Henry Randle Heys
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Research by Marjorie Gregson
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Henry also donated two other oil paintings in 1946:
Christ Blessing the Little Children by Mather Brown Mother and Daughter by Sir Thomas Lawrence (unlocated) |
Henry Randle Heys, the donor of The Watering Place by William Shayer, was born in 1916 in Ramsbottom, Lancashire to Henry Howarth Heys (1880-1937) and Eveline Ellen, nee Armstrong (1879-1939). The 1911 census gives Henry Howarth Heys' occupation as a cloth buyer. Henry Howarth Heys was a Captain in the 5th Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment in World War I and died in Lytham in 1937, having lived at Westfield, Clifton Drive from at least 1929.
His father, William Randle Heys (1846-1883), was also a yarn merchant of Ramsbottom and was a stalwart of the community. In St Paul’s Church, Ramsbottom, there is a window dedicated to William’s memory entitled Christ Walking on the Sea. Henry Randle Heys, who served in World War II, died in 1951, leaving £47,917. His last known address was 14 Clifton Drive, St Annes. It was through his generosity that a communion rail was installed in St Paul’s to mark the long association of his family with the church. |