Thomas Knowles (30 May 1824 – 3 December 1883) was an English businessman and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1874 to 1883. Knowles was born at

Ince-in-Makerfield Ince-in-Makerfield or Ince is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. The population of the Ince ward at the 2011 census was 13,486, but a southern part of Ince was also listed under the Abram ward (north ...

, the son of a colliery underlooker. According to his obituary, he began work at the age of nine, working up to fifteen hours a day for wages of half-a-crown a week, from which his father allowed him threepence a week pocket money. He spent two of the three pence on night school fees and rose through the ranks; collier, then underlooker, then (in 1847) colliery manager at Ince Colliery. In 1854, he became a partner in the colliery (then employing 200); when in 1873 the colliery (together with an associated ironworks at Warrington) became a limited liability company, Knowles became its chairman. Knowles was in business in Lancashire with interests in coal mining, cotton spinning and bleaching. He was chairman of Pearson and Knowles Coal and Iron Company and served for two years as chairman of the

Mining Association of Great Britain The Mining Association of Great Britain (MAGB) was an industry association of employers in the mining industry of Great Britain that was active from 1854 to 1954. History The Mining Association of Great Britain was established in 1854 to represen ...

. He was also a director of the

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the ...

, and of the Manchester and Liverpool District Banking Company. He was a J.P. for Lancashire and Cheshire.Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1881
/ref> In 1864 and 1865, he was Mayor of Wigan. At the 1874 general election Knowles was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

for

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

. He held the seat until his death at the age of 59 in 1883. Knowles married firstly Mary Foster in 1846 and secondly Mary Longworth in 1866, daughter of William Longworth of Little Bolton, Lancashire. The brothers Thomas Fielden and

Edward Brocklehurst Fielden Edward Brocklehurst Fielden (10 June 1857 – 31 March 1942) was a British businessman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician. Family background He was second son of Joshua Fielden (politician), Joshua Fielden, brother ...

, both themselves Members of Parliament, were sons-in-law

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* 1824 births 1883 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 Mayors of Wigan Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Wigan 19th-century English businesspeople {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1820s-stub