Catalogue description Letters received by Matthew Nicholson (1746-1819)

Matthew was the elder son of James (1718-1773) and Elizabeth Nicholson (see 920 NIC/5 and 6). He was educated by Rev. Phillip Holland at Bolton and from 1762-1764 at the Warrington Academy. He entered the firm of J. & R. Nicholson in 1764 and later travelled for the firm investigating methods of making indigo etc. On the death of his father in 1773 he was taken into partnership by his uncle, the firm now being R. & M. Nicholson. Matthew Nicholson became head of the firm on the death of his uncle Robert in 1779 and later in the same year he took into partnership his brother Thomas (1753-1825) and his cousin Matthew (1759-1849).

In 1783 Thomas Nicholson established the firm of Thomas Nicholson & Co. in Manchester, in which Matthew Nicholson was a partner. In 1785 Matthew Nicholson moved to Manchester. Early in 1789 he dissolved his partnership with his brother Thomas and retired from business life for good. He went to live at Richmond Row, Everton, with his mother, and continued to live there until his death.

He was interested in literary matters and was a member of the Liverpool (Lyceum) Library from 1773 to 1813. Prior to her marriage in 1812 he corresponded regularly with Felicia Browne (1793-1835) later Mrs. Hemans, the poetess (see letters at 920 NIC/29, formerly Eq 627, also F. Nicholson Correspondence between Mrs. Hemans and Matthew Nicholson, an early member of this Society in Memoirs and proceedings of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, 1910, Vol. 54 and W. Axon An Early Friend of Mrs. Hemans in Millgate Monthly, May 1910). He was a collector of pictures and an expert in executing shadow drawings. According to p. 75 he wrote very often to the Liverpool newspapers and "received a reproof from the Editor of the paper for being too prolix". He served as a member of the Parish Committee for a while (see H. Peet (ed.) Liverpool Vestry Books, 1681-1834, 1912-1915 and Liverpool [Civil] Parish records, 353 PAR).

Matthew Nicholson was seriously ill in 1816 and remained an invalid until his death.

See pp. 69-77.