ABSTRACT
Robert H. Greg and William R. Greg were sons of Samuel Greg successful mill owner and merchant, and Hannah, daughter and coheiress of Adam Lightbody of Liverpool. The decade 1825–1835 were a difficult time for Quarry Bank mill. Competition forced reduction in prices and subsequent drop in profit margins. The Greg brothers had shown early signs of political ambition. Robert was active in the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and was one of the main supporters of the Anti Corn Law League. Both brothers were in favour of parliamentary reform in the 1830s and remained supporters of the ballot, universal education, and the abolition of rotten boroughs, but in time their position on further extension of the franchise became distinctly undemocratic.
