Hodge family, of Hull

Henry Hodge (1812-1889) was the son of William Hodge, a farmer from Kilnsea in Holderness, in whose home William Clowes had preached in 1820. He was appointed general treasurer of the PM Jubilee Fund in 1860 and was treasurer of the PM General Mission Fund from 1871 to 1890. He was Vice-President of the PM Conference in 1886. With his brothers John, Samuel and William in 1826 he moved to Hull, where they built up a seed crushing, oil refining and cattle cake manufacturing business. After William's death in 1867 Henry carried on the business alone, developing the techniques of cotton seed crushing, building the Alexandria and Phoenix Mills and assuming the trade mark 'H.H. Pure'. On his death his sons Edwin and Herbert carried on the family business.

The family's wealth supported chapel building in Hull, including Clowes Memorial, Jarratt Street (1851-2), Samuel Hodge Memorial, Lincoln Street (1872), Henry Hodge Memorial, Williamson Street (1873) and Hodgson Street (1884). Members of the family held civic office in Hull; William Hodge jun. being twice mayor and Samuel's son George an alderman. The pioneer airwoman Amy Johnson was William Hodge's granddaughter.

Sources
  • Sunset at Noonday: memorials of Mrs. J.T. Robson of Hull (1872)
  • H.B. Kendall, The Origin and History of the Primitive Methodist Church (1906) vol. 1 pp.381-3
  • Geoffrey E. Milburn, 'Piety, Profit and Paternalism', in WHS Proceedings, 44 (1983-4)

Occupations

Entry written by: DCD
Category: Person
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