William Gott | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Bust_of_William_Gott_by_J_Gott_(27a).jpg) Bust of William Gott by Joseph Gott, 1834 | |
| Born | 1797 Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 25 August 1863, aged 66 |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation(s) | Wool merchant, mill-owner |
| Known for | Philanthropy towards public services, collecting fine art and rare books, supporting building of Leeds General Infirmary (1863), paying low wages which caused a weaver's strike |
| Father | Benjamin Gott |
William Gott, (Leeds 1797 – Patterdale 26 August 1863) was a British wool merchant, mill owner, philanthropist towards public services and art collector from Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.
Together with his brother John, William Gott took over management of Armley Mills, the former Park Mills at Bean Ings, Leeds, and other businesses from their father Benjamin Gott from the mid-1820s. Their company, Gott & Sons, was a major local employer, having hundreds of regular workers, plus weavers on piece-work. While involved with the company they faced an indictment for smoke pollution at Park Mills, and showed an unsympathetic response in line with 19th-century culture to a weavers' pay strike due to low wages.
William Gott lived in various mansions, including Denison Hall and Wyther Hall at Leeds, and Bay Fort at Torquay, Devon. He married twice and had at least six children, one of whom was John Gott, Bishop of Truro. His philanthropy included the contribution of funds towards churches and civic buildings, and the provision of exhibits including the Leeds Tiger for Leeds Museum, via the Leeds Philosophical Society of which he was vice president by the end of his life. His art collections are now dispersed, but his bound volumes of watercolours, lithographs and drawings are held at the Hepworth Gallery at Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and his Piranesi drawings are in the British Museum.