Bradfer Lawrence Collection

Harry Lawrence Bradfer-Lawrence was born in 1887. After service in the First World War he moved to Yorkshire in 1935 to take up the post of land agent to Sir William Aykroyd, Baronet, whose estate was at Grantley, near Ripon.

He also became managing director of Hammond’s Bradford Brewery Company, the business which Sir William’s late father-in-law had owned. The Company flourished and expanded under his direction - and in fact Bradfer-Lawrence had complete control over it between 1937 and 1960. He was chairman of the Brewers’ Society in 1957-1958 and chairman of United Breweries until 1962. He died three years later.

He was a great collector of books and manuscripts (as well as of furniture, china and early English water colour paintings). He amassed many boxes and files of original records relating to Yorkshire and Norfolk, which he bequeathed to the Yorkshire Archaeological Society and Norfolk Record Office respectively.

View the full list of items in the Collection on the Leeds University website