Thomas Leyland (1752-1827), born in Knowsley, England, was a prominent Liverpool merchant and banker. After winning a sizable lottery prize, he built a large Liverpool-based mercantile business that shipped goods to England, Europe, Africa, and the West Indies. He was particularly active in the Atlantic slave trade, having interests in at least 69 slaving ventures. Leyland was elected mayor of Liverpool in 1798, 1814, and 1820. In 1802, he started an investment in banking by establishing a partnership with Liverpool bankers Clarke and Roscoe, and, in 1807, he set up a partnership with his nephew Richard Bullin to form a new banking enterprise. At his death in 1827, Leyland was one of the richest men in England.
