Francis Philips (1771-1850)
J.P., D.L., of Bank Hall, Lancashire etc.
He grew up at Bank Hall, Lancashire. He entered the family cotton business and as an offshoot established the cotton spinning firm of Philips & Lee at Manchester, where he gained a reputation as a forward-thinking employer and philanthropist. In 1812, he found himself standing next to Prime Minister Spencer Perceval in the House of Commons when he was shot and he died minutes later in Philips' arms. After the premature deaths of his two elder brothers, he succeeded to Bank Hall in 1824 and bought Abbey Cwmhir Hall as a summer home in 1837. In 1841, he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Cheshire and two years later became Chairman of the Trustees of Stockport Infirmary. Like his brother John, he too was a keen entomologist and their collection formed the nucleus of the Manchester Museum. His private library and collection of prints were among the most foremost of their kind in the country.
