256:, serving on the board of directors and being appointed chairman. However his vision for the company, which would have seen the introduction of fast screw-driven steamers from the 1880s, was in opposition to the rest of the board who favoured paddle-driven ships. This largely brought about his resignation, however by the turn of the century it was clear that Noble's vision was the way forward. After resigning from the board, Noble did not desert the company altogether, but offered financial assistance to help the company to compete in a price war with the Isle of Man, Liverpool and Manchester Steamship Company. He advanced at short notice a loan of £20,000 (£2,500,000 as of 2018). The security was a
201:. He continued his wholesale wine and spirits business and supplemented this by the sale of seeds and other commodities for farmers. He then opened a timber yard at the corner of the Lake under Bank's Hill. In time he transferred his wine and spirits business to premises in St George's St (now occupied by Joseph Bucknall & Sons) and had his saw pits and timber yard in the large area between Hill St and Mytle St, in the area where St Mary's Church now stands; the whole block at that time belonged to Noble.
388:. Noble purchased the estate in its entirety from Frances Dutton for the sum of £7,500 (£822,500 as of 2018). It is said many people scoffed at the amount which Noble had paid, scornfully predicting that he would in no way recover the amount he had invested. However the value went up as a result of the increasing affluence of the town, to such a degree that in 1898 Noble refused an offer of £120,000 (£15,200,000 as of 2018). Upon his death the Villa Marina was bequeathed to the town of Douglas.
190:, although he had a branch established in Douglas. Noble was employed by Spittall as a clerk, rising to the position of manager in 1835 following which he moved to Douglas with his mother. The Nobles took residence in a house belonging to Spittall on the south side of St Barnabas' Square. Noble did not stay in the employ of Spittall for very much longer, but set up in the wine and spirits business on his own behalf; his first shop was on Fleetwood Corner.
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In response, John Clarke, Secretary of the
Trustees, wrote to the council advising that the Trustees were willing to make a bequest of £10,000 (£1,169,000 as of 2018), citing that the acquisition of the Victoria St baths would be of immense benefit to the town of Douglas, however citing the following
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Rebecca Noble bequeathed land she owned in the vicinity of what is now
Crellin's Hill in 1885, and having unveiled the foundation stone she oversaw the initial construction of the hospital, although she died before its completion. Today the building which was the original Noble's Hospital houses the
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Because of Noble's business dealings it was inevitable that he attracted the ire of others, being accused of sharp practice on more than one occasion. Henry Noble's only known relative was a young man named Mason. Said to have been a great favourite of his, he had stayed with him on the Isle of Man
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In
December 1906 at a special meeting of Douglas Town Council, an application was made to the Trustees of Noble's will pointing out the desirability of the provision of public swimming baths, and requesting if they would be prepared to make provision for the same, pointing out that the corporation
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was beginning to experience an influx of tourists, which led to a boom by the turn of the century. Noble helped the town to development infrastructure to accommodate this. He invested in the
Douglas Gas Light Company and was one of the founders of the Douglas Water Works Company: he was appointed
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notes. On the day of the transaction the gold was brought to the offices of the company and weighed, and the notes were counted. All duly accounted for, the receipt was signed by Noble and his co-directors. Had the money not been forthcoming on the specific day, a penalty clause would have been
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Purchased in 1909 with money from the Noble Trust, Noble's Park and
Recreation Grounds provide the major recreational grounds in Douglas. The first sustained, powered and controlled flight on the Isle of Man took off in July 1911 from Noble's Park, a Farnham biplane piloted by
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The original Noble's
Hospital was replaced by a newer and much larger hospital, situated on land owned by Noble and which was located on what became the Westmorland Road, Douglas (named after the county of his birth), which opened in 1913. It was superseded by the present
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stand. The local
Hospital Committee had earmarked the land for a hospital site, but Noble, as the chief owner of property in the proximity, thwarted this attempt. In less than five years Noble had sold the site for £15,000 the site undergoing development.
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had had an offer of the baths situated in
Victoria St, Douglas, together with adjacent recreational venues. A council committee approached the owners finally agreeing on a purchase price of £8,750 (£1,023,000 as of 2018). In addition the Borough
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The Henry Bloom Noble Trust is one of the longest established charities on the Isle of Man, having originally been established in 1888 as the
Trustees of Noble's Isle of Man Hospital and Dispensary; the first trustees were the Lord Bishop,
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Having thwarted the intention of the Isle of Man's
Hospital Committee to erect a hospital on land which he had purchased, Noble let it be known that not only would he donate land for a hospital, but he would pay for building it.
