Benjamin Dobson

Colonel Sir Benjamin Alfred Dobson (27 October 1847 – 4 March 1898) was an English textile machinery manufacturer and mayor of Bolton. He was chairman of Dobson & Barlow, the company co-founded in 1790 by his great-great-uncle Isaac Dobson.

Early life and family Dobson was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, in 1847. His father Arthur Dobson was from Belfast, but was the great-nephew of Isaac Dobson, founder of Dobson & Barlow.

He was educated at Carlisle Grammar School and the Collegiate Institute, Belfast. His first job was with the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway before he moved to England in 1869 to join Dobson & Barlow.

Screenwriter Chris Bryant (1936–2008), born Christopher Brian Spencer Dobson, was his great-grandson. He joined the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1871 and served on its council 1885 to 1891, and from 1894 until his death.

A statue of Dobson by John Cassidy stands beside Bolton Town Hall.