John Richard Whiteley's wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Whiteley) as well as several on-line obituaries say that he was the son of a 3rd generation worsted mill owner, Kenneth Whitely. The first generation mill owner was Thomas Whiteley (Thomas Whiteley & Co.). The mill was in Eccleshill, north of Bradford and Leeds, Yorkshire.

In the 1881 and 1891 Eccleshill census, Thomas Whiteley is a mill owner who was born about 1850 giving his birth place as Kilpin Hill, a suburb of Batley, Yorkshire. Kilpin Hill is not on modern maps, but I found it on an on-line Victorian map of Batley.

Now a Thomas Whiteley, born in 1850 in Batley, was the son of Samuel Whiteley. Thomas is in the Samuel Whiteley family in the 1851, 1861 and 1871 census. Samuel Whiteley was a blanket manufacturer employing many people. It is likely that Samuel Whiteley's son Thomas was the Thomas Whitely, worsted mill owner. Likely but not proven.

Does anyone have proof that Thomas Whiteley, mill owner, was the son of Samuel Whiteley of Batley?

If Thomas Whiteley was the first generation mill owner and Kenneth Whiteley was the third generation, who was the second generation?

William Whalley