William Rathbone IV
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William Rathbone IV (10 June 1757-11 February 1809) was a member of the noted Rathbone family of Liverpool, England. He was the son of William Rathbone III and Rachel Rutter, and was a Liverpool ship-owner and merchant, involved in the organisation of American trade with Liverpool.
Originally a member of the Society of Friends, he felt compelled to write a Narrative of Events in Ireland among the Quakers in 1786 in protest against religious intolerance in the Society.
As a committed opponent to slavery, he was a founder member of the Liverpool Committee for the Aboliton of the Slave Trade.
He married Hannah Mary, (1761-1839) daughter of Richard Reynolds of Bristol and Hannah (née Darby) at the Friends Meeting House, Shrewsbury. They had eight children:
- William Rathbone V (1787-1868)
- Richard Rathbone (1788-1860)
- Hannah Mary (1791-1865)
- Joseph (1793-1794)
- Theophilus (1795-1798)
- Benson 1800-1834)
- Basil (1802-1804)
- Theodore Woolman (1798-1863)
In 1788, he leased the family house and estate of Greenbank, then part of the Toxteth Park estate, to serve as a country retreat for his young family, and purchased the freehold of the house in 1809.
Rathbone died on 11th February 1809, and was buried at Liverpool Friends' Burial Ground.
