William Kay: Cotton manufacturer and liberal benefactor. 1775 - 1846.

A thriving and prosperous textile industry built on the mechanisation of Lancashire’s textile mills during the Industrial Revolution and the importance of the mass production of cotton to the region, saw the rise of many significant and wealthy families in the north west of England, particularly in and around the developing towns of Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Manchester and Rochdale. That wealth was then invested in related industries and commerce, from banking and insurance, to transport and shipping, to gas and waterworks, as well as into the building and funding of hospitals, churches, schools and education.This book is about one such Lancashire family; a family that revolved around clothing, fustian, cotton spinning and woollen, calico and cotton manufacture for well over 200 years prior to the Industrial Revolution, and believed to date back to at least the 1500s.It is the story of William Kay and his children and grandchildren - as well as his parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters - that have been researched and recorded over a period of more than a century, looking at where this particular Kay family and ancestors lived in Bass Lane, Walmersley, their occupations and business relationships, their church affiliations, and the charities, dispensaries, schools and hospitals that they supported.It is also a story of wealth created, spread throughout a family, and ultimately largely given away to the poor and disadvantaged, for overseas missionary works and to charities.