Sir John Hardman

Sir John Hardman (c.1694 – 6 December 1755) was an English merchant, politician and slave trader. He was engaged in the slave trade between England, Africa and the West Indies; indeed, the Hardman family were involved in 46 slave voyages between 1729 and 1759.[1]

Portrait of John Hardman by Thomas Murray

Biography

Hardman was the second but elder surviving son of Richard Hardman of the manor of Rochdale, by his wife Elizabeth Fernyside. His brother, James Hardman (born 1697), was also involved in slave trading. The senior Hardman, erroneously confused with John, had been appointed to care for the feet of King William III, and was the son of James Hardman Esq. of Rochdale, who had fought as a cavalier in the English Civil War. The Hardmans were an old Lancastrian family of landed gentry.[2]

In 1736, Hardman purchased the manor of Allerton Hall and rebuilt it in grand, Palladian style.[3] During this time he began a career slave trading, financing and undertaking slave voyages from West Africa to the West Indies.[1]

Hardman regularly gave evidence to the Board of Trade on behalf of Liverpool Corporation, . He was later elected as a member of the British Parliament for that constituency in 1754, but died the following year.[4] He had organised a survey on behalf of the Liverpool merchants of the possibility of a canal to join the rivers Trent and Mersey.[5]

Appearance

According to Dagnall (1961), Hardman had a striking appearance with flowing locks of golden hair, curled whiskers, earrings, and curiously cut coat and waistcoat. He paraded the streets in this bizarre attire to attract the attention of prospective customers.[6]

Legacy

Hardman Earle, 1st Baronet was named after Hardman. Additionally, Hardman Street, Liverpool is named for the Hardman family of Allerton Hall.[7] Despite this, Hardman's role in the slave trade makes him a controversial figure.

Charles Kuhn Prioleau, a Confederate cotton merchant and diplomat married Hardman's descendant, Mary Elizabeth Hardman, who was known as the 'Belle of Liverpool'. During the American Civil War, Prioleau rented Allerton Hall.[8]

References
  1. Clements, Max (21 June 2020). "Stark truth that not just city centre benefited from slavery cash". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  2. Lt. Col., Fishwick F.S.A (1890). Notes on the Hardman family. p. 42.
  3. "Details of Physical Legacy | Legacies of British Slavery". www.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  4. The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790, ed. L. Namier, J. Brooke., 1964
  5. P. Lead, Agents of Revolution: John and Thomas Gilbert - entrepreneurs (Centre for Local History, Keele 1989), 70.
  6. "John Hardman. Stipple engraving". Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  7. "Liverpool Street Names". www.liverpoolpictorial.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 August 2001.
  8. Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
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