Abel Buckley

Abel Buckley 1835 - December 23, 1908, was a British cotton manufacturer and Liberal politician of Irish descent."Obituary: Mr Abel Buckley", The Times, December 24, 1908, p.9]

He was the born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, the younger son of Abel Buckley and Mary Keehan of Alderdale Lodge. He was educated at Mill Hill School and Owen's College. In 1875 he married Hannah Summers (who died in 1897) and they had one son, also Abel, born in 1876."Walford's County Families of the United Kingdom, or royal Manual of the titled and Untitled Aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland", Chatto and Windus] , London, 1899] "Biographies of Candidates", The Times, November 26, 1885, p.3]

The Buckley family owned two cotton mills in Ashton: Ryecroft and Oxford Road, and Abel became involved in the business. [cite web |url=http://www.audenshawlocalhistory.org/page12.html |title=Ryecroft Hall |accessdate=2008-09-04 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Audenshaw Local History Society] at his death he was described as "one of the old cotton lords of Lancashire". In 1885 Buckley inherited Ryecroft Hall, Audenshaw, from his uncle, James Smith Buckley, and was to live there for the rest of his life. [cite web |url=http://www.tameside.gov.uk/parks/ryecroft |title=Ryecroft Hall Park |accessdate=2008-09-04 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council] He subsequently inherited Galtee Castle, near Mitchelstown, County Cork. The estate had been purchased by his uncle, Nathaniel Buckley, MP for Stalybridge in 1873. [cite web |url=http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=1749728 |title=Among the Galtees, Galtee Castle, County Cork by John William North: Lot Notes |accessdate=2008-09-04 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Christie's]

In 1885 Abel Buckley was elected Liberal MP for the newly created Prestwich constituency. In the general election of the following year, however, he was defeated.

Apart from his interests in the cotton industry, Buckley was a director and chairman of the Manchester and Liverpool District Banking Company and a justice of the peace. He was a collector of fine art, and a racehorse breeder. He died at Ryecroft Hall on December 23, 1908, aged 73.

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