Sir Francis Lycett (1803 – 29 October 1880) was a British businessman and philanthropist, and a prominent member of the Methodist Church.[1][2]

Family grave of Sir Francis Lycett in Highgate Cemetery

Born in Worcester, he was the son of Philip Francis Lycett and his wife Mary. Following his education at a private school in Worcester, he initially entered employment in the family glove works.[1][2][3] In 1832, he became the manager of the London headquarters of Dent, Allcroft & Co., a large glove-making business located in Worcester.[1][2] He was based in the City of London and became a member of the city's corporation.[2]

In 1847, he became a partner in Dent Allcroft & Co., retiring from business in 1865 later on.[1] He continued his association with the City of London. Then in 1866, he was elected as one of the two Sheriffs of London and Middlesex.[1] He was knighted in 1867,[4] became a justice of the peace for Middlesex and a Deputy Lieutenant for the City of London in 1869.[1][5][6][7]

On 16 June 1869, Sir Francis Lycett laid the foundation stone of the Methodist church in the village of Wye in Kent.

A Liberal in politics, he made a number of unsuccessful attempts to enter parliament including at Liskeard in 1869 and St Ives in 1874 and Worcester in 1878.[1][8][9][10] In 1870, he was elected to the first London School Board, as one of the members representing Finsbury.[11]

In 1837, he married Amelia Sarah Emily Vanderpant, the daughter of John Vanderpant of Utrecht in the Netherlands.[3][12]

Lycett died on 29 October 1880, at his home at 18 Highbury Grove, Islington, aged 77,[13] and was buried on the western side of Highgate Cemetery. He left an estate of more than a quarter of a million pounds, much of which he willed to various Methodist charities.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Summary of This Morning's News". The Pall Mall Gazette. 30 October 1880.
  2. ^ a b c d "Death of Sir Francis Lycett". The Morning Post. 30 October 1880. p. 5.
  3. ^ a b Dod's peerage, baronetage, and knightage of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Whittaker. 1870. p. 419.
  4. ^ "No. 23289". The London Gazette. 9 August 1867. p. 4418.
  5. ^ "No. 23463". The London Gazette. 29 January 1869. p. 462.
  6. ^ "Middlesex Sessions". The Times. 19 January 1869. p. 11.
  7. ^ "Lieutenancy Of The City Of London". The Times. 20 December 1873. p. 7.
  8. ^ "The Representation of Liskeard". The Times. 18 May 1869. p. 6.
  9. ^ "The St. Ives Election". The Times. 31 December 1874. p. 10.
  10. ^ "Election Intelligence". The Times. 25 March 1878. p. 6.
  11. ^ "London School Board Elections". Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper. 4 December 1870.
  12. ^ Fox-Davies, A C (1895). Armorial Families. p. 636.
  13. ^ "Deaths". The Standard. 4 November 1880.
  14. ^ "The Will of the Late Sir Francis Lycett and the Wesleyans". The Leeds Mercury. 20 December 1880.