Charles William Sutton

“ From 1875 to 1882 he was pastor at Bedford chapel, Camden Town, London, and from 1882 to 1889 was minister of Park Hill congregational church, Nottingham. At Nottingham he was for a time chairman of the school board. Subsequently he was pastor of Milton church, Rochdale, from October 1889 till December 1896. This charge he relinquished in order to devote himself to the work of organising secretary of the Northern Counties Education League for promoting unsectarian state education. He was practically the founder of this league. His faith in unsectarian education was strong and uncompromising. ”

“ John Clifford 'the passive resistance movement' against the payment of rates and taxes, on the ground that the Education Act of 1902 gave an inequitable support at state expense to church schools which taught church doctrine. ”

“ Sufficient evidence was obtained to justify the sinking of a trial shaft and the formation of companies for further exploration. Watkin also proposed a railway tunnel between Scotland and Ireland and a ship canal in Ireland between Dublin and Galway. His passion for enterprise further led him to become chairman in 1889 of a company to erect at Wembley Park, Middlesex, a 'Watkin' tower on the model of the Eiffel tower in Paris. ”

“ GREENWOOD, THOMAS (1851–1908) , promoter of public libraries, son of William and Nanny Greenwood, was born at Woodley, near Stockport, Cheshire, on 9 May 1851, and educated at the village school. Benefiting by membership of a mutual improvement society conducted by William Urwick [q. v. Suppl. II.] , then congregational minister of Hatherlow, Cheshire, he made excellent use of the Manchester public library and similar institutions. ”

“ Of an old Quaker stock, he went to Quaker schools, first to that of Charles Cumber at Manchester, then to Ackworth school near Pontefract (1851–4) , and finally to Dr. Satterthwaite's school at Alderley, Cheshire. After serving his articles in the office of Peter B. Alley, architect, Manchester, he began at the ago of twenty-three to practise for himself, and was elected associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1864 (fellow in 1870, and vice-president, 1902–5) . His first commission was to carry out additions at Lyme Hall, Cheshire. ”

“ His early acquaintance with public libraries and his personal gratitude to them convinced him of the need of increasing their number and improving their organisation. Thanks to his advocacy many rate-supported libraries were opened in London and elsewhere in commemoration of the jubilee of Queen Victoria. ”

“ With this office he combined the chairmanship of the South Eastern company from 1866–1894, and of the Metropolitan companies from 1872–94. For a short time he was a director of the Great Eastern (1867) and Great Western (1866) companies. Other enterprises also occupied him. ”

“ His other works include: 1. 'Special Collections of Books in Lancashire and Cheshire,' prepared for the Library Association, 1880. 2. 'Art in Lancashire and Cheshire: a List of Deceased Artists,' 1884. 3. 'A Pictorial Record of the Royal Jubilee Exhibition, Manchester,' 1887. 4. 'Bibliography of Ackworth School,' 1889.
He died at the Grange, Heaton Moor, near Manchester, on 13 Nov. 1909, and was interred at the Friends' burial-ground, Ashton-on-Mersey. He married (1) Helen, daughter of Lawrence Wilkinson, by whom he had two sons and three daughters ”