born on 11 July 1792. He was the fourth son of the slave trader, Thomas Earle. He was named after Sir John Hardman, an MP, slaver and owner of

Allerton Hall Allerton Hall is in Clarke's Gardens, Allerton, Lancashire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. Built in 1736 for the Hardman family, the house has a long history da ...

. Earle attended Charterhouse School, then located in Charter House Square, London.

Slavery

Hardman Earle was a plantation and slave owner in what is now modern-day Guyana. His family were steeped in the slave trade, his father, Thomas Earle, grandfather William Earle and great grandfather John Earle were all slave traders. In 1833, slave ownership was abolished in the British colonies and with the

Slave Compensation Act 1837 The Slave Compensation Act 1837 (1 & 2 Vict. c. 3) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, signed into law on 23 December 1837. It authorised the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt to compensate slave owners in the Brit ...

, the British Government compensated the owners who were forced to free enslaved people. Hardman Earle was awarded £19,000, around £2.5m in 2020 money, in compensation; the former captives were not awarded anything. He had compensation for freeing enslaved people on the following plantations: Lynch's Estate, Blizards, Bodkin's (St Paul), Thibou's Estate, Gunthorpe's (St Georges) and Manning's Estate.

Railway director

Earle became known for his work on the railways. He bought shares in the Liverpool to Manchester Line and joined the company on the board of directors. He promoted the

Grand Junction Railway The Grand Junction Railway (GJR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was amalgamated with other railways to form the London and North Western Railway. The line built by the company w ...

which amalgamated with the Liverpool to Manchester Line and the London to Birmingham Line to become the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR). He was an active member of the

North Union Railway The North Union Railway was an early British railway company, operating in Lancashire. It was created in 1834, continuing independently until 1889. Formation The North Union Railway (NUR) was created by an Act of Parliament on 22 May 1834 whic ...

board which also became part of the L&NWR. He remained on the L&NWR board of directors until his death.

Politics

In 1869, Earle was awarded a

baronetcy 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 ...

for his services to the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

Earlestown

Earlestown Earlestown is a town and electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in Merseyside, England. It forms the western part of the wider Newton-le-Willows urban area. At the 2011 Census the ward population was 10,830. History Earlestow ...

in Newton-le-Willows is named after him.

Allerton Tower

Earle bought part of the Allerton Hall Estate and on it built a mansion called Allerton Tower. It was a grand

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...

building with a

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

, designed by

Harvey Lonsdale Elmes Harvey Lonsdale Elmes (10 February 1814 – 26 November 1847) was an English architect, the designer of St George's Hall, Liverpool. Life The son of the architect, James Elmes, he was born in Chichester. After serving some time in his fathe ...

. The mansion was demolished and only associated buildings remain. The locality has now become

Allerton Tower Park Allerton Tower Park is a public park in Allerton, Liverpool, in England. History The park was part of the Manor of Allerton until Hardman Earle acquired the estate and introduced the eponymous mansion based on a design by Harvey Lonsdale Elmes, ...

Personal life

Earle married Mary Langton of Kirkham on 24 August 1819. He enjoyed fox hunting and continued in this pursuit until he died at the age of 84. Mary died in 1850 aged 52, Hardman died on 25 January 1877, both were buried at St Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool. A son was the soldier William Earle CB (1833 – 1885).

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Earle, Hardman British slave owners 1792 births 1877 deaths London and North Western Railway people Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom People educated at Charterhouse School