Francis Crossley
Encyclopedia
Sir Francis Crossley, 1st Baronet, of Halifax (Halifax
, 26 October 1817 – 5 January 1872), was a British
carpet
manufacturer, philanthropist and Liberal Party
politician.
, was also an MP for Halifax
, from 1874 to 1877.
The fifth and youngest son, Francis, was sent to school at Halifax; while still a schoolboy his pocket money was made dependent on his own work. A loom
was set up for him in his father's mill, on which he spent the time not spent at school. The carpet manufactory at Dean Clough was commenced by John Crossley in a small way, but it became, under the management of John Crossley, jun., Joseph Crossley, and Francis Crossley, who constituted the firm of J. Crossley & Sons, the largest concern of its kind in the world. Its buildings covered an area of 20 acres (80,937.2 m²), and the firm gave employment to between five and six thousand persons. Its rapid growth was by application of steam power and machinery to the production of carpets. The Crossley firm acquired patents and then devised and patented improvements which placed them in advance of the rest of the trade. One loom, the patent of which became their property, was found capable of weaving about six times as much as could be produced by the old hand loom. Manufacturers of tapestry and Brussels carpets applied to Messrs. Crossley for licenses to work their patents, and large sums accrued to them from royalties alone.
In 1864 the concern was changed into a limited liability company, and a portion of the shares in the new company were offered to workers under favourable conditions.
Crossley was elected in the liberal interest as M.P. for Halifax
, 8 July 1852; he sat for the borough until 1859, when he became the member for the West Riding of Yorkshire. On the division of the riding in 1868 he was returned for the northern division, which he continued to represent to the time of his death.
He was mayor of Halifax in 1849 and 1850, and purchased Somerleyton Hall
in Suffolk
in 1862 from Morton Peto. He was created a baronet 23 January 1863. After a long illness he died at Bellevue, Halifax, 5 January 1872, and was buried in the general cemetery on 12 January. His will was proved 27 May 1872, when the personalty was sworn under £800,000.
s in 1855, with an endowment which gave six shillings a week to each person. On his return from America in 1855 he announced his intention of presenting the people of Halifax with a park, and on 15 August 1857 this park was opened. It consists of more than 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of ground, laid out from designs by Sir Joseph Paxton
, and, with a sum of money invested for its maintenance in 1867, cost the donor £41,300.
About 1860, with his brothers John and Joseph, he began the erection of an orphan home and school on Skircoat Moor. This was completed at their sole united cost, and endowed by them with a sum of £3,000 a year; it was designed for the maintenance of children who had lost one or both parents, and had accommodation for four hundred. (It was one of the predecessors of Crossley Heath Grammar School
, established 1985.) In 1870 he founded a loan fund of £10,000 for the benefit of deserving tradesmen of Halifax, and in the same year presented to the London Missionary Society
the sum of £20,000, the largest donation the society had ever received. About the same period he gave £10,000 to the Congregational Pastors' Retiring Fund, and the same sum towards the formation of a fund for the relief of widows of congregational ministers.
in 1916.
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
, 26 October 1817 – 5 January 1872), was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
carpet
Carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene,nylon or polyester and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their...
manufacturer, philanthropist and Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician.
Life
His father, John Crossley, was a carpet manufacturer at Dean Clough Mills, Halifax and died 17 January 1837, having had by his wife Martha, daughter of Abram Turner of Scout Farm, Yorkshire, a numerous family. Mrs. John Crossley died 26 November 1854. Crossley's older brother, JohnJohn Crossley
John Crossley was a politician in the United Kingdom.He served from 1874 to 1877 as Member of Parliament MP for Halifax in West Yorkshire....
, was also an MP for Halifax
Halifax (UK Parliament constituency)
Halifax is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- Boundaries :...
, from 1874 to 1877.
