Thomas Leyland

Thomas Leyland (c. 1752–1827) was an English slave trader. In 1776, he won a lottery and with his share of the winnings, he set himself up in the slave trade. Leyland bought at least 22,365 enslaved Africans and took them on his slave ships to the Americas.

Leyland set up a bank in order to finance the slave voyages of other slaver traders. Upon the abolition of slave trade, he diversified into retail banking. He became a politician and was Lord Mayor of Liverpool three times. While he was in office, the Liverpool council petitioned against regulation of the slave trade. He left £600,000 in his will, meaning he had been one of the richest men in England.

Early life Thomas Leyland was born circa 1752 in Knowsley, Liverpool. In 1774, he formed the company Dillon and Leyland which traded food produce with Ireland. In 1776, with Dillon he bought a lottery ticket and they won £20,000.

Banking In 1802, Leyland entered into a banking partnership with Clarke and Roscoe, a firm of Liverpool bankers. William Roscoe, one of the partners was a leading abolitionist and this bank was dissolved within 2 months. In 1806, Leyland set up his own bank, with his nephew and fellow slave trader Richard Bullin. The Leyland & Bullin bank supplied finance to other slave traders. In 1807 the slave trade was made illegal in the United Kingdom and Leyland & Bullin diversified their banking operations. Their bank was acquired by The North and South Wales Bank in 1901 which, in 1908, merged with the Midland Bank.

Lord Mayor of Liverpool As he became richer, Leyland went into politics. Liverpool's local government was "dominated by slave traders" at this time; in 1787, 37 out of 41 of the council's members were involved in the slave trade and all 20 of the Lord Mayors of Liverpool between 1787 and 1807 were involved to some degree. Leyland was Lord Mayor of Liverpool himself three times in; 1798, 1814 and 1820. He was also a candidate to sit in the UK parliament in 1816 and 1820, but was not elected into office.

In April 1799, during the mayoralty of Leyland, Liverpool council submitted objections to the UK government's early anti-slavery legislation. Their petition described the bill as "impracticable in parts, injurious, partial, and oppressive". In May 1799, another bill was introduced into the House of Lords that sought to regulate the shipping of the enslaved in British slave ships; the Liverpool council "held that the health and comfort of the slaves had been already effectually secured".

When Leyland died on 29 May 1827, his will left a fortune of £600,000; he was one of the wealthiest decedents in Britain. This trade brought incredible riches to Leyland whilst at Walton Hall, Liverpool.

His business partner, Richard Bullin, a Staffordshire Ware merchant, married his sister Margaret. His widow continued to reside at Walton Hall, right up until her death in 1839. Leyland's two nephews, Richard and Christopher Bullin were his primary business partners and they became his beneficiaries, inheriting the Walton estate, on the condition they both assumed the Leyland name and coat of arms, as per instructions in Leyland’s Will. Both nephews died childless and ownership of Walton Hall passed to their younger sister, Dorothy and her husband John Wrench Naylor (1813–1889).

The Leyland estate was subsequently inherited by Christopher John Naylor (1849–1926), who changed his name to Leyland in 1893.