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The inauguration ceremony of Noble's Baths took place on Wednesday 1 July 1908, and was an occasion of immense civic pride for the town. The baths served the town until they were replaced by Derby Castle Aquadrome, part of the
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on the construction of Victoria Street, then the main thoroughfare of Douglas. His astute vision led him to acquire many of the most desirable building plots in the town. He was also one of the proprietors of the
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Noble was also a chief contributor to the voluntarily supported home for the aged poor, more formally referred to as the House of Industry, and for many years he supplied those in residence with their
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had suffered from the lack of a properly equipped and modern hospital; this was of particular concern to Rebecca Noble. Until then, the island's only hospital was the fever hospital in Fort Street.
543:. Following Noble's death the trust became a statutory body in 1909; and in 2003 was renamed the Henry Bloom Noble Trust. In addition the Henry Bloom Noble Scholarship Trust provides funding for
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on 2 May 1903, having been predeceased by his wife. His funeral took place on Wednesday 6 May, his body being interred with that of his wife in a grave in the north corner of Braddan Cemetery.
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which was to become their home. The marriage produced no children. Mrs Noble is also remembered as a great benefactor to poor people, a specific legacy from her being the founding of the
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153:) on 18 June 1816, the first son of John Noble and Mary (née Bloom). It is said that he came from a poor failed farming family, his father finding work as a customs official.
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All rents from properties let, and monies received from the bathers, to be expended in the maintenance of the premises, and all profits to be expended improving the baths
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Noble's legacy is one of immense generosity to the Isle of Man, particularly its capital, Douglas. Some of the beneficiaries of the munificence of Henry Noble include:
728:, and was linked to the Douglas - Peel railway line by a branch line. A benefaction from the Henry Bloom Noble Trustees was responsible for the creation of the farm.
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chairman, a post he held until the company was acquired by the Douglas Town Commissioners for the huge figure of £144,000 (equivalent to £18.3 million in 2018).
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Noble's last open property purchase was that of the former residence of Colonel Shum for the sum of £5,400, on land where today the Sefton Hotel and the
296:, but insisted on cash. Without the required cash at hand, the Town Treasurer was required to make provision partly in gold, with the balance made up of
120:(18 June 1816 – 2 May 1903) was an English Cumbrian-born philanthropist and businessman who at the time of his death was the richest resident of the
641:. The hospital, with the extension to Clifton House, for a nurse residence, cost Noble over £10,000 (£1,250,000 as of 2018) not including the land.
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concerning Noble's behaviour, being seen as an unjustifiable attempt to reduce confidence in the bank. However given what later happened to
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Douglas; Ramsey Cottage Hospital; £5,000 for nursing home accommodation; and bequests to a large number of charities, including the
482:, Myrtle St, Douglas Isle of Man. Erected for charitable purposes in 1908 and paid for by the Henry Bloom Noble Charitable Trust.
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enacted increasing the consideration by £5,000 (£630,000 as of 2018) with a further penalty of £5,000 ten days later, and so on.
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Arrangements to be made for free swimming classes for school children at least one day per week during the winter months
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that October. Noble served as a director of the bank until he retired as a consequence of his health in the late 1890s.
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In April 1862 Henry Noble married Rebecca Thompson, a granddaughter of Calcott Heywood (who had been a captain in the
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had costed the amount required to put the baths into working order and condition to be £1,000 (£118,000 as of 2018).
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several times. It is said he went to sea, and was drowned. Noble was a staunch churchgoer, said to be of the
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Following the passing of the Companies Act 1865 on the Isle of Man, Noble, together with William Moore,
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Henry Noble is said to have made his first money whilst still in the employ of Alexander Spittall, by
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Large profits were generated from both these concerns, and this led Noble to invest in shipping.
