Thomas Jessop was a steelmaker who became Mayor of Sheffield (1863-1864) and Master Cutler

Master Cutler

The Master Cutler is the head of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire established in 1624. Their role is to act as an ambassador of industry in Sheffield, England. The Master Cutler is elected by the freemen of the company on the first Monday of September of each year and the position taken in the...

 (1863). As Mayor, he had to deal with the Great Sheffield Flood

Great Sheffield Flood

Not to be confused with the floods in Sheffield in 2007.The Great Sheffield Flood was a flood that devastated parts of Sheffield, England, on 11 March 1864, when the Dale Dyke Dam broke.- Collapse of Dale Dyke Dam :...

 of 1864.

Family

Thomas Jessop was born on Blast Lane, Sheffield, the son of William Jessop (1772–1835) and Rebecca Taylor (1770–1859), who had 3 other sons and 4 daughters. He married Frances Hope Yates in 1848 and they had 3 daughters and one son, William (1856–1905).

Life

William Jessop was a steelmaker and the father and sons jointly built up the business to be one of the largest steel makers in Sheffield. After the death of William and the other brothers Thomas was chairman from 1871 till the time of his death. He also founded the Jessop Hospital

Jessop Hospital

The Jessop Hospital for Women was opened in 1878 with funds from Thomas Jessop, a wealthy steelworks-owner. The architect was John Dodsley Webster. It was built to replace the old Sheffield Hospital for Women, which had only nine beds. The building cost £26,000 - a lot of money at the time - all...

 for women at a cost of £30,000. He died at his home, Endcliffe Grange, Sheffield on 30 November 1887, and was interred at Ecclesall

Ecclesall

Ecclesall Ward—which includes the neighbourhoods of Bents Green, Ecclesall, Greystones, Millhouses, and Ringinglow—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the southwestern part of the city and covers an area of 9.4 km2. The population of...

Church on 3 December, following a great funeral procession led by 700 workers from the steelworks, and with carriages including the Mayor and Master Cutler.