Robert Hyde Greg (24 September 1795 – 21 February 1875), was an English industrialist, economist,

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic sit ...

, and - briefly - a Member of Parliament. Born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, he was the son of

Samuel Greg Samuel Greg (26 March 1758 – 4 June 1834) was an Irish-born businessman and industrialist of the Industrial Revolution and a pioneer of the factory system. Born in Belfast, Ireland, he moved to England and built Quarry Bank Mill in Styal, C ...

and Hannah Lightbody, the creators of

Quarry Bank Mill Quarry Bank Mill (also known as Styal Mill) in Styal, Cheshire, England, is one of the best preserved Textile manufacture during the British Industrial Revolution, textile factories of the Industrial Revolution. Built in 1784, the cotton mill ...

, a pioneering factory of the early Industrial Revolution. His family were Unitarians, part of the prosperous dissenting community that characterised the entrepreneurial class of factory owners. He was brother to William Rathbone Greg and the junior

. He attended the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

and, after the obligatory Grand Tour of the antiquities of

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...

, joined his father's textile manufacturing enterprise. He was active in the city's intellectual life being elected to membership of the Society on 24 January1817 and was a founder of the Mechanics' Institute. He was an active member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

and the Anti-Corn Law League. Though he was elected to

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for

in 1839, it was without his consent and he resigned in the following year. He was an opponent of factory reform,

trades union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

s and worker health and safety legislation. He died at Norcliffe Hall, Styal,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

and is buried at the Dean Row Unitarian Chapel,

Wilmslow Wilmslow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is south of Manchester. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the parish had a population of 26,213 and the built up area had a p ...

. Greg was also a slaveholder; tenant-in-common of Cane Garden, St Vincent Island, with 82 enslaved people.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Greg, Robert Hyde 1795 births 1875 deaths Businesspeople from Manchester Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Manchester UK MPs 1837–1841 Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies Alumni of the University of Edinburgh English industrialists English Unitarians 19th-century English businesspeople