Francis Lycett
British businessman and philanthropist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Francis Lycett (1803 – 29 October 1880) was a British businessman and philanthropist, and a prominent member of the Methodist Church.[1][2]
Born in Worcester, he was the son of Philip Francis Lycett and his wife Mary. Following his education at a private school in Worcester, he initially entered employment in the family glove works.[1][2][3] In 1832, he became the manager of the London headquarters of Dent, Allcroft & Co., a large glove-making business located in Worcester.[1][2] He was based in the City of London and became a member of the city's corporation.[2]
In 1847, he became a partner in Dent Allcroft & Co., retiring from business in 1865 later on.[1] He continued his association with the City of London. Then in 1866, he was elected as one of the two Sheriffs of London and Middlesex.[1] He was knighted in 1867,[4] became a justice of the peace for Middlesex and a Deputy Lieutenant for the City of London in 1869.[1][5][6][7]
On 16 June 1869, Sir Francis Lycett laid the foundation stone of the Methodist church in the village of Wye in Kent.
A Liberal in politics, he made a number of unsuccessful attempts to enter parliament including at Liskeard in 1869 and St Ives in 1874 and Worcester in 1878.[1][8][9][10] In 1870, he was elected to the first London School Board, as one of the members representing Finsbury.[11]
In 1837, he married Amelia Sarah Emily Vanderpant, the daughter of John Vanderpant of Utrecht in the Netherlands.[3][12]
Lycett died on 29 October 1880, at his home at 18 Highbury Grove, Islington, aged 77,[13] and was buried on the western side of Highgate Cemetery. He left an estate of more than a quarter of a million pounds, much of which he willed to various Methodist charities.[14]