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Description: | In 1838 William Isaac was apprenticed to Joseph Huntley the ironmongers in London Street. In 1851 he joined his brother's biscuit company and became biscuit factory manager at a salary of £200 per year. He and his brother Samuel became full partners in the company in 1857 and were entitled to a quarter of the profits each. William Isaac was more light-hearted than his brothers, never married and stayed living with his mother as her companion. His estate was at Grazeley Court where he was a successful landowner as he concentrated on the rearing of his prize winning shorthorned cattle. He also owned 'Hillside' which he built in 1880-82, on land in Allcroft Road that he leased from Christ's Hospital. During William Isaac's lifetime, he donated much time and money to good causes. He sank a well at Great Lea, Shinfield, for the benefit of the inhabitants of the district and he was also the prime mover in founding the Reading Free Library and the Museum. He was a generous contributor to the New Town Hall and the Schools of Science and Art, subscribing around £20,000 for these buildings. When he died in 1893 it was discovered that his benefactions and promises of funds exceeded his assets. Therefore his brothers had to help out from their own resources. | Format: | image/jpeg | License: | http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=gateway&f=generic_sitetext%2ehtm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&cms_con_core_subtype%3acms_con_text_what=copyright&%3acms_sys_group=%22sopse%22 | Rights holder: | Reading Borough Council (Reading Museum Service) | Subjects: | William Isaac Palmer (JP) portrait | Temporal: | start=1885-01-01; end=1885-12-31; | Source: | Sense of place SE | Creator: | Frank Holl | Identifier: | http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | image/jpeg | Go to resource |
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