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182:. The elder Spittall was a wine and spirits merchant, whose principal place of business was
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452:). They lived initially at the corner of Hope Street and Peel Road, until Noble bought the
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was due to his association with Alexander Spittall, father of James Spittall, a Douglas
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surrounds the transaction of the money. Henry Noble was one of the founders of the
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124:. Noble bequeathed a large amount of his vast fortune to the people of the
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of waste ground in 1924. The site had been a prison encampment during the
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312:, it may be seen that Noble was aware of how matters stood at Dumbell's.
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in connection with his own business and those of other charterers of the
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where people from the Isle of Man received care also was a beneficiary.
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By the 1880s Henry Noble had also become a major shareholder in the
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on the company, which was paid off in a short time, following the
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students to complete their education at a university in the
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proposed buying it as a more suitable royal residence than
1032:"LONAN | Captains of the Parishes | Isle of Man"
1007:"£144,000 in 1850 → 2017 | UK Inflation Calculator"
1089:"Isle of Man Government - History of Noble's Hospital"
982:"£5,000 in 1850 → 2017 | UK Inflation Calculator"
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The Noble family grave, Braddan Cemetery, Isle of Man.
558:. Amongst these were £10,000 for the construction of
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The baths to be vested in the Corporation of Douglas
581:. In addition there were bequests to infirmaries in
220:, said to have been two of the finest and smartest
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1132:"Manx Quarterly #5 pp376/390 - the Douglas Baths"
1069:. No. 37147. London. 31 July 1903. p. 8
616:Foundation Stone of the original Noble's Hospital
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141:Henry Noble was born in the village of
16:Eminent Businessman and Philanthropist
376:which at that time was rented by the
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1118:Wednesday, 13 December 1905; Page: 4
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292:. Noble refused a cheque drawn on
212:The first ship he owned was named
108:John Noble; Mary Mason (nee Bloom)
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1147:Friday, 10 November 1939; Page: 2
568:British and Foreign Bible Society
345:Noble worked in conjunction with
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262:Isle of Man Steam Packet Company
254:Isle of Man Steam Packet Company
248:Isle of Man Steam Packet Company
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746:Wednesday, 11 May 1904; Page: 7
428:In 1885 Henry Noble became the
304:There was quite an outcry from
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827:Wednesday, 6 May 1903; Page: 7
685:Henry Bloom Noble Public Baths
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683:That the baths be called the
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100:Rebecca Thompson (died 1888)
649:which opened in July 2003.
480:The Douglas Soup Dispensary
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1173:Culture of the Isle of Man
241:Great Laxey Mining Company
174:His first connection with
958:Tuesday 28 November 2017.
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372:In 1868 Noble bought the
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504:Ramsey Cottage Hospital
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885:"Henry Bloom Noble"
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74:(1903-05-02)
54:18 June 1816
18:
1178:Manx people
1168:1903 deaths
1163:1816 births
1098:17 December
1073:17 December
1016:17 December
991:17 December
894:17 December
724:, known as
704:, in 1969.
639:Manx Museum
627:Isle of Man
599:Isle of Man
556:Isle of Man
438:Isle of Man
415:Isle of Man
407:evangelical
282:skulduggery
195:speculating
147:Westmorland
126:Isle of Man
122:Isle of Man
87:Nationality
62:Westmorland
1157:Categories
732:References
587:Cumberland
535:, and the
184:Whitehaven
137:Early life
72:2 May 1903
50:1816-06-18
1067:The Times
722:Great War
679:proviso:
595:Liverpool
583:Liverpool
222:schooners
132:Biography
105:Parent(s)
1065:. News.
673:Surveyor
566:and the
444:Marriage
347:Governor
341:Property
258:mortgage
208:Shipping
180:advocate
165:Business
607:Norfolk
316:Banking
274:Douglas
226:Douglas
188:Cumbria
176:Douglas
151:Cumbria
143:Clifton
91:English
58:Clifton
1093:gov.im
539:, Sir
97:Spouse
718:acres
464:Death
434:Lonan
1100:2017
1075:2017
1018:2017
993:2017
896:2017
601:. A
585:and
545:Manx
350:Loch
329:and
69:Died
40:Born
432:of
1159::
1123:^
1108:^
1091:.
1040:^
1009:.
984:.
963:^
904:^
887:.
832:^
751:^
662:.
574:.
551:.
436:,
384:,
369:.
186:,
145:,
117:JP
60:,
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243:.
236:;
52:)
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