Blue Coat School, Oldham, and Blind Asylum, Manchester, was a native of Prestbury, near Macclesfield, born 1731. The family possessed a small estate there. In his early days, probably about 1755, he became an apprentice to the hatting business, at Oldham, in the service of Mr. John Fletcher, hat manufacturer. Subsequently he was a resident of Manchester, where he was the possessor or partner in some dye works. About 1768 or 1770 he settled at Oldham, and entered into partnership with his old master, Mr. Fletcher, of Holebottom, in the hatting trade. Mr. Henry Henshaw, a brother of Mr. Thomas Henshaw, soon after joined them. At this time the brothers Henshaw resided in an old house that had bow windows, situate at the bottom of Church lane, and were remarkable for their habits of industry and frugality. About 1778 or 1780 Messrs. Henshaw established a hat manufaetory on their own account at Hargreaves, in Oldham, which in a few years ranked as one of the principal hatting manufactories in the kingdom. Previous to 1798 Mr. Thomas Barker became a partner of the firm; and Mr. Thomas Henshaw having married in 1799, Sarah, relict of Mr. Taylor, of Crumpsall, two of Mr. Taylor's sons, Messrs. John and James M. Taylor, embarked in the hatting trade with Messrs. Henshaw, Barker, and Hadfield. Messrs. Henshaw who are said to have only possessed a capital of £2000 when they commenced the hat trade on their own account, continued their abstemious habits and almost uneeasing attention to business, until at the period of Mr. Henry Henshaw's death, April 30, 1807, they had accumulated property to the amount of £154,000. During the lifetime of the brothers, upwards of 300 operatives were employed at the batting works. In 1805 Mr. Henry Henshaw devised the sum of £64,000 to his nephew, Mr. George Hadfield, who in 1807 renounced his claim to it, in order to gratify Mr. Thomas Henshaw. In 1805 Mr. Thomas Henshaw, after devising various other legacies, left the sum of £20,000, as well as the residue of his property, to Mrs

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