Robert Heywood

Born in Bolton in 1786, Robert Heywood was educated at Bolton Grammar School and Bank Street Unitarian School. He became a leading local businessman and public figure, serving as Bolton's second mayor in 1839–40, later representing Church Ward and Bradford Ward, and then serving as an alderman for East Ward until his death in 1868.

He was closely involved in projects that helped modernize the town, including reservoirs and drinking water, public baths, public parks, Bolton's first library, street lighting, and the Bolton Dispensary. A Unitarian and reform-minded Liberal, he was known for working with people across political and religious divides, and he also gave land for what became Heywood Park, remembered locally as "Bobby Heywood's Park."

Heywood also travelled widely in Europe, Russia, Canada, and the United States. His surviving travel journals, including accounts of journeys to America and Russia, show an observant and curious writer with a strong interest in people, places, and public life. He died in Bolton on October 27, 1868.