Weaste Cemetery

Biographies of people buried between 1920 & 29

James Robert Appleyard, FIC, FRSE, FSDC. (1870 - 1921)


James Robert Appleyard was a Chemist, Dyer and Colourist and appointed as Lecturer and then as Head of Applied Chemistry at Salford Royal Technical Institute. He was a Fellow of the Institute of Chemistry, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Fellow of the Colourists Society.


He was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire in 1870. His father was Rufus Bentley Appleyard (born 1848 in Halifax and died 1931 in Bradford aged 83), who was a School Master in Bradford, Yorkshire. His mother was Sarah Jane (nee Hubbard) Appleyard (born 1849 in Northampton and died 1931 in Bradford aged 82). James was the eldest of three boys, but his siblings died whilst quite young: Herbert (born 1877 in Bradford and died 1881 in Bradford, aged 4); and Harry Cecil (born 1878 in Bradford and died 1881 in Bradford, aged 3).


James was educated at his father's school and then took a course in chemistry and dyeing at Bradford Technical College. In 1889 he was appointed Assistant to Professor Percy F Frankland at Dundee and gave lectures on dyeing and allied subjects. The 1891 census shows that James lived at Mount Pleasant House, St Peter, Dundee. In 1899 he was appointed Lecturer on Dyeing at Salford Royal Technical Institute and later becoming Head of the Applied Chemistry Department there. The 1901 census shows that James lived at 145 Lower Seedley Road, Pendleton as a boarder. James carried out research work in collaboration with others on the effect of picric acid on the composition and properties of Tussah silk, and the effects of various acids and alkalis on other textile fibres, which was published in the Journal of the Society of Dyers and Colourists. He conducted other research on strictly chemical topics too. including papers on "ethereal salts of ethanetetracarboxilic acid."


In 1901 James married Agnes Muir by Registrar. She was born in 1869 in Salford, the daughter of John Muir (born 1836 in Scotland) who was a Wholesale Stationer and Elizabeth Muir (born 1838 in Scotland). Agnes grew up in Fitzwarren Street, Pendleton, and by 1901 she lived at 78 Seedley Road, Pendleton. Two years later they were blessed with a son Eric Bentley (born 1903 in Salford). But the following year, in March 1904, Agnes sadly died, aged only 35 years and was buried in plot 36 grave number 2209 in the Dissenters portion of Weaste Cemetery.


The 1911 census shows James was a widower living at 8, Fitzwarren Street, Pendleton and his occupation was Lecturer in Dyeing, Salford Technical Institute. His son Eric Bentley Appleyard was aged 7. In 1919 James married Ethel Thurlby (widow) at Manchester Cathedral. Ethel was the daughter of William Arthur Greenough (born 1855 in Salford) and Clara (nee Holland) Greenough (born 1860 in Chester). In 1901, Ethel lived a home at 4 Enbridge Street, Salford. But in 1903 she married Cecil Cawthra Thurlby in Salford. Then in 1908 her husband Cecil died and Ethel went back to live with her father, now widowed and living at 312 Bolton Road, Pendleton.


James Robert Appleyard died on 26th November 1921 aged 51 and buried in 36/2209 at Weaste Cemetery. Ethel died in 1954 aged 74 and was reunited with her husband.