Henry Rowland Marsden was an engineer and inventor, philanthropist and Mayor of Leeds. He was born in Holbeck, Leeds in 1823 of poor parents, and worked in a local mill at the age of 10, becoming an engineering apprentice at age 15. In 1848 he emigrated to the United States where he made a successful career in mechanical engineering, returning to Leeds a wealthy man in 1862. He began manufacturing stone and ore-crushing machinery, and as industrialisation boomed, his patented machines were in demand across the world for road-building, mining, and railway construction, replacing slow, back-breaking manual labour. (The Blake/Marsden names are still in use today.) He received numerous medals and honours for his inventions, as well as continuing wealth which enabled him to donate both his time and money to public life. His interest in local affairs led him to the Liberal Party and he was elected local councillor for Holbeck in 1866, becoming an alderman in 1872 and mayor in 1874/5. He also served as chief magistrate for six years. He founded the Leeds Music Festival in 1874. It was said that "from the beginning he conducted the business of the town and of the Council without consideration of sect, party or denomination, acting with strict impartiality and goodwill to all", and that he donated £2000 per year to good causes.
He died suddenly on January 19, 1876, and his grave is marked by an elaborate Grade II listed monument. This memorial also commemorates other members of his family. Following his death, a public subscription raised £1000 to erect a statue of him on Woodhouse Lane (now on Woodhouse Moor) by the Leeds-based sculptor John Throp, which shows Marsden in mayoral robes and used marble remaining from the Albert Memorial.
Researched from Wikipedia, Leodis.net and The Thoresby Society (http://www.thoresby.org.uk/content/people/marsden.php)
He died suddenly on January 19, 1876, and his grave is marked by an elaborate Grade II listed monument. This memorial also commemorates other members of his family. Following his death, a public subscription raised £1000 to erect a statue of him on Woodhouse Lane (now on Woodhouse Moor) by the Leeds-based sculptor John Throp, which shows Marsden in mayoral robes and used marble remaining from the Albert Memorial.
Researched from Wikipedia, Leodis.net and The Thoresby Society (http://www.thoresby.org.uk/content/people/marsden.php)
Henry Rowland Marsden was an engineer and inventor, philanthropist and Mayor of Leeds. He was born in Holbeck, Leeds in 1823 of poor parents, and worked in a local mill at the age of 10, becoming an engineering apprentice at age 15. In 1848 he emigrated to the United States where he made a successful career in mechanical engineering, returning to Leeds a wealthy man in 1862. He began manufacturing stone and ore-crushing machinery, and as industrialisation boomed, his patented machines were in demand across the world for road-building, mining, and railway construction, replacing slow, back-breaking manual labour. (The Blake/Marsden names are still in use today.) He received numerous medals and honours for his inventions, as well as continuing wealth which enabled him to donate both his time and money to public life. His interest in local affairs led him to the Liberal Party and he was elected local councillor for Holbeck in 1866, becoming an alderman in 1872 and mayor in 1874/5. He also served as chief magistrate for six years. He founded the Leeds Music Festival in 1874. It was said that "from the beginning he conducted the business of the town and of the Council without consideration of sect, party or denomination, acting with strict impartiality and goodwill to all", and that he donated £2000 per year to good causes.
He died suddenly on January 19, 1876, and his grave is marked by an elaborate Grade II listed monument. This memorial also commemorates other members of his family. Following his death, a public subscription raised £1000 to erect a statue of him on Woodhouse Lane (now on Woodhouse Moor) by the Leeds-based sculptor John Throp, which shows Marsden in mayoral robes and used marble remaining from the Albert Memorial.
Researched from Wikipedia, Leodis.net and The Thoresby Society (http://www.thoresby.org.uk/content/people/marsden.php)
He died suddenly on January 19, 1876, and his grave is marked by an elaborate Grade II listed monument. This memorial also commemorates other members of his family. Following his death, a public subscription raised £1000 to erect a statue of him on Woodhouse Lane (now on Woodhouse Moor) by the Leeds-based sculptor John Throp, which shows Marsden in mayoral robes and used marble remaining from the Albert Memorial.
Researched from Wikipedia, Leodis.net and The Thoresby Society (http://www.thoresby.org.uk/content/people/marsden.php)
Inscription
In Memory Of HENRY ROWLAND MARSDEN J.P.
Of Avenue House, Leeds
Mayor of Leeds 1874-1875
Born 20 July 1823, Died 19th January 1876
Family Members
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
-
1871 England Census
-
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935
-
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915
-
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915
-
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
