Heywood papers

Catalogue record

Notes

Robert Heywood (1786-1868) was born into one of Bolton's prominent Unitarian families, which had interests in the Lancashire textile industry, trading as far afield as America, Gibraltar and the West Indies. However, from the early 1820s, Heywood began to delegate control of his quilting business in order concentrate his energies on local politics as a liberal reformer.
Having lobbied successfully for Bolton to be granted borough status, Heywood was elected as the town's second mayor; and it was during this period of office (1839-1840) that he played a prominent role in tackling Chartist riots in the town.
Among the uses to which Heywood put his wealth was travel. In 1807 he visited Dublin; then in 1826 he toured Italy, followed in 1834 by North America, Europe and the eastern Mediterranean in 1845, and Russia in 1858. These journeys are recorded in his journals and correspondence, accompanied by sundry passports, tickets and receipts, even a letter from 1850 relating to a tea party organised in honour of Mr Brown, a fugitive slave.
This publication comprises chiefly letters selected from the fonds (ref. ZHE) held at the Bolton Archive and Local Studies Service. It is microfilmed in three parts:
Reel 1: Textile trade with America, Gibraltar and Jamaica;
Reel 2: Politics in Bolton, Lancashire, 1835-1842;
Reel 3: Travels in America, Europe and the Levant.