18 Facts About Parsley Peel

Robert "Parsley" Peel was a British merchant who was the grandfather of Robert Peel, a future prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Parsley Peel's family were traditionally yeoman farmers, until his grandfather Robert Peele abandoned the trade in favour of making woollen cloth.

Parsley Peel inherited the woodblocks his grandfather used for printing on wool and started experimenting with them.

Parsley Peel had gained a reputation for trying new methods within the industry, being one of the first textile manufacturers to use carding cylinders.

Parsley Peel began experimenting at his home with different forms of printing until, according to family tradition, his young daughter Anne brought him a sprig of parsley and begged him to use it as a pattern.

Parsley Peel etched this design onto a pewter plate to allow the printing, which was then finished with an iron by one of the women of the household.

Parsley Peel went on to be one of the first calico printers in Lancashire.

Parsley Peel worked with one of his weavers, James Hargreaves, to investigate new technologies.

When Hargreaves went on to invent the spinning jenny in 1764, Parsley Peel was keen to use the technology.

Parsley Peel set them up in his factory at Stanhill where Hargreaves worked.

Parsley Peel decided on Burton-upon-Trent where he built three mills, including cutting a canal for one.

Parsley Peel came to see the destruction as fortuitous, as he then turned to Richard Arkwright's carding "engine".

Parsley Peel was described as "a tall robust man" with reddish hair, cautious but shrewd, who led the family to fortune through perseverance and resolve.

Sir Robert Parsley Peel went on to father Sir Robert Parsley Peel, 2nd Baronet, the future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who helped to create the modern concept of a police force.

Douglas Hurd noted that Parsley Peel was satisfied with his lot and did not expect to rise up the social ladder personally, though he hoped his children would.

Towards the end of his life, Parsley Peel started to lean heavily on a cane.

Parsley Peel lived out his final days in Ardwick Green, near his daughter.

Parsley Peel's wife survived him by six months; one of her final wishes was to outlive her husband to care for him in his final days.