Our History

The charity bears the name of its founder Oliver Lyme born in Prescot in 1636 the third child and second son of William and Iszabell Lyme.

The Lymes were well to do mercers and had been established in Prescot for some time previously. The family were prosperous and lived in some comfort, for in Iszabell’s inventory made after her death in 1666. no fewer than 29 pictures were listed. She was also owed £320 ‘by speciality’ therefore probably receiving interest on loans which she had made.

Oliver, along with his brothers William and Thomas and sisters Elizabeth and Ellen, were most likely born and brought up in Lyme house situated in Long Street (Eccleston Street). This house was built by William, Oliver’s father, and his grandfather, also named Oliver, and was completed in 1629.

On his father’s death in 1650 William Oliver's elder brother carried on the family mercers business but Oliver appears to have had other interests for in the year of his mother’s death William surrendered Lyme House to Oliver in return for £300.

Oliver was the most colourful and enterprising member of his family he became a successful businessman and by 1666 owned 9 houses in Prescot probably including Lyme House he eventually moved to Liverpool and became Controller of Customs for the port of Chester, Liverpool customs at that time coming under the jurisdiction of Chester.

He later became deputy mayor and then mayor of Liverpool. In 1687 as deputy mayor of Liverpool he was dismissed by the then king James II - ‘His Majesty having received information of the misbehaviour of Oliver Lyme