Benjamin Gott 1762-1840

Before 24th June 1762 [his father] John Gott of Woodhall in West Yorkshire [aged 42] and [his mother] Susanna Jackson of Bradford were married.

On 24th June 1762 Benjamin Gott was born to John Gott of Woodhall in West Yorkshire [aged 42] and Susanna Jackson of Bradford at Calverley. He was educated at Bingley Grammar School until he was seventeen.

In or before 11th December 1785 Benjamin Gott [aged 23] and Elizabeth Rhodes [aged 17] were married. They had ten children.

On or before 11th December 1785, the date he was baptised, Joseph Gott was born to Unamed Gott at Calverley. His parentage appears subject to some confusion being described by some sources as the son of Benjamin Gott [aged 23], some as his second cousin; we have adopted the former relationship.

In 1792 Benjamin Gott [aged 29] bought a field known as Bean Ing, in open country next to the river, and began building a new mill (originally called Park Mill) where many of the processes of cloth-making could be brought together and mechanised, though weaving remained mostly home-based. He bought new machinery and installed one of the newly-developed Boulton and Watt steam engines - forging a lasting friendship with the inventors. He experimented with new dyeing methods and other processes. He encountered resistance (threats and broken windows) from some hand workers, particularly the croppers, but faced it out.

In 1793 [his father] John Gott of Woodhall in West Yorkshire [aged 73] died.

Before 1795 [his son] V Gott was born to Benjamin Gott [aged 32] and [his wife] Elizabeth Rhodes [aged 26].

In 1797 [his son] William Gott was born to Benjamin Gott [aged 34] and [his wife] Elizabeth Rhodes [aged 29].

In 1799 Benjamin Gott [aged 36] was elected Mayor of Leeds.

by 1800 the outbreak of war with France brought a sudden massive demand for army uniform cloth and blankets, while trade with the Americas and China boomed. Benjamin Gott's [aged 37] mill as employing over a thousand workers but still could not meet demand, so he set up another vast mill at Armley.

In 1803 Benjamin Gott [aged 40] bought an estate in Armley, with wooded grounds plunging steeply down to the Aire valley. He employed the famous landscape designer Humphrey Repton to lay out the park and the architect Robert Smirke to build a grand mansion, Armley House, in the fashionable Greek Revival style, its colonnaded terrace overlooking spectacular views, on one side towards the romantic ruins of Kirkstall Abbey

Before 1830. Thomas Lawrence [aged 60]. Portrait of Benjamin Gott [aged 67].

On 14th February 1840 Benjamin Gott [aged 77] died. He was buried at St Bartholomew's Church, Armley [Map] where there is a monument to him sculpted by his son Joseph Gott [aged 54]. The pink veined marble base has a darkened plaque with tribute which includes the words: '...he maintained with inflexible uprightness the character of a merchant with impartial justice the office of a magistrate and with unshaken confidence the warmth of friendship he was always ready to promote the welfare of the town of Leeds...'

In 1857 [his former wife] Elizabeth Rhodes [aged 89] died.

St Bartholomew's Church, Armley [Map].There is a sculpture by Joseph Gott at the west end of the north aisle, a memorial to Benjamin Gott of Armley House who died in 1839. In the south aisle there is Faith comforting the Mourner, commemorating the two sons of Benjamin and Elizabeth Gott who died in Paris and Athens.