William Christopher Boyd, Manchester Warehouseman

[queencorgi1]

Ha ha, some of those quotations make it sound like a tough gig -- but as I just said, clearly there was a lot of money in it!

[MollyC]

Cotton was easier and cheaper to produce than linen which is mentioned in the first Wikipedia entry.  (Reply#3)
The linen industry declined during the middle of the 19th cent. because cotton replaced many of its uses.  There must have been a large increase in textile use generally, rising populations and export trade, so cotton supplied a large proportion of that.  Volumes were large, so warehousemen could prosper well.

[AlanBoyd]

Ref 6 of the WP page linked by hepburn in reply#6 is a contemporary obituary in The Entomologist which states that:

He was elected to the Entomological Society of London as long ago as 1867, at which time he resided at Cheshunt, though for some years past The Grange, Waltham Cross, has been his home.

Direct link to the obituary:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/35882#page/44/mode/1up

I was curious as to where The Grange was/is. I'm sure that there may be subtle local distinctions at play here, but as far as I can see The Grange is in Cheshunt. Its location is on the west side of Crossbrook Street, immediately north of the (modern) junction with Friends Avenue.

It is a Grade II listed building:

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1100593?section=official-list-entry

[queencorgi1]

Thank you Molly C for your helpful comment, and Alan, thank you for the obituary of WC Boyd. It does sound to me that being a Manchester Warehouseman allowed one time to lead a very enjoyable life pursuing one's interests, without the actual work impeding this too much.
The Grange (97 Crossbrook Street) was and perhaps still is being used as a nursery. I note that it was built about 1900 so must have been a new house for the Boyds. This isn't a very good photo but gives an idea of its appearance
Are you a relative of WC Boyd, Alan?

[AlanBoyd]

Not a relative as far as I know – my Boyds seem to have kept to the north of England.

I thought that the house looked fairly modern, but the English Heritage listing describes it as early 19th century.