William Rathbone

William Rathbone V (17 June 1787 – 1 February 1868) was an English merchant and politician, serving as Lord Mayor of Liverpool. Life William Rathbone was a Quaker until he was disowned by the society of friends in 1820. He then joined the Unitarian Congregation at the Renshaw Street Chapel. The Rathbones were prominent members of Liverpool society and were known as Merchants and Shipowners. The notability and prosperity of the Rathbone family of Liverpool was tied to the growth of that city as a major Atlantic trading port. William was the eldest son of William Rathbone IV and Hannah Mary (née Reynolds). He was born in 1787, although the statue of him in Sefton Park erroneously gives his birth year as 1788. William went into partnership as a merchant with his brother Richard.