Sir Thomas Birkin, 1st Baronet


Sir Thomas Isaac Birkin, 1st Baronet was a Nottingham lace manufacturer.

Early life

He was born on 15 February 1831, the second son of Richard Birkin, who founded the family lace-making business.

Career

After his father retired in 1856, his sons Richard Jr and Thomas took over, until Richard Jr retired in 1862, and Thomas was in sole charge.
By 1898, the business had been split into two companies, Birkin and Co, and T. I. Birkin and Co, both headquartered at Broadway, Nottingham. They had expanded internationally, with large factories in Saxony and Chester, Pennsylvania, US.
Birkin was a magistrate, and a Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, of which he was the High Sheriff in 1892. He was a director of the Great Northern Railway.

Personal life

He married Harriet Tebbutt, on 9 October 1856, and they had nine children:
He died on 16 January 1922, and is buried in the grade II listed Birkin Mausoleum, a small classical temple built in 1921 of Portland stone in Wilford Hill Cemetery, West Bridgford, Nottingham.