Joseph Hardcastle (1752–1818)

Joseph Hardcastle (1752–1819) was one of the founders of 'The Missionary Society', later the London Missionary Society, to which he devoted a great deal of time and money, becoming the First Treasurer.^[1]

Life

He was born in Leeds, where he lived until the age of 15, at which point he moved to London to join his uncle's business.^[2] He eventually became a Merchant,^[3] still based in London. During his time in London he lived at Old Swan Stairs, before moving to Hatcham House in Deptford, then a rural Surrey village, which is now the New Cross Gate area of Lewisham.^[4]

The slavery abolitionist, Thomas Clarkson was a frequent guest at Hatcham House. Here Clarkson wrote a great part of his 'History of the Abolition of the Slave Trade', and met his future wife, a niece of Mrs Hardcastle. Joseph Hardcastle was especially active in arranging missionary expeditions to Africa, and created schemes whereby missionary work could be self-funding by selling artifacts brought back by the missionaries themselves.

He was married and had at least two sons.^[5] His grandson was Joseph Alfred Hardcastle, MP.

Legacy

The story of Joseph's life was published in "Memoir of Joseph Hardcastle Esq., the first Treasurer of the London Missionary Society: A Record of the Past for his Descendants", which was written by his last surviving daughter, Emma Corsbie Hardcastle, and published in 1860.^[6] A number of roads in the modern New Cross Gate reflect his time, most notably Joseph Hardcastle Close.

References