Edward Akroyd
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Lieutenant Colonel Edward Akroyd (1810–1887), English manufacturer, was born into a textile manufacturing family in 1810, and when he died in 1887, he still owned the family firm. He inherited "James Akroyd & Sons Ltd." from his father in 1847, and he became the owner of one of the country's largest worsted manufacturers.
He established mills at Haley Hill in Halifax and then at Copley, two miles or so to the south. He proved to be a very successful businessman, and his firm made him very prosperous. At Haley Hill, not far from his mills, he extended a large mansion, Bankfield, and then went to live there.
Akroyd was well read and concerned about the fortunes of Halifax and the terrible social conditions that grew out of the
In the mid-1850s, he helped found the
Edward Akroyd became a Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th Yorkshire West Riding (Halifax) Rifle Volunteers in 1861, and served as a member of Parliament.
Akroyd's kindness was well known, and many had cause to be grateful to him. They felt his problems as keenly as their own when some of his overseas investments failed and he suffered great financial loss. The unkindest cut of fate, however, was when he fell from his horse and received severe head injuries. After this, his failing health caused him to leave Halifax for a secluded life at
Now that the Akroyd business empire has passed well into history, what remains of it in Halifax is something of the architectural heritage to remind one of the scope of Akroyd's vision. The small church at Copley survives (without the colossal mill which stood nearby). At Haley Hill the mill survives in multiple occupation as part of the Dean Clough business park; the Akroyd mansion,
A blue plaque commemorating Akroyd was erected by the Halifax Civic Trust at Dean Clough.[1]
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References
- ^ "List of Blue Plaques". Halifax Civic Trust. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "Bookplate: Edward Akroyd MP JP DL of Bankfield". Stephen J F Plowman. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
Further reading
- Webster, Eric. 'Edward Akroyd (1810–1887). Also a brief history of James Akroyd and Son'. Transactions of the Halifax Antiquarian Society (1987), 19–45. Publisher: Halifax Antiquarian Society.
External links
- Works by or about Edward Akroyd at Internet Archive
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Edward Akroyd
- Colonel Edward Akroyd (biography at Calderdale History)
- Portraits of Edward Akroyd at the National Portrait Gallery, London
- Bankfield Museum, Halifax – formerly Akroyd's mansion
- Entry at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (subscription required for online access)
- All Souls' Church and Cemetery, Halifax – built by Akroyd