Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund we have been working on a new project researching Bootle’s long jam making history. William Pickles Hartley founded Hartley’s Jam in Bootle in 1874, less than a mile away from where we make jam at North Park Community Garden. We have spent the last 6 months visiting archives and researching what we call the 5 F’s in relation to Hartley – Factory, Fruit, Family, Faith and Philanthropy. (Nearly all begin with an F!)
We have found out more than we know what to do with, but so much has parallels with today:
Hartley was a self made man, he saw an opportunity and went for it. What could the world be like today if more people did that?
Hartley believed he had a duty to look after the people around him. By his death he gave away 33% of his income to charitable causes and over his lifetime gave away over £154,036,551 in todays money. What would the world be like today if big businesses invested 44% of profits in the community?
It is likely that Hartley had bi-polar. He had times when he was very productive and times when he was tired, anxious and confined to his bed. What would the world look like today if we believed people with mental ill-health could be massively successful?
Hartley was a devout Christian and was a Primitive Methodist. His faith and belief in God permeated through every part of his life. What would the world look like today if everyone with faith showed a responsibility to the people around them?
“It is the first duty of those who have money to remember in a liberal manner those who have not. Where much is given much is required.”
