Sir Thomas Birkin, 1st Baronet
Thomas Birkin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas Isaac Birkin 15 February 1831 |
| Died | 16 January 1922 (aged 90) |
| Resting place | Wilford Hill Cemetery, West Bridgford, Nottingham |
| Occupation | Lace manufacturer |
| Board member of | Great Northern Railway |
| Spouse |
Harriet Tebbutt (m. 1856) |
| Children | 9 |
| Parent | Richard Birkin |
| Relatives | Freda Dudley Ward (granddaughter) |
Sir Thomas Isaac Birkin, 1st Baronet JP DL (15 February 1831 – 16 January 1922) was a British lace manufacturer, living in Nottingham.
Early life
[edit]He was born on 15 February 1831, the second son of Richard Birkin (1805–1870), who founded the family lace-making business.[1][2]
Career
[edit]After his father retired in 1856, his sons Richard Jr and Thomas took over, until Richard Jr retired in 1862, and Thomas was left in sole charge.[2]
By 1898, the business had been split into two companies, Birkin and Co (fancy lace), and T. I. Birkin and Co (lace curtains), both headquartered at Broadway, Nottingham.[2] They had expanded internationally, with large factories in Saxony and Chester, Pennsylvania, US.[2]
Birkin was a magistrate, and a Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, of which he was the High Sheriff in 1892.[2] He was a director of the Great Northern Railway.[2]
Personal life
[edit]He married Harriet Tebbutt (1835-1921), on 9 October 1856, and they had nine children:
- Sir Thomas Stanley Birkin, 2nd Baronet (1857–1931)
- Sir Alexander Russell Birkin, 4th Baronet (1861–1942)
- Lt-Col Richard Leslie Birkin (1863–1936)
- Harriet Maud Birkin (1864–1951)
- Colonel Charles Wilfred Birkin (1865–1932); married American Claire Lloyd Howe. One of their daughters was English socialite Freda Dudley Ward, who was the mistress of the Prince of Wales prior to his meeting Wallis Simpson.
- Hilda Mary Birkin (1868–1926)
- Major Philip Austen Birkin (1869–1951)
- Major Harry Laurence Birkin (1872–1951); married Olive Russell (1882-1960). Grandfather of Jane Birkin and David Birkin. Great-grandfather of Kate Barry, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon.
- Ethel Lillian Birkin (1874–1972)
He died on 16 January 1922,[1] and is buried in the grade II listed Birkin Mausoleum, a small classical temple built in 1921 of Portland stone in Wilford Hill Cemetery, West Bridgford, Nottingham.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Birkin (UK Baronet, 1905)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "Nottinghamshire history > Nottingham & Notts Illustrated : "Up-to-Date" Commercial Sketches (1898)". www.nottshistory.org.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ dijit.net. "Birkin Mausoleum - Mausolea & Monuments Trust". www.mmtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2018.