Benjamin Heywood
Encyclopedia
Sir Benjamin Heywood, 1st Baronet FRS (12 December 1793 – 11 August 1865) was an English
bank
er and philanthropist
.
Born in St Ann's Square, Manchester
, grandson of Thomas Percival
, son of Nathaniel Heywood and Ann Percival, and brother to Thomas Heywood and James Heywood
. He lived at "Claremont" to the west of Manchester.
After attending the University of Glasgow
, he 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, serving as its president from 1825 until 1840. Heywood briefly served as Member of Parliament
for Lancashire
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 family had a strong affinity with the south Derbyshire
and Staffordshire
area and bought a summer retreat at Dove Leys, near Denstone
(When the Claremont area of Manchester 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:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
er and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Born in St Ann's Square, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, grandson of Thomas Percival
Thomas Percival
Thomas Percival FRS FRSE FSA was an English physician and author, best known for crafting perhaps the first modern code of medical ethics...
, son of Nathaniel Heywood and Ann Percival, and brother to Thomas Heywood and James Heywood
James Heywood (philanthropist)
James Heywood was a British MP, philanthropist and social reformer.He was born in Manchester, the son of banker Nathaniel and Ann Heywood, and was the brother of Benjamin Heywood and Thomas Heywood and grandson of Thomas Percival...
. He lived at "Claremont" to the west of Manchester.
After attending the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, he 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, serving as its president from 1825 until 1840. Heywood briefly served as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Lancashire
Lancashire (UK Parliament constituency)
Lancashire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
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
Manchester Statistical Society
Manchester Statistical Society is a learned society founded 1833 in Manchester, England. It claims to be "the first organisation in Britain to study social problems systematically and to collect statistics for social purposes" and in 1834 to be "the first organisation to carry out a house-to-house...
.
The family had a strong affinity with the south Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
area and bought a summer retreat at Dove Leys, near Denstone
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 Thomas Percival Heywood, 2nd Baronet in the mid nineteenth...
(When the Claremont area of Manchester 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;
- Oliver HeywoodOliver HeywoodOliver Heywood was an English banker and philanthropist.Born in Manchester, the son of Benjamin Heywood, and educated at Eton College, Heywood joined the family business, Heywood's Bank in the 1840s....
; and - Rev. R.H. Heywood.