Richard+Burgidge

Richard Burbidge was an English Merchant. What a history he has! At 13 he was appointed as an apprentice to a merchant on Oxford Street, London. In 1882, he was appointed General Manager for Whiteley's on Westbourne Grove. Richard Burbidge became the managing director of Harrod's in 1891. This is significant because Harrod's is an upscale department store that is WORLD FAMOUS! It sits on 5 acres and has over 6,000 employees and 330 departments. Richard was a very generous person, presenting money anonymously to a fund to acquire the Crystal Palace in 1913. During World War I, he was responsible for having two hospitals and its fittings built in Belguim. He was a member of a committee to hire ex-soldiers to work for Harrods. While working at Harrods, he made it the company it is renowned for, turning a profit change in his 20 years of 1680%! He was a pioneer in improving working conditions for staff and even had the first escalators introduced in his store in 1898. In 1916, a Baronetcy was created just for Richard. He became the 1st Baronet of Littleton in the County of Middlesex in the UK. When Sir Richard Burbidge died in 1917, he owned over 1,000 acres in Middlesex and was Lord of the Manor in Littleton and Asthland. He owned 52,000 acres in West Australia and land in Canada. The Burbidge Baronetcy is still in the family today. The second Baronet was his son, Richard Woodman Burbidge. The third Baronet was his son, Richard Grant Woodman Burbidge. The fourth Baronet was his son, John Richard Woodman Burbidge who did not have biological children. The fifth Baronet was passed to his first cousin who was Sir Richard Burbidge's second son Herbert Dudley Burbidge. As of 2007, the title is held by his son, the sixth Baronet Peter Dudley Burbidge who does have two children. So, this peerage of Baronet's should continue!