George Courtauld (industrialist, born 1761)

George Courtauld (1761–1823) was the founder of Courtaulds which was to become the UK's largest manufacturer of mourning crape.

Career

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Apprenticed to a Spitalfields silk weaver in 1775, George Courtauld first worked on his own as silk throwster.[1] Between 1785 and 1794 he made a number of visits to America.[1] In 1794 he established his own textile business at Pebmarsh under the name George Courtald & Co.[1] However by 1816 the business was in financial difficulty: that year George's son Samuel took over the business and built it into the UK's largest manufacturer of mourning crape.[1]

George was an ardent Unitarian.[1]

He retired to America where he died in 1823.[1]

Family

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George was born on 19 September 1761 to Samuel Courtauld and Louisa Ogier.[2]

George Courtauld married Ruth Minton[3] on 10 July 1789. Their children were:

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Samuel Courtauld (George Courtauld's son) at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  2. ^ "Louisa Courtauld 1729–1807". National Museum of Women in the Arts. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  3. ^ Proceedings of the Huguenot Society of London: Volume 11. Huguenot Society of London. 1917