Samuel Hope was born in Liverpool in 1781, the son of Mary Jones and William Hope, a mercer and draper, who lived for many years at 1 Atherton Street, with his warehouse adjoining at 14 Pool Lane, now South Castle Street. William was the first to build a house on Hope Street where the Philharmonic now stands and it is from him the street derives its name. William Hope and Mary Jones were the 4th great-grandparents of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall – who is of course married to Charles, Prince of Wales, the son of Queen Elizabeth II.
Here also resided their son Samuel who, after an apprenticeship with Nicholas Waterhouse, commenced business in 1803 as a cotton broker at 2 Water Street, on the south side immediately below Castle Street. In 1806, Waterhouse's major Lancashire clients, the Strutts, transferred almost all of their Liverpool purchasing business to the broker Samuel Hope, his former apprentice. By 1807 William Hope had retired from business, and had built himself the house at the corner of Hope Street and Myrtle Street. At this time Liverpool's cotton brokers were absolutely central to the Liverpool market with cotton trade increasing in a way that greatly surprised the people of those days, as imports into Liverpool rose from 92,000 bales in 1800 to an average of 168,000 bales in 1804-6, and to 250,000 bales in 1809-11. This called for a more complete and more systematic service of statistics. The first exclusively weekly cotton circular was implemented by Samuel in 1805 and was more complete than any others and the first attempt to systematise the statistics of the trade.
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| William Hope once lived on the site of this famous property |
In the same year, on the 7th of October 1807, Samuel took on as an apprentice George Holt, aged 17. The latter, the son of Oliver Holt, was born at Town Mill, Rochdale, on the 24th of June 1790. At the conclusion of his apprenticeship in 1812, Samuel Hope took him into partnership. The circular, dated 28th November 1812, is as follows: "I have pleasure to apprise you that I have taken Mr. George Holt into partnership with myself under the title of 'Samuel Hope & Co.'. Having been invited to this measure by the assistance I have derived from Mr. Holt’s ability and application during the five years he has been acquiring a knowledge of the business in my office, I am encouraged to hope that these qualities will powerfully second my own exertions to merit a continuance of your patronage." Later on they added banking business to that of cotton brokers. On the 17th of September 1816 Samuel Hope married Rebecca (or Rebekah), daughter of Thomas Bateman, Esq., then of Higher Ardwick, near Manchester, but subsequently of Middleton Hall, Youlgreen, Co. Derby at St. John's, Manchester. They went on to raise a dozen children in Liverpool.
A key service provided by Liverpool’s cotton brokers was that of supplying credit to cotton importing merchants. Expansion of credit played an important role in leading cotton to be retained in Liverpool rather than being sold quickly to inland dealers. There were two basic forms of cotton broking in Liverpool: selling cotton for the importing merchants and buying it for spinners. In 1823 Samuel Hope explained before a select committee of the House of Commons that for merchants, this credit allowed them to hold their cotton in Liverpool and await higher prices. He related one incident in which he had held cotton under advances for a merchant for a full year, awaiting 'a better market'.
The family lived in the village of Everton at Everton Terrace after purchasing houses there in 1828 which he had knocked down to build a spacious and elegant mansion. They were now obviously a respectable and wealthy family with Samuel owning considerable properties in Liverpool. He was a dedicated philanthropist and a man of considerable strength of character, with pronounced Liberal views. In philanthropic endeavours he was to the fore, and was earnest in his promotion of educational improvement and committed to the cause of anti-slavery and was an influential speaker at public meetings. He worked to abolish the slave trade, to establish a Mechanic's Institute in Liverpool with others in 1835 of which he was a Trustee and Treasurer, and to also achieve Free Trade. The Liverpool Mechanics Institute was founded by people of power and influence who recognised the transformative effects of education and the impact that learning and aspiration could have on individuals, communities and society. It was the first such institution to be founded in England. The building was to house the school formally known as The Liverpool Institute High School for Boys and is now Paul McCartney's LIPA. A sturdy Nonconformist Samuel took the chair on two occasions in 1837 when the question of the abolition of church rates occupied public attention.
In 1821 his partnership with George Holt was dissolved, with Samuel taking the banking department, and George Holt the cotton department. The banking business was continued under the name of Samuel Hope and Co. as Samuel still used the name Hope & Co. with Edward Burrell. They were very wealthy and when, some years later in 1836, Samuel Hope fell into ill health, they converted the private bank into a joint-stock company under the title of the Liverpool Borough Bank with Samuel as chairman. With a capital of £500,000 in £10 shares, they had lots of support as 32,000 out of the 50,000 shares were appropriated before public issue. The cotton business continued under the name of George Holt and Co. However both Samuel Hope and his partner Edward Burrell died the following year, in 1837.
see also:- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2021/05/a-liverpool-exemplar-edith-eccles.html
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