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Colonel Edward Akroyd
Edward Akroyd (1810-1887) carried on the textile
business which had begun with his father and he, himself, established
mills at Haley Hill in Halifax and then at Copley, two miles
or so to the south-west. He proved to be a very successful businessman
and his firm made him very prosperous. At Haley Hill, not far
from his mills, he built a large mansion, Bankfield, in an Italianate
style, and he went to live there with a large number of servants
to run the house and the extensive grounds, and to tend the horses
in the commodious stables which were built nearby.
Akroyd was typical of the rich Victorian businessman
who felt it his Christian duty to care for his fellow man. He
was a true philanthropist who spent thousands of pounds for the
good of his workpeople, and his plan for building workers' houses
at Akroydon and Copley was a scheme which was far ahead of his
time. At his own expense he built All Souls Church in 1859 at
a cost of £100,000 and another church, St Stephen's, which stands on the far side of the
River Calder at Copley on ground which was just over the boundary
of the Skircoat Parish. Akroyd, who was Whig Member of Parliament
for Huddersfield, lost his seat, but in 1865 was returned as
MP for Halifax, continuing until he retired in 1874.
Akroyd's kindness was well-known and many
had cause to be grateful to him and felt his problems as keenly
as their own when some of his overseas investments failed and
he suffered great financial loss. The unkindest cut of fate,
however, was when he fell from his horse and received severe
head injuries. After this his failing health caused him to leave
Halifax for a secluded life at St Leonards attended by only one
manservant and it was there that he died in 1887.
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