William Harvey (Bible Christian)

William Harvey
William Harvey
	Portrait from Fifty Years of Food Reform (1898)
Born	1787; Whittington, Derbyshire, England
Died	25 December 1870 (aged 83); Salford, England
Burial place	Weaste Cemetery, Salford, England
Occupation(s)	Cotton mill owner, deacon, activist
Title	Mayor of Salford
Term	1857–1858
Spouse	Mary Titley (m. 1812; died 1857)
Children	6
Relatives	Martha Brotherton (sister); Joseph Brotherton (cousin and brother-in-law); James Simpson (son-in-law);

William Harvey (1787 – 25 December 1870) was a cotton mill owner, Bible Christian Church deacon and activist. He was an advocate for parliamentary reform, temperance, vegetarianism and against tobacco. Harvey co-founded the Bible Christian Church and served as deacon from 1809 till his death. He helped establish and served as President of the Vegetarian Society, the Manchester and Salford Temperance Union, and the United Kingdom Alliance. Additionally, he held the position of Vice President at the Anti-Tobacco Society. Harvey also served as Salford's first alderman from 1844 to 1870 and was elected Mayor of Salford in both 1857 and 1858.

Life and career

William Harvey was born in Whittington, Derbyshire, in 1787.^[1] He was the son of a yeoman.^[2] He moved to Salford in 1804 to apprentice under Mr. Railton for cotton spinning, weaving, and printing. He resided with his cousin,^{[note 1]} Joseph Brotherton, Salford's first Member of Parliament. In 1810, Harvey partnered with his cousins, Joseph and William Brotherton, as cotton spinners. After Joseph's retirement and William's death in 1819, the company passed to Harvey, who then partnered with Charles Tysoe, a fellow Bible Christian Church member, forming Harvey, Tysoe and Co. Their mill, Brotherton Mill, was located on Canal Street, Oldfield Road. Their Christian principles—welfare, no child labour under 13, and a 10-hour maximum workday—were praised in Angus Bethune Reach's Manchester and Textile Districts in 1849. Harvey's sons and grandsons later joined the business.^[1]

The Bible Christian Church in King Street, Salford, was central to Harvey's life. He co-founded it and served as deacon from 1809 until his death in 1870. Harvey was a committed advocate of the church's principles, including abstaining from meat, alcohol, and tobacco. He co-founded and presided over the Vegetarian Society, the Manchester and Salford Temperance Union, the United Kingdom Alliance, and served as vice president of the Anti-Tobacco Society.^[1] He was the second president of the Vegetarian Society after the death of his son-in-law James Simpson.^[4] In 1857, Harvey arranged the first recorded teetotal and vegetarian banquet.^[4]

Harvey was a member of the Little Circle, a group of eleven influential early 19th Manchester political reformers, including Joseph Brotherton, recognised for their grasp of public opinion, involvement in key political issues from 1812 to 1846, and cohesive identity and ideas.^[5] Harvey supported parliamentary reform and attended the Peterloo Massacre in 1819.^[1] He was Joseph Brotherton's election agent when Salford gained a parliamentary seat in 1832.^[1]

An early member of the Anti-Corn Law League, he advocated for a repeal of the Corn Laws. Locally, he was part of the Liberal group that helped establish Salford Council in 1844. Harvey became a Borough Constable in 1834, a Police Commissioner in 1843, and one of Salford's first aldermen.^[1] He served as alderman from 1844 to 1870.^[3] Harvey was elected Mayor of Salford in 1857 and 1858.^[1]

Harvey continued his prominent role in the Council till his death on 25 December 1870 at his home at 8 Acton Square, Crescent, at the age of 83. He was buried in the family vault at Weaste Cemetery on 30 December 1870, with Rev. James Clark of the Bible Christian Church officiating.^[1]

Personal life

On June 19, 1812, Harvey married Mary Titley at Manchester Cathedral. Born in 1790 in Staffordshire to William and Mary Titley.^[1] They had five sons and one daughter.^[2] His wife died on 12 October 1857, aged 67.^[1]

Harvey was a friend of William Cobbett.^[3]