Leeds and Bradford Worthies.
Here are some of the Victorian Leeds and Bradford Worthies that have been referred to on this site. They are listed in no particular order. Where possible portraits by local photographers have been shown. Most of the images are from my own private collection. Links are also provided to the Undercliffe Cemetery website where many of Bradford's Worthies are buried. The research team at Undercliffe (including myself) have been carrying out research and publishing short biographies on many of the Bradford Worthies since 2018 .
Henry Rowland Marsden
Manufacturer, Inventor and Philanthropist, Chief Magistrate and Mayor of Leeds. One of the most popular Leeds Mayors. Statue on Woodhouse Moor.
Portrait by Charles Henry Braithwaite, Leeds c1874
Inventor, Manufacturer in textiles and Politician. Business Partner with Samuel Lister, father to Angus Holden. Also Mayor of Bradford and MP
Portrait by Albert Sachs, Bradford c1876
William Edward Forster PC FRS
Industrialist, Philanthropist and Liberal Party Statesman. Whilst MP his greatest achievement in office was the Education Act of 1870.
Portrait by Elliott & Fry, London
Patrick Bronte
Reverend of Howarth Parsonage, father of the Bronte Sisters
Portrait by Unknown Photographer
Charlotte Bronte
Novelist and Poet best known for her novel Jane Eyre. One of the Bronte Sisters of Thornton and Haworth.
Carte de Visite sold by John Hartley, Haworth Post Office
Sir Titus Salt 1st Baronet
Manufacturer in textiles, Philanthropist, MP, Mayor of Bradford.Built Salts Mill and Saltaire Village now a World Heritage Site.
Samuel Lister, 1st Baron Masham
Partner with Isaac Holden, Built Listers Mill (Manningham Mills) Bradford. Inventor and Manufacturer in textiles.
Portrait by Joseph Rosemont (Josef Rosenberg), Leeds c1904
James Kitson 1st Baron Airedale PC DSc
Manufacturer in Iron and Steel at Monkbridge Works. Lord Mayor of Leeds and MP
Portrait by Heslop Woods, Leeds
Baron Holden of Alston. (Angus)
Son of Isaac Holden
Manufacturer in textiles, Twice Mayor of Bradford and MP
Portrait by Albert Sachs, Bradford c
Briggs Priestley
Bradford Mayor and Alderman, MP for Pudsey, Member of the Council of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, The Infirmary Board, The Bench of Magistrates and Poor Law Guardian. Portrait by Albert Sachs c1885
For more information on Briggs Priestley follow link.
Printer, Publisher and Dealer in Photographic Materials. Founder of the Country Press and later Percy Lund Humphries Ltd and also The Practical and Junior Photographer, President of the Yorkshire Photographic Union and Bradford Photographic Society.
Photo dated Oct 1896. May be self portrait or taken by his own staff.
Uncle to Percy Lund. Founder of some of Bradford's early Building Societies, Councillor, Accountant, Treasurer and Lecturer at the Bradford Mechanic Institute, Member of the School Board and Bradford Board of Guardians and Agent for William Edward Forster and last but certainly not least Director of Percy Lund Humphries Ltd
George Skirrow Beecroft
MP for Leeds
Taking over from his father he became the proprietor of Kirkstall Forge. Also JP
Portrait by John and Charles Watkins C1868
Sampson Fox and Sons Arthur William and Jonas Fox
Founder of the Leeds Forge Company in 1873, Introduced Water Gas into the UK for use in Industry and Street Lighting. Inventor of the Corrugated Boiler Flue, Mayor of Harrogate 1890
Portrait by the Sarony Studios, Scarborough Nov 1880. Photo appears in Sarony's order book and was most likely used to create a painted portrait.
Henry Snowden Ward 1865-1911
Born in Bradford worked for Percy Lund 1885-1894. Editor of The Practical Naturalist 1883, secretary of the Practical Naturalist Society 1886, Southern Rep for Percy Lund 1885-1889, Manager of Percy Lund's Photo Materials Dept 1889, editor of Practical Photographer 1890, Fellow of The Royal Photographic Society 1895, published the first book on X Rays 1896 and toured the country lecturing on the subject and giving practical demonstrations. Founder member of the Rontgen Society.
Rev James Gregory
Reverend of Kipping Chapel, Thornton, Nr Bradford.
Portrait by Albert Sachs
Sachs produced a painted portrait based upon this image. It was commissioned by the Thornton Mechanics Institute who subsequently handed it to the Bradford Art Galleries.
Alex Keighley
Alexander Keighley well known artist and celebrated photographer. He was awarded an Honorary F.R.P.S. in 1924 for distinguished services and was part of the Pictorial Movement. He was invited to become one of the founder members of The Linked Ring. Portrait by Alfred and Mrs Bracewell. Bracewell was president of the Bradford Photographic Society.
John Fowler
One of Leeds's greatest Victorian manufacturers. Manufactured Steam Ploughs and other types of steam engines at his works in Hunslet, Leeds. Portrait by Edmund Wormald c 1860. Wormald produced many important images of Fowler's steam engines and ploughs.
Started a photographic business Appleton & Co in 1859. The business became one of the leading photographic studios in Bradford and continued until about 1907.
Thomas is credited with the famous portrait of Titus Salt and took many portraits of important Bradford families and Methodist ministers during the 1860s, 1870s and beyond. Created a very early composite image of forty Methodist ministers and laymen which included Isaac Holden.
Son of Thomas William Appleton, he took over his father's business Appleton & Co in the mid 1890s. RJ was a successful businessman, entrepreneur and pioneer with involvement in not only photography but moving pictures, X rays (at his studio), and gramophones. He invented the Cieroscope in 1896 and filmed Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in London in 1897 showing the film to large crowds in Bradford the very same day..Photo shown courtesy of Tim Mitchell
Son of Daniel Illingworth, he took over his fathers manufacturing business in 1854, working with his brother Henry. Married into the Holden Family and maintained close links between the families. MP for Knaresborough and later Bradford. Maintained his interest in politics for many years. His Egyptian style tomb at Undercliffe is a grade 2 listed monument. For more information on Alfred Illingworth follow link
Sir Edward Baines
Also known as Edward Baines Junior. Took over his fathers business at the Leeds Mercury and became an MP for Leeds. When a young man he was sent by his father to report on the demonstrations in Manchester which became the Peterloo Massacre. Portrait by London Stereoscopic Co.
William Boyd Carpenter
Church of England cleric who became Bishop of Ripon and court chaplain to Queen Victoria.
Portrait by Albert Sachs
Edmund Wormald
Photographer and Artist. Presented a series of views of the Leeds Town Hall to Queen Victoria. Well known for the many images of John Fowler's steam engines and with his brother Joseph for many early views of Leeds. The Leeds Central Library have a wonderful collection of these images which come under the heading of Leeds Old Views. Shown here courtesy of Barbara Armstrong nee Wormald.
Joseph Rosemont (Josef Rosenberg)
Leeds and Bradford Photographer. Was the official photographer for the 1904 Bradford Exhibition.
Portrait of Joseph Rosemont with granddaughter Janet, shown here courtesy of David Rosemont.
Donald Mac Iver
Leeds and Bradford Photographer. Scottish born, opened two studios in Leeds and one on Manningham Lane, Bradford, most probably run by his brother Kenneth.
Photo shown her courtesy of David Bould.
Joseph Farrar
Commissioner, Alderman and Mayor of Bradford 1863-64
One of the founders of the Bradford Mechanics Institute.
Portrait by Marchbank and Harland, Bradford 1864. For more information on Joseph Farrar follow link.