Roberts, Bertram Foster

Item

Identifier

PAR71

Name

Roberts, Bertram Foster

Type

person

Birth and death

1876-1912

Birth and death date range

1876 – 1912

Description

Bertram Foster Roberts was the second son of industrialist Sir James Roberts. He was actively groomed to succeed his father in managing Salts Mill and the Saltaire estate, but his promising career was tragically cut short by his premature death at the age of 36.

Bertram was appointed a company director of Sir Titus Salt Bart. and Sons Co. Ltd. in July 1898, following a reorganization of the firm's board. In 1902, when his father became the sole proprietor, Bertram and his mother Elizabeth joined Sir James as the exclusive owners and managers of Salts Mill and the Saltaire estate. As his father aged, Bertram took on increasingly significant responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the mill, and was positioned to lead the business into the next generation.

Berrtram played an exceptionally prominent role in the civic, educational, and political life of the local community. He served as the President of the Shipley Board of Health.
He sat on the Shipley Education Committee and was a governor for both the **Salt Schools** and the Bradford Royal Infirmary.

In 1903, Bertram married Eliza Gertrude Denby, the only daughter of Ellis Denby, a prominent local figure from Shipley. In 1910, Bertram began suffering from severe back pain and was diagnosed with 'serous neuritis'. He suffered a complete physical breakdown in November 1911 and passed away shortly after, on January 11, 1912, at the age of 36. He was buried in a local cemetery alongside his older brother Willy, who had died of tuberculosis in 1898.

Bertram's death was a massive blow to his father, who lost three of his four sons to early deaths. In 1920, Sir James Roberts gifted Saltaire's 14-acre public park to the Bradford Council to hold in trust for the community. As his only request for this grand donation, Sir James asked that the park be renamed Roberts Park in memory of Bertram. A commemorative plaque honouring Bertram still stands in the park today.

Associated place or event