THE RISE OF FAMILIES 105 



School of Economists, enters Parliament, and dies at 

 a good age, leaving a considerable fortune and an 

 honourable record of commercial enterprise and public 

 service. We have travelled far from the days of his 

 great-grandfather, the first John, who counted his 

 flocks in the forest of Rossendale. 



Another family in a somewhat different locality may 

 be considered profitably. One John, whose forebears 

 were farmers in the district at the close of the seven- 

 teenth century, is described as a " barber," and marries 

 Ann, the daughter of a weaver. Their son, described 

 indifferently as barber, chirurgeon, and linen-draper, 

 married the capable daughter of the prosperous post- 

 master, thus taking the first essential step to family 

 prosperity. He leased a farm of 700 acres, and early 

 in the nineteenth century left a fortune of over 

 ^10,000. Again we find that the whole family were 

 warmly attached to the then radical movement, and 

 threw themselves vigorously into the stirring political 

 life of the day. Three of the sons migrated to the 

 neighbouring city and built up a large and successful 

 business. Two of them became members of Parlia- 

 ment, one was knighted, grandsons occupied responsible 

 positions in Parliament, in municipal affairs, at the 

 head of large economic enterprises ; and many of the 

 descendants of John, the barber, and Ann, the weaver's 

 daughter, are well-known people at this present day. 



From a fairly extensive acquaintance with family 

 records in various parts of England, these two brief 

 abstracts appear to be representative of the rise of 

 families in industrial circles during the eighteenth and 

 nineteenth centuries. The sons of yeomen of good 



