Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

a borough magistrate, spent much of his life concerned with Liverpool's social problems, particularly those of education and public health. He supported for thirty years the Harrington Schools in Stanhope Street, established by his father in 181510 and was financial benefactor as well as ardent supporter of the Liverpool Mechanics Institute. Richard Yates' most outstanding contribution to social reform in Liverpool was his pioneering effort in aid of public health. This took the form of the purchase of the 100 acres comprising Prince's Park for £ 50,000 from Lord Sefton in 1841, and which was opened to the public.11 With the aid of two famous landscape architects, Sir Joseph Paxton and Sir James Pennithorne, Yates had Prince's Park laid out as a recreation area at his own expense,12 after failing to persuade Liverpool Corporation to do this. In 1849 Prince's Park was given as a gift to the city.13 From an intelligent and lively curiosity (which evidences itself in the manuscript tour) and partly due to ill-health, Richard Yates travelled widely in Italy and Greece.14 He also travelled in Egypt, Syria and Palestine between November 1846 and May 1847. Harriet Martineau, who accompanied Yates and his wife, published an account of their tour in 1848 as Eastern Life: Past and Present.15 John Ashton Yates, the second of the brothers was also a considerable traveller: William Shepherd accompanied him several times on the continent.16 The Manuscript tour There is no evidence that Richard Yates published accounts of his travels apart from an indirect reference in 'an account of a visit. to Dunkirk' and if he wrote any other travel journals they have not yet come to light. The tour held by the National Library of Wales would therefore appear to be a unique account of an episode in the lives of Richard and Joseph Yates. The brothers entered North. Wales in 1805 by Chester to Wrexham and Llangollen, following the main London-Holyhead coaching road through Aber- gele, Conway and Penmaenmawr- that 'most sublime and awful scene'17 -to Bangor, crossing to Dublin from Holyhead. During their visit to Dublin18 they were entertained by the families of two Unitarian ministers, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Hutton of Eustace Street Dissenters' chapel and by an ex-Liverpool merchant Edward Swanwick. They visited Dublin's major public buildings (for example the Customs House, Castle and Royal Exchange). The brothers took a drive in Phoenix Park and a visit was arranged to see Lord Charlemont's grounds at Powerscourt, then owned by the second earl: James Coulfield 1st Earl Charlemont, the Irish parliamentary reformer, had died in 1799. They heard the 'famous Mr Corran'19 speak in the Court of the King's Bench. Curran was noted for his defence of the prisoners in the trials of the 1798 Rebellion. Richard and Joseph called on Isaac Weld, snr. (d. 1824) 'the father of the celebrated traveller in America'20 while his son was 'gone to London to superintend the printing of and engravings for, a small but elegant work which will be published before long, a Tour to the Lake of Killarney'.21