Sir William Pickles Hartley

Sir William Pickles Hartley (23 February 1846-1922), jam manufacturer and philanthropist, founded the famous Hartley's jam company. He was born in Colne, Lancashire and attended a local British and Foreign School Society school. He was the only surviving child of John Hartley, a whitesmith, and his wife, Margaret Pickles.

His family had lived near Pendle since c.1620 and worked as grocers, buiding Wycoller Hall towards the end of the 16th century. He married Martha Horsfield.

The business started in 1871 as the result of a chance event. It is said that when a supplier failed to deliver a batch of jam, William made his own. His jam, marmalade and jelly sold so well in his own distinctive earthenware pots.

In 1874 the business transferred to Bootle. In 1880 Hartley moved to Southport, where he became as an influential local benefactor and entrepreneur, and an active member of the local Methodist Church. One of his daughters, Christiana [b.1872] , became Southport's first woman Mayor in 1921. Other children incl. Maggy, Polly, Sarah, John and Clara. Cephas Hartley was instrumental in reviving Elmfield College when it risked collapsing in 1906.

Philanthopry

Hartley was a Primitive Methodist and applied his Christian principles to business. In 1888 he built a model village at Aintree; the following year he introduced a profit-sharing scheme, the results each year being announced at a special ceremony, with music and speeches. He claimed that the wages he paid to women and girls—four-fifths of the workforce—were appreciably higher than those of his competitors; he also provided free medical treatment. He personally chose his managers and trained them, sending them on advanced chemistry courses at his own expense.

From 1877 onwards Hartley devoted a tenth of his income to philanthropy, later raised to one-third; his benefactions totalled nearly £300,000. He preferred to donate part of any sum requested, so as to encourage others to give. He endowed a number of hospitals in Colne, Liverpool, and London, and financed departments at Liverpool and Manchester universities. Equally generous to Primitive Methodism, he supported an organization for building chapels, acted as treasurer of its missionary society, and converted the old Holborn Town Hall into its national headquarters. In 1906 the Manchester theological college for training Primitive Methodist ministers was renamed Hartley College, Manchester (later Hartley Victoria College, in recognition of his benefactions. He propagated his ideas in his only published work, The Use of Wealth (n.d.). Uniquely for a layman, he was elected president of the Primitive Methodist conference in 1909. His relative Cephas Hartley was instrumental in reviving Elmfield, the Primitive Methodist college in 1906 (see picture in Booth 1990: 52C).

Family

An excert from "The Life of Sir William Hartley" by AS Peake reads as follows: "... Robert Hartley, Sir William's uncle, was a man of very handsome presence and exceptionally fine character. He became a Primitive Methodist minister at an early age, and after spending a quarter of a century in England, went to Australia and laboured for thirty-two years in Queesland. One feature of his many-sided activity was his kindness to the emigrants from England whom he met at the landing-stage. His home was at Rockhampton on the coast; but he covered a wide field, reaching from Brisbane nearly to the Gulf of Carpentaria. He was apparently too much occupied to send hom reports of his work; so Dr Samuel Antliff, when he was sent to visit Australia, was instructed to make investigations. He found him the leading man in Rockhampton. His fellow-citizens celebrated his ministerial Jubilee and presented him with a purse of gold; and after his death dedicated a public fountain to his memory. A Hartley Memorial Chapel also commemorates his work. A letter from Dr McLaren may fitly be quoted at this point. It was written on July 23, 1892. "Mr Hartley was in Southampton during several years of my pastorate there, when I leared to esteem him very higly for his earnestness, warmth of heart, bright temperament, diligence and self-forgetfulness. I had the pleasure of a visit from him when he was in England some years since, and have always cherished warm feelings of friendship for him. I share with your denomination the sense of loss by his death, and should be glad if you would tell Mr Hartley of Aintree how truly I esteemed and honoured his uncle."

Rev Robert Hartley and family came to Australia on board the ship "Echo". It departed from London and arrived in Sydney on 22 June 1860. The family members that came with him were: Mrs Jane Hartley, Miss AC Hartley, Master WJ Hartley, Master RT Hartley, Master SW Hartley and Miss Jane E Hartley. "Echo" details: Of Glasgow, Captain James Price, Master, Burthen 1189 Tons. [http://mariners.records.nsw.gov.au/1860/06/041ech.htm]

References

* DNB article [http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/dnb/39008.html]