Richard Birkin
British lace manufacturer (1805–1870)
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Richard Birkin (6 July 1805 – 10 October 1870) was a British lace manufacturer.
Richard Birkin | |
|---|---|
Richard Birkin, taken from a daguerrotype, c. 1845 | |
| Born | 6 July 1805 Belper, Derbyshire, England |
| Died | 10 October 1870 (aged 65) Nottingham, England |
| Occupation | Lace manufacturer |
| Title | Lord Mayor of Nottingham |
| Term | 1849/50, 1855/56, and 1861/63 |
Board member of | Midland Railway Company |
| Children | 2, including Thomas |
Early life
Richard Birkin was born in Belper, Derbyshire, on 6 July 1805, the eldest son of Richard Birkin, a calico handloom weaver, and started working in Strutt's Mill aged 7.[1][2]
Career
In 1824, Birkin formed a partnership with Thomas Biddle in Hyson Green, having worked for him for two years.[1] By 1832, they had 50 employees, including Birkin's parents and two sisters.[1]
In 1850, his sons Richard and Thomas joined the partnership.[3]
In 1855, he had built the four-storey Birkin Building, a grade II listed warehouse in Nottingham's Broadway, by Garland & Holland, with Thomas Chambers Hine as the architect.[4]
He retired in 1856.[3]
Personal life
Birkin was married and had two sons, Richard and Thomas.[3]
He was a magistrate, and a director of the Midland Railway Company.[3] He was Lord Mayor of Nottingham in 1849/50, 1855/56 and 1861/63. He bought Aspley Hall, Nottingham, for £60,000.[1]