Thomas Heywood (antiquarian)
Thomas Heywood | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1797-09-03 Manchester, England |
| Died | 1866-11-20 |
| Occupation(s) | Antiquarian, banker |
| Years active | 1818–1866 |
| Known for | Contributions to the Chetham Society publications |
Thomas Heywood (1797–1866) was a distinguished English antiquarian associated with the Chetham Society and contributed to its range of publications.
Early life
Heywood was born in Manchester on 3 September 1797, the son of Nathaniel Heywood of Heywood's Bank and Anne Percival, and the younger sibling of Benjamin Heywood. He received his education at Manchester Grammar School and earned a B.A. degree from Glasgow University in 1815.
Beginning in 1818, Heywood joined his uncles and brothers as a partner in Heywood's Bank (also referred to as Manchester Bank or Heywood Brothers & Co.). He held the position of boroughreeve of Salford in 1826. Two years later, in 1828, Thomas and his brother Richard withdrew from the family banking enterprise, which remained under Benjamin's management.
At Hope End
Heywood acquired Hope End, an estate near Ledbury in Herefordshire, formerly owned by Edward Moulton-Barrett, the father of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. He lived there and fulfilled the role of high sheriff of Herefordshire in 1840.
He passed away at Hope End on 20 November 1866. Before relocating from Manchester, he had collected a significant number of local books which were sold in 1835; his broader library was auctioned off in Manchester in 1868. The Hope End property was sold in 1867, with the mansion itself being demolished during the 1870s; subsequently, its stable block was converted into a hotel.
Works
As one of the early council members of the Chetham Society, Heywood edited numerous publications for the organization:
- The Norris Papers, published in 1846
- The Moore Rental, released in 1847, documenting rental properties of Liverpool’s Moore family, compiled by Edward Moore, son of John Moore the regicide
- The Diary of Reverend Henry Newcome, issued in 1849
- Cardinal Allen's Defence of Sir William Stanley's Surrender of Deventer, from 1851
- On the South Lancashire Dialect, published in 1862
- Letter from Sir John Seton, dated 1643, also from 1862
For the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, he provided accounts regarding the Percival family of Allerton as well as analyses of historical documents related to Chester.
In 1826, Heywood authored a pamphlet titled The Earls of Derby and the Verse Writers of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, which was reissued by the Chetham Society in 1853. In 1829, he edited and printed The most Pleasant Song of Lady Bessy, eldest daughter of King Edward IV.
Family
In 1823, Heywood married Mary Elizabeth Barton, daughter of John Barton, a merchant from Swinton, Lancashire, who owned Saxby Hall. Their daughter Mary Elizabeth Sumner founded the Mothers' Union and wed George Henry Sumner. Another daughter, Margaret, married her cousin Sir Thomas Percival Heywood, 2nd Baronet. Their son Thomas (1826–1915) married Mary Emily Beresford, daughter of Bishop Marcus Beresford. Margaret later embraced Catholicism.