Thomas Wrigley

Thomas Wrigley (27 June 1808 – 26 January 1880) was a British paper manufacturer, cotton mill owner, art collector and philanthropist from Bury, Lancashire. He was High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1872.

Thomas Wrigley, oil on canvas portrait by George Frederic Watts

Born on 27 June 1808 close to his father's Bridge Hall Paper Mills, Thomas Wrigley inherited the business in 1846. According to Edward Morris, he was "largely responsible for making Bury one of the greatest paper-making centres in the world".[1]

Wrigley was a Liberal in his political views and favoured both compulsory education and free trade. He was a supporter of Manchester Grammar School and Owens College, Manchester.[2]

Wrigley, who was a Unitarian,[2] served as High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1872.[3]

At his death in 1880, Wrigley left his paper mills, cotton mill and over £1.1 million to be shared between his three sons, while his small estate in Bury, along with the house there and a holiday house at Windermere, were left to his daughter.[4] In 1897, his family donated his collection of paintings, porcelain and other artworks to form a purpose-built art gallery for the people of Bury.

References
  1. Morris, Edward (2001). Public Art Collections in North-west England: A History and Guide. Liverpool University Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-85323-527-9.
  2. Morris, Edward (1985). "Ary Scheffer and his English Circle". Oud Holland. 99 (4): 294–323. doi:10.1163/187501785x00143. JSTOR 42711190.
  3. "No. 23828". The London Gazette. 16 February 1872. p. 593.
  4. Thompson, F. M. L. (February 1990). "Life after Death: How Successful Nineteenth-Century Businessmen Disposed of Their Fortunes". The Economic History Review. 43 (1): 40–61. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1990.tb00519.x. JSTOR 2596512.

Further reading
  • Tillmans, Martin (1978). Bridge Hall Mills: Three Centuries of Paper and Cellulose Film Manufacture. Compton Press.
  • Wrigley, Thomas (1865). The Case of the Papermakers. Bury: J. Heap.
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