William Coddington
William Coddington (1830-1918) of W. D. Coddington and Sons
1864 William Coddington, Cotton Spinner, Ordnance Cotton Mill, Blackburn.[1]
1918 February 15th. Died.[2]
1918 Obituary [3]
Sir WILLIAM CODDINGTON, Bart., was born at Salford on 12th December 1830.
At the age of twelve his parents removed to Blackburn where be received his early education.
Subsequently he and his brothers were taken into partnership by their father, who owned the Ordnance, Crossfield, and Wellington Old and New Cotton Mills in Blackburn, and the title of the firm became W. D. Coddington and Sons.
In 1862 the principal management of the business devolved upon him, and in course of time be became the sole proprietor, retaining in his own hands the direction of the firm's large business up to the last.
In addition to the spinning and manufacturing concerns, the firm also engaged at one time in the Manchester trade as bleached cotton merchants.
He built the Wellington new mill in 1872, and to-day the four mills contain over 98,000 spindles, and nearly 2,000 looms. He was thoroughly conversant with every process of the industry, from the raw cotton to the bleached cloth. He took a great interest in local affairs, and was elected on the Town Council of Blackburn in 1873, and in the following year became Mayor.
In 1880 he was elected Member of Parliament for Blackburn, which seat he held for nearly twenty-six years, and in 1896 he was created a Baronet. The Town Council honoured him by conferring the Honorary Freedom of the town in 1912 at the same time as Viscount Morley of Blackburn received it. He was placed on the Commission of the Peace for the County in 1867, and subsequently was created a Deputy Lieutenant.
His death took place at his residence, Wycollar, Blackburn, on 11th February 1918, at the age of eighty-seven.
He became a Member of this Institution in 1864.