Sir Joshua Kelley Waddilove
| Sir Joshua Kelley Waddilove | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joshua Kelley Waddilove 1841 Manningham, Bradford, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 1920 Hampstead, London, England, United Kingdom |
| Known for | Funding the construction of the first blocks of domitories at Waddilove High School |
| Spouse(s) | Jane (Catton) Waddilove and Alice (Le Grove) Waddilove |
| Children | Albert, Arthur and other 6 children |
| Parents |
|
| Family | Elizabeth Ann, Johnston and Sarah Jane |
Sir Joshua Kelley Waddilove was a British preacher and a generous benefactor of Methodist and other causes, especially overseas missions. He funded the 'Hospital of Universal Love' in China for the medical missionary William C. Grosvenor, the Waddilove Institution (now Waddilove High School) in the present Zimbabwe and in his native Bradford the Waddilove Samaritan Home for Women.
Bakground
He was born at Manningham, Bradford. He established a clothing and drapery business in Bradford which in 1880 developed into the Provident Clothing and Supply Co. Ltd. He was a pioneer of the check and credit system, which encouraged thrift and prudential saving and provided discounts for retailers.[1]
Career
1861 Brewer's Clerk 1871 Agent Superintendant 1881 Club Manager Clothing Boot Shop and Draper
Sir Joshua Waddilove worked as an insurance agent and in the course of his work saw first hand how some working class families struggled to pay for essential items such as furniture, clothes and shoes. He realised that something needed to change and devised a system to help families provide for themselves through the use of vouchers which could be exchanged in local shops for clothing, food and coal. The families then repaid the vouchers in small weekly instalments which they could afford.[2]
Word soon spread and demand for the vouchers grew. Sir Joshua opened an office and recruited agents to help collect the repayments, creating the foundations on which, over a century later, the Provident home credit business of Provident Financial still operates.
Death
Joshua died on 14 February 1920 in Hampstead in London.[3]
