Edmund Potter
Encyclopedia
Edmund Potter senior was a Manchester
industrialist and MP and grandfather to Beatrix Potter
.
He was a unitarian
and, from 1861 to 1874, Liberal
MP for Carlisle
. Potter moved his business to Glossop
in 1825, he rebuilt Joseph Lyne's Boggart Mill, and converted it to a printworks. He moved his family to Dinting Lodge in 1842. Originally calico printing was done by hand, but Potter introduced precision machine printing. By 1883, the mill employed 350, and had printed 1 million pieces on 42 machines. It was the world's largest calico printing factory.
was a flax merchant. He moved to New Market Place, Manchester. His son John Potter lived at rural Ardwick Green
, Manchester, He married Catherine Eccles of Macclesfield. He visited America in 1794. They had three sons and two daughters. John the first son was a calico printer, James was the third son. They lived in Ardwick Green.
Edmund Potter was the son of James, he lived with his wife Jessica Crompton of Lancaster, in Greenheys, Manchester. In 1842 they moved to Dinting Lodge, Glossop
. . He was the first Edmund Potter of the Dinting Vale Printworks, which he ran with Charles Potter, the son of his uncle John. Later the partnership was dissolved and Charles moved to Darwen
where he became a printer of wallpaper. Edmund had seven children and two are of note. Edmund succeeded his father in the business in 1862, and Rupert became a barrister. Rupert's two children, Walter Bertram Potter and Beatrix Potter
were both artists of some renown.
, and the mill subsequently became known as Logwood mill.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
industrialist and MP and grandfather to Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
.
He was a unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
and, from 1861 to 1874, Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
MP for Carlisle
Carlisle (UK Parliament constituency)
Carlisle is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It was a Labour seat from 1964 until 2010, although the Conservatives came close to victory in the elections in...
. Potter moved his business to Glossop
Glossop
Glossop is a market town within the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Glossop Brook, a tributary of the River Etherow, about east of the city of Manchester, west of the city of Sheffield. Glossop is situated near Derbyshire's county borders with Cheshire, Greater...
in 1825, he rebuilt Joseph Lyne's Boggart Mill, and converted it to a printworks. He moved his family to Dinting Lodge in 1842. Originally calico printing was done by hand, but Potter introduced precision machine printing. By 1883, the mill employed 350, and had printed 1 million pieces on 42 machines. It was the world's largest calico printing factory.
The Family
James Potter (1710–1770) of HindleyHindley, Greater Manchester
Hindley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Lying three miles east of Wigan it covers an area of 1044 hectares. Historically a part of Lancashire, Hindley which includes Hindley Green borders the towns of Ince-in-Makerfield and Leigh within Wigan...
was a flax merchant. He moved to New Market Place, Manchester. His son John Potter lived at rural Ardwick Green
Ardwick Green
Ardwick Green is a public space in Ardwick, Manchester, England. It began as a private park for the residents of houses surrounding it. Manchester acquired it in 1867 and turned it into a public park with an ornamental pond and a bandstand....
, Manchester, He married Catherine Eccles of Macclesfield. He visited America in 1794. They had three sons and two daughters. John the first son was a calico printer, James was the third son. They lived in Ardwick Green.
Edmund Potter was the son of James, he lived with his wife Jessica Crompton of Lancaster, in Greenheys, Manchester. In 1842 they moved to Dinting Lodge, Glossop
Glossop
Glossop is a market town within the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Glossop Brook, a tributary of the River Etherow, about east of the city of Manchester, west of the city of Sheffield. Glossop is situated near Derbyshire's county borders with Cheshire, Greater...
. . He was the first Edmund Potter of the Dinting Vale Printworks, which he ran with Charles Potter, the son of his uncle John. Later the partnership was dissolved and Charles moved to Darwen
Darwen
Darwen is a market town and civil parish located within Lancashire, England. Along with its northerly neighbour, Blackburn, it forms the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen — a unitary authority area...
where he became a printer of wallpaper. Edmund had seven children and two are of note. Edmund succeeded his father in the business in 1862, and Rupert became a barrister. Rupert's two children, Walter Bertram Potter and Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
were both artists of some renown.
Calico Printing
Calico used to be printed from wooden blocks, was heavily taxed and suffered from labour relation problems. Potter mechanised the process. He became the largest printer of calico in the world. The firm became the Calico Printers' Association, which in 1948 printed 15000 miles (24,140.1 km) of calico.Benevolence
Edmund Potter was a very strong believer that everyone should receive an education. In 1885 he built a reading room and library, well stocked with books and papers in his work's yard for his workers. When he bought the nearby Dinting Mill from the Wagstaffes, he used the upper floor as a dayschool for both boys and girls and for some of his young part-time workers. The lower floor was used to extract the black dye from logwoodLogwood
Haematoxylum campechianum is a species of flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae, that is native to southern Mexico and northern Central America. It has been and to a lesser extent remains of great economic importance. The modern nation of Belize grew from 17th century English logwood...
, and the mill subsequently became known as Logwood mill.