Sir David Radcliffe

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Sir
David Radcliffe
Born(1834-01-08)8 January 1834
Almondbury
Died10 April 1907(1907-04-10) (aged 73)
Knowsley
Burial placeKnowsley Churchyard
Occupation(s)Engineer, businessman, magistrate and Mayor
David Radcliffe, Mayor of Liverpool, 1885 and 1886

Sir David Radcliffe (1834-1907) Mayor of Liverpool (1884-1886), was a well known businessman, magistrate and alderman in the city of Liverpool.[1][2][3]

Early life

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Radcliffe was born in Almondbury, Yorkshire on 8 January 1834. He was the tenth child of eleven born to his father Amos and his mother Olive Jephson.

Career

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Radcliffe trained as a plumber and initially he lived at home with his parents and was employed in an engineering business, which he later took over.[1] By 1861 he ran a plumbing business employing ten men and four boys, and by 1871 Radcliffe was running a Plumbing and Brass Foundry which employed 39 men and 13 boys.[4] From the early 1870s he became involved in several railway companies including the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and was Chairman of Liverpool United Tramways.[1] Radcliffe was involved in the Conservative Party and was elected to the City Council in 1877.[1][3] He was a director of several companies including the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation and Andrew Handyside and Co.[5]

Sir David Radcliffe, Mayor of Liverpool and his wife Lady Mary

Retirement

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Radcliffe was a successful entrepreneur and retired in 1882 and focused on public service.[3] He became a Justice of the Peace, and in 1884 was elected as an alderman of the City of Liverpool, and later that year elected as Mayor of Liverpool, and again in 1885.[2][6][7] In 1885 he led a deputation to Osborne House, Isle of Wight and presented Princess Beatrice with a speech congratulating her on her forthcoming marriage and presented her on behalf of the Corporation of Liverpool with a wedding cake on a silver tray which had four liver birds as part of the decoration.[8] Radcliffe instigated the 1886 Liverpool Exhibition and was chairman of the organising committee.[9] He lived at Formby Hall, Formby when he was knighted by Queen Victoria when she opened the Liverpool Exhibition.[1][2][10][3] He was reputed not to have heard Queen Victoria's first request that he should kneel at Lime Street Station in order that she could knight him.[11] Radcliffe also started a scheme to give 1000 hot pots to 1000 poor families at Christmas.[1] Each meal contained 7lbs of potatoes and 3 lbs of meat.[3]

Family life

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Radcliffe married Mary Elizabeth Clark, daughter of George Clark, a builder of Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire on 24 April 1860 at the Parish Church in Wooten Wawen, near Stratford upon Avon.[1] They had 8 children; six sons and two daughters. Five sons survived to adulthood including Sir Frederick Morton Radcliffe, a lawyer who was chair of the building works for the new Anglican Liverpool Cathedral and Harry Sydney Radcliffe who became Archdeacon of Lynn.

Death

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Radcliffe died aged 73 at the family home, Rose Bank in Knowsley, Liverpool.[1] He was buried at St Mary's Church, Knowlsey a few days later.[3] He left his estate worth £65,000 to his three sons; Harry, Frederick and David.[12] One of his grandsons, David Radcliffe, was killed at Arras in the First World War, and grandson and grandfather are memorialised in a window in Liverpool Cathedral.[13]

Memorial window to David Radcliffe and his grandfather Sir David Radcliffe
Sir David's grave




Honours

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1886- Knight Bachelor

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Obituary: Sir David Radcliffe". The Times (38304): 11. 11 April 1907 – via www.galewikipedia library.
  2. ^ a b c "The New Knights". The Times (31759): 4. 14 May 1886 – via www.galewikipedia library.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "The Late Sir David Radcliffe". The Liverpool Mercury. 15 April 1907.
  4. ^ Evidence taken from 1851, 1861, 1871 censuses.
  5. ^ "Death of Sir David Radcliffe". Financial News: 6. 11 April 1907 – via wwwifindmypast.co.uk.
  6. ^ "Provincial Mayors". The Times (31288): 11. 11 November 1884 – via gale wikipedia library.
  7. ^ "New Mayors". The Times (31600): 8. 10 November 1885 – via gale wikipedia library.
  8. ^ "Court Circular". The Times (31501): 8. 17 July 1885 – via galewikipedia library.
  9. ^ "The Queen's Visit to Liverpool". The Illustrated London News: 1. 18 May 1886 – via www.findmyapst.co.uk.
  10. ^ "The Queen's visit to Liverpool". The Times (31757): 9. 12 May 1886 – via galewikipedia library.
  11. ^ Family folk lore.
  12. ^ Radcliffe, Sir David, Probate granted 16 May 1907.
  13. ^ "Captain Radcliffe". Liverpool Echo: 5. 22 March 1916 – via www.findmypast.co.uk.