Today in Masonic History

Today in Masonic History William Hesketh Lever is born in 1851.

William Hesketh Lever was a British businessman.

Lever was born on September 19th, 1851 in Bolton, Lancashire, England. His father was a grocer and Lever worked in his father business at the age of 16. He was educated at the Bolton Church Institute. In 1872 he was given a partnership in his father’s business.

In 1886, Lever created Lever Brothers, a soap manufacturing company, with his brother James.

In 1887, Lever wanted to expand his business. He purchased land in Cheshire. There he built a manufacturing facility and a model village. The purpose of a model village, common at the time, is to provide housing for employees. The housing was called tied cottages, which means the rental of the cottage was tied to whether employee remained employed. The village was called Port Sunlight.

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