Charles Horsfall

Charles Horsfall (21 June 1776 – 18 June 1846) was a merchant and slave-owner who served as Mayor of Liverpool 1832–1833.

Life

Early life

Horsfall was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, the son of Joseph Horsfield and Anna Hodgson, and was baptised at St Peter's Church, Huddersfield on 17 July 1776.

Jamaica

On 20 November 1792, aged 16, he sailed to Jamaica, where he established himself as a commodities trader.

He was Bailiff of Liverpool in 1829 and then Mayor in 1832.

He was an avid botanist, and his wife was a noted horticultural artist who contributed many plates to books and magazines of the time. His botanical passions were fuelled by his business trade connections with West Africa, the West Indies and the Americas. He was in partnership with another notable merchant family, the Tobins and also his cousins the Hodgsons, Jamaican plantation owners. He was a leading member of the Liverpool West India Association.