John Boot
John Boot | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 1815 Boots the Chemists |
| Spouses | Elizabeth Mills
(m. 1838; died 1848)Mary Wills (m. 1849) |
| Children | |
| Family | John Boot, 2nd Baron Trent (grandson) |
John Boot (October 1815 – 30 May 1860) was an English chemist and retail businessperson who was the sole founder of
When Boot died in 1860, his wife Mary took over the business, and his son,
Biography
Early life
Boot was born in Radcliffe-on-Trent, England,[1] in October 1815. He was the son of William Boot; his mother Sarah (née Fox) had practised the duty of herbal management; John was inspired by this.[citation needed]
Founding Boots
Originally a farm worker, he was forced to change career due to poor health. He set up a shop at Goose Gate, Nottingham, to sell medicinal herbal remedies, and called it "British and American Botanic Establishment".[2]
In the store, he offered remedies and consultations to members of the public three days a week, in a poor area of Nottingham. The career had also appealed to Boot due to his
Personal life and death
Boot married Elizabeth Mills in 1838; she died in 1848. He married his second wife Mary Wills, in 1859, and the couple had one child,
Boot died on 30 May 1860, leaving his wife and business behind. Mary Boot carried on with the business, renaming it as M & J Boot, Herbalists. Boot's son, Jesse, would help bring the business to a much larger custom base, by opening further shops in other poor areas of the city, and eventually evolving into the national
References
- ^ a b Lovell, Jenny (December 2014). "Jesse Boot". Royal Society of Chemistry. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ Bannister, Nicholas (13 May 2000). "From alternative origins: Boots". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ a b Clapp, Sophie. "Boots". The Nottinghamshire Heritage. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ "Deaths". Nottinghamshire Guardian. 7 June 1860. Retrieved 22 March 2020.