Athenaeum Notable Proprietors

As a contribution to the celebration of the eight hundredth anniversary of Liverpool's founding as a borough in 1207, the proprietors (that is to say, the members) of Liverpool's Athenaeum have prepared this series of pen portraits of some of their most notable predecessors.

The Athenaeum was founded in 1797, several years before its London namesake. At that time Liverpool was thought of as the second city of the British Empire, being predominant in maritime trade and commerce. It was also paramount in the trade of slaves from Africa to the Americas, a trade which was banned in the British Empire in 1807 following a campaign by men including William Roscoe, a former President of the Athenaeum.

Liverpool was not only a place of trade but also a place where the arts flowered throughout the nineteenth century. Many of the city's most notable men of letters were members of the Athenaeum, using it as a meeting place and making use of its library, still today one of the finest historical libraries in the country.

Liverpool's fortunes changed for the worse in the twentieth century as the passenger liner trade moved to Southampton for better tidal conditions, as east Lancashire declined as a place where goods were manufactured for export, as government and commerce became more and more centralised in London and, later, as more of Britain's trade came to be with Europe, through ports on the east and south coasts.

The Athenaeum has evolved to meet changing circumstances but continues to be a place of learning, information and social contact between men and women of many professions and occupations. It intends to continue to play an important part in the life of the city.

The people whose lives are briefly reviewed in this document were not for the most part of everyday fame. However, the contributions they made to city, national and world affairs were considerable and deserve to be better known.

Read on and enjoy it.

His Honour Judge John Roberts, President

August 2007