1784, in his fifty-fourth year. He had several sons, born in Sheffield — James (1755), Abraham and Francis, twins (1758). He himself was buried in the Isle of Man, having become connected with that island through the marriage of his son Abraham to Elizabeth Wheelhouse, of Kirk Malew, Isle of Man, and through the marriage of his son Francis, — first, to Jane, daughter of Rev. Joseph Cosnahan, Vicar of Braddan, Isle of Man; and secondly, to Mrs Boys née Hester Geneste, daughter of Lewis Geneste, of Douglas, Isle of Man. Neither of the twins left male representatives. But the above-named James, born 15th November 1795, married at Blackburn, and dying at Naze House, at the age of seventy-two, was buried at Kirkham, Lancashire, in 1828. His elder son, Francis, was buried there in 1850, aged sixty-five, and the younger son, Charles, died at Sidney, New South Wales, in 1831, aged forty-four; both of these were unmarried, so that the senior line of the family of De la Pryme is extinct. But here we must chronicle that Abraham the twin removed to the Isle of Man, not on account of his wife’s relations, but because he had ascertained its capabilities for commercial enterprise. He introduced the cotton manufacture into the island in conjunction with his twin brother Francis. The brothers built a mill at Ballasalla, manufactured British Plantation cotton into yarn and cloth, with which they supplied Liverpool for ten years. During that period the authorities allowed it to be imported, duty free, but, most unhappily and injudiciously, at the end of that period, the Liverpool Custom-House decided that it must pay a foreign duty, and the works had to be abandoned; the mill was ruined, and the cotton manufacture has not again been resumed. Francis died in 1805, and Abraham died at Liverpool in 1825.
The following facts are taken from “the humble Petition of Abraham de la Pryme” to “His Majesty’s Commissioners of Enquiry in the Isle of Man,” dated 21st October 1791:—
"In the year 1779 he removed with his family from England to the Isle of Man, for the conveniency of water and the low price of labour, to carry on the manufacture of spinning and weaving cotton, and, at a very great expense, erected there a mill and other buildings; has ever since employed a great number of the inhabitants; has always imported cotton from Liverpool of the growth of the British Plantations, and regularly for ten years exported the manufacture of the said cotton, either in cloth or yarn, by proper certificate, from the Isle of Man to Liverpool, free from duty, as being the manufacture of the said Isle. But, in September 1791, three packs, containing 630 pounds of yarn and 6 pieces of cloth in the gray, were detained in the Custom-House of Liverpool for the payment of duty. The petitioner represents that the imposition of a Foreign Duty is next to a prohibition, will render the erection of the mill and other buildings nearly a total loss, and will leave him under the disagreeable necessity of removing with his family out of the Isle of Man. As to the grounds of the demand made by the Liverpool Custom-House, he begs leave to observe —
“1st. That he did not apprehend that cotton wool, of the growth of His Majesty’s Plantations, and spun in the Isle of Man, would be deemed foreign growth.
“2nd. That by a late Act of Parliament, cotton yarn, spun in Ireland from cotton of foreign growth, may be imported into Great Britain, duty free.”
We now return to Francis de la Pryme, son of Peter, and nephew of Rev. Abraham de la Pryme. He was born in 1702. In 1724, on his father’s death, he took up his residence at North Ferriby, seven miles west from Hull, and was a merchant in Hull, known as “the town and county of Kingston-upon-Hull.” He was a magistrate of the town; he was sheriff of the county in the year “1745, when the town ditches had to be cleaned, and the walls repaired and newly strengthened, in fear of the Pretender and his army.” He was twice Mayor. In the list of Mayors his name appears to have been changed thus:—
“Mayors of Kingston-upon-Hull. 1749, Francis de la Pryme. 1766, Francis Pryme.”
His grandson, Professor George Pryme, in his Autobiographical Recollections, explained the variation thus:— “During the seven years’ war, 1756 to 1763, the national feeling was so strong against anything French, that my grandfather dropped the prefix of de la, and henceforth called himself Pryme only. My father continued to do so; but the original name has been revived in the person of my son, who was so registered at his baptism.” Francis Pryme died in 1769, aged sixty-seven. He had been twice married, and by his first wife, Mary, daughter of Alderman Christopher Thompson of Beverly, he had one surviving son, Christopher, born 1st August 1739. He was known as “of Cottingham;” he died in September 1784 from the effects of a fall from his horse, and was buried at Ferriby. He had married, in 1774, Alice, daughter of George Dinsdale, Esq., residing at Nappa Hall, and sister of Rev. Owen Dinsdale, Rector of Welford; she survived him as his widow till 16th October 1834, when she died, aged eighty-six, and was represented by her son, George
