Born on 7 March 1836 into a Bawtry WM family, he served his apprenticeship at Retford; then in 1857 he was taken on by Anthony Moore, a Barnsley saddler, and subsequently acquired the business in 1866. An advocate of incorporation for Barnsley, he was first elected to the council in 1885, representing the South West Ward. He became an alderman in 1892, and was mayor in 1894-1896. He was also actively interested in the Mechanics Institute and the YMCA and served as an Arbitrator for the Miners' Permanent Relief Fund. A member of Pitt Street WM chapel, he served in the Sunday school, as a class leader and circuit steward, twice being a lay representative to Conference. He died on 6 March 1902. His eldest daughter married the Rev. John Elsworth (d.1928, em1885).