John Edward Crowther (1863–1931) was a businessman and philanthropist who ran a large operation based at Bank Bottom Mill and made a number of charitable donations to the village and people of Marsden,

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

Early life

Crowther was born in 1863 in the

.www.marsdenhistory.co.uk
Retrieved 4 January 2014 He was the son of John Crowther, a clothier (c1820-1865) and his wife Martha. He had, four brothers,

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

, William, Elon Crowther, all of whom would go into the mill business.

Career

Crowther owned and ran the family company John Edward Crowther Ltd based at Bank Bottom Mill, which in the early part of the 20th century was one of the largest cloth producing mills owned by a single individual in the world. He was responsible for a number of charitable donations to the town of Marsden, such as the purchase and donation of an ambulance in 1912. After the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, in 1930, Crowther donated land for the clubhouse of the local chapter of the

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British Charitable organization, charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. ...

. He also helped to maintain a curate at the parish church and helped pay for the peal of bells in the church tower.Pearson, p.44

Death and legacy

On 7 April 1930 his wife died. In 1931 the economic downturn caused by the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

caused the mill to work short time, and on 4 July 1931 Crowther took his own life. When he was cremated on 8 July, the mills in Marsden closed, shops shut and drew their blinds, and flags flew at half mast on the mills and other buildings in the town. The company that bears his name, John Edward Crowther Ltd, remains in business today, manufacturing textiles and also dealing in real estate.John Edward Crowther Ltd at Companies House
Retrieved 6 August 2018

Notes

External links

www.marsdenhistory.co.uk
Retrieved 4 January 2014
Crowthers at Marsden History
Retrieved 30 December 2018
"Picture of the Week: John Crowther mill memories in the shadow of the moors"
''

Huddersfield Daily Examiner The ''Huddersfield Daily Examiner'' is an English local daily evening newspaper covering news and sport from Huddersfield, England, and its surrounding areas. History The first edition was published as a weekly, starting on 6 September 1851 ...

'', 24 May 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2013
Pearson, Irene E., ''Marsden Through the Ages''
(1984), Retrieved 4 January 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Crowther, John Edward 1863 births 1931 deaths People from Marsden, West Yorkshire Businesspeople from Yorkshire 1931 suicides Suicides in England

Early life

Career

Death and legacy

Notes

Further reading

External links