Sir William John Crossley
Irish born William John Crossley (1844-1911) established Crossley Brothers with his elder brother, Frank (1837-1897) in a factory at Great Marlborough Street, Manchester in 1867. He became Sir William in 1909 and lived for many years in a house called Glenfield in Dunham Massey.
In the late 1870s they secured rights to sell the Otto-Langden gas engine and by 1881 they were employing about 300 men. They later produced their own designs, leading to the establishment of Crossley Motors in 1910. The business was very successful and eventually moved to making buses.
All of the Crossleys donated much to charity, including helping to build a new wing to St. Anne’s Home, Altrincham, the now demolished Dome Chapel and funding both girls orphanages in Hale (the old Hale UDC building now demolished and the present Conservative Club on Ashley Road). Francis and his wife Emily retired leaving William and later William’s son Kenneth (also knighted) to run the business and concentrated on missionary work, including in India. Francis died in 1897 and left over £600,000. Francis was buried in Philips Park Cemetery and the following year Emily came to live in a cottage at 38 Henry Street, now Oak Road, Hale and possibly funded the setting up of the Oak Road Methodist Church. She moved to Frodsham in 1904, died in Switzerland and left £164,000.
William was a founder-director of the Manchester Ship Canal and a Liberal MP for Manchester from 1906 to 1911. He brought an XI to Ashley in 1904 and this game saw the first instance of an Ashley bowler taking all 10 wickets.
In 1905 the Crossley Sanatorium was opened at Delamere. William’s name is on a 1908 memorial foundation stone of Altrincham Baptist Church, Hale Road. He died in 1911.
