Richard Wright Procter (1816–1881) was an English barber, poet and author.

Life

The son of Thomas Procter, he was born of poor parents in Paradise Vale,

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

, Lancashire, on 19 December 1816. Apprenticed to a barber, in due course he set up in business for himself in Long Millgate,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, where he also ran a circulating library. He remained there for the rest of his life. Procter died at 133 Long-Millgate, Manchester, on 11 September 1881, and was buried at St. Luke's, Cheetham Hill. He had married, in 1840, Eliza Waddington, who predeceased him, and left five sons.

Works

When young Procter bought books, and sent poetical contributions to the local press. In 1842 he associated with

Samuel Bamford Samuel Bamford (28 February 1788 – 13 April 1872) was an English radical reformer and writer born in Middleton, Lancashire. He wrote on the subject of northern English dialect and wrote some of his better known verse in it. Biography Bamfor ...

, John Critchley Prince, John Bolton Rogerson, and other local poets in meetings held at an inn, afterwards known as the "Poet's Corner", and he contributed to a volume of verse ''Festive Wreath'' which resulted. He had some pieces in ''City Muse'' (1853), edited by William Reid of Manchester. He published also: *''Gems of Thought and Flowers of Fancy'', 1855; a volume of poetical selections, of which the first and last pieces are by himself. *''The Barber's Shop'', with illustrations by William Morton, 1856; sketches of the odd characters he met. A second edition incorporated lore relating to hairdressing and to notable barbers, published, with a memoir by

William Edward Armytage Axon William Edward Armytage Axon (13 January 1846 – 27 December 1913) was an English librarian, antiquary and journalist for the ''Manchester Guardian''. He contributed to the ''Dictionary of National Biography'' under his initials W. E. A. A. H ...

, 1883. *''Literary Reminiscences and Gleaning with Illustrations'', 1860; mainly on Lancashire poets. *''Our Turf, our Stage, and our Ring'', 1862; historical sketches of racing and sporting life in Manchester. *''Manchester in Holiday Dress'', 1866; on theatres and other amusements in Manchester before 1810. *''Memorials of Manchester Streets'', 1874. *''Memorials of Bygone Manchester, with Glimpses of the Environs'', 1880.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Procter, Richard Wright 1816 births 1881 deaths People from Salford Burials in Greater Manchester English male poets 19th-century English poets 19th-century English male writers