The fifth and youngest son, Francis, was sent to school at Halifax; while still a schoolboy his pocket money was made dependent on his own work. A loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
was set up for him in his father's mill, on which he spent the time not spent at school. The carpet manufactory at Dean Clough was commenced by John Crossley in a small way, but it became, under the management of John Crossley, jun., Joseph Crossley, and Francis Crossley, who constituted the firm of J. Crossley & Sons, the largest concern of its kind in the world. Its buildings covered an area of 20 acres (80,937.2 m²), and the firm gave employment to between five and six thousand persons. Its rapid growth was by application of steam power and machinery to the production of carpets. The Crossley firm acquired patents and then devised and patented improvements which placed them in advance of the rest of the trade. One loom, the patent of which became their property, was found capable of weaving about six times as much as could be produced by the old hand loom. Manufacturers of tapestry and Brussels carpets applied to Messrs. Crossley for licenses to work their patents, and large sums accrued to them from royalties alone.
In 1864 the concern was changed into a limited liability company, and a portion of the shares in the new company were offered to workers under favourable conditions.
Crossley was elected in the liberal interest as M.P. for Halifax
Halifax (UK Parliament constituency)
Halifax is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- Boundaries :...
, 8 July 1852; he sat for the borough until 1859, when he became the member for the West Riding of Yorkshire. On the division of the riding in 1868 he was returned for the northern division, which he continued to represent to the time of his death.
He was mayor of Halifax in 1849 and 1850, and purchased Somerleyton Hall
Somerleyton Hall
Somerleyton Hall is a country house in the village of Somerleyton near Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. It has a notable garden.-History:In 1240, a manor house was built on the site of Somerleyton Hall by Sir Peter Fitzosbert whose daughter married into the Jernegan family. The male line of the...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in 1862 from Morton Peto. He was created a baronet 23 January 1863. After a long illness he died at Bellevue, Halifax, 5 January 1872, and was buried in the general cemetery on 12 January. His will was proved 27 May 1872, when the personalty was sworn under £800,000.
Legacy
His first major gift to Halifax consisted in the erection of twenty-one almshouseAlmshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s in 1855, with an endowment which gave six shillings a week to each person. On his return from America in 1855 he announced his intention of presenting the people of Halifax with a park, and on 15 August 1857 this park was opened. It consists of more than 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of ground, laid out from designs by Sir Joseph Paxton
Joseph Paxton
Sir Joseph Paxton was an English gardener and architect, best known for designing The Crystal Palace.-Early life:...
, and, with a sum of money invested for its maintenance in 1867, cost the donor £41,300.
About 1860, with his brothers John and Joseph, he began the erection of an orphan home and school on Skircoat Moor. This was completed at their sole united cost, and endowed by them with a sum of £3,000 a year; it was designed for the maintenance of children who had lost one or both parents, and had accommodation for four hundred. (It was one of the predecessors of Crossley Heath Grammar School
Crossley Heath Grammar School
The Crossley Heath School is a selective grammar school located in Savile Park, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England.- Entrance exam :Admission to The Crossley Heath School, is by an entrance examination of prospective pupils' academic ability andattainment...
, established 1985.) In 1870 he founded a loan fund of £10,000 for the benefit of deserving tradesmen of Halifax, and in the same year presented to the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
the sum of £20,000, the largest donation the society had ever received. About the same period he gave £10,000 to the Congregational Pastors' Retiring Fund, and the same sum towards the formation of a fund for the relief of widows of congregational ministers.
Family
He married, 11 December 1845, Martha Eliza, daughter of Henry Brinton of Kidderminster, by whom he had an only son, Savile Crossley, second baronet, M.P. successively for Lowestoft and for Halifax. He was the author of Canada and the United States, a lecture, 1856. Savile was to become a prominent Liberal Unionist politician and was created Baron SomerleytonBaron Somerleyton
Baron Somerleyton, of Somerleyton in the County of Suffolk, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1916 for the Liberal Unionist politician and former Paymaster-General Sir Savile Crossley, 2nd Baronet. the titles are held by his grandson, the third Baron, who succeeded...
in 1916.