Lancashire Lantern

Sir Henry Tate - Family tree and biography

 

 

 

 

Sir Henry Tate was born in Chorley on March 11th 1819 and lived in Terrace Mount. 

He was the son of Rev William Tate, a Unitarian Minister of the Dissenters' Chapel and a teacher of poor children. 

The family later moved to Park Road.

The image shows Park Road c. 1900 looking towards Park Street.

 

 

Park Road c 1900 looking towards the Town Hall & St. Laurence's Church

Henry learned much from his father, including concern for others, hard work and an enquiring mind. 

 

In 1832 at the age of 13 he entered the grocery trade in Liverpool, served his apprenticeship for seven years and then bought a business in Old Haymarket, Liverpool in 1839. 

By 1855 he had acquired five other stores, including one in Church Street, Ormskirk.

In 1859 he became a partner in John Wright & Co., sugar refiners, and two years later he sold his grocery shops. 

After the death of John Wright, from 1869 his sugar refinery company was called Henry Tate & Sons. 

He opened the Love Lane refinery in 1874. 

He used the Boivin-Loiseau method of refining, and acquired their patent. 

Later (1876) he used the Langen patent for making cube sugar. 

Around 1874 he established the Thames Refinery on the north bank of the Thames in London, which made cube sugar primarily. 

He left Liverpool in 1881 to live in London at Park Hill, Streatham. 

He was given the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in 1891 and knighted in 1898; he died Dec 5th 1899. 

His company amalgamated with the Abram Lyle company in 1921 to form Tate & Lyle.

Henry Tate was a most generous person, making donations to several institutions - 

• in Liverpool to the University, the Hahnemann Hospital, and Liverpool Royal Infirmary

• in Chorley £500 towards books for new library in 1899

• in London to the foundation of the National Gallery of British Art (more popularly known as the Tate Gallery, now Tate Britain) opened in 1897, the building of libraries at Streatham, Lambeth and Brixton, and the 'Tate Institute' at Silvertown, North Thames, which was 'for the benefit of the industrial classes'.

The images shows the Rev. William Tate, Henry Tate's father, Minister of Unitarian Chapel, Park St. Chorley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Article from Chorley Guardian 1980 about Tate's birthplace - Click to enlarge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portrait of Henry Tate 
(By permission from Tate and Lyle from the book published by them entitled 'Henry Tate')