Rathbone family

In England, the Rathbone family of Liverpool were nonconformist merchants and ship-owners who were known to engage in philanthropy and public service. The family origins trace back to Gawsworth, Cheshire, where the first William Rathbone was born in 1669; it was his son, William Rathbone II, who left Gawsworth for the growing port of Liverpool, where he worked as a sawyer and most likely established a timber business.^[1] Having arrived in Liverpool prior to 1730, the family subsequently became involved in the building and ownership of ships, as well as general commerce.^[2] In 1788, William Rathbone IV took a lease on the house and estate of Greenbank, then part of the Toxteth Park estate, to serve as a country retreat for his young family, and purchased the freehold of house in 1809, the year of his death.

^ "The Rathbone Papers". JISC. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
^ Gordon, Alexander; Kirby, M. W. (September 2004). "Rathbone, William (1757–1809), merchant and philanthropist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/23160. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 31 August 2019. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

[1] "The Rathbone Papers". JISC. Retrieved 31 August 2019.

[2] Gordon, Alexander; Kirby, M. W. (September 2004). "Rathbone, William (1757–1809), merchant and philanthropist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/23160. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 31 August 2019. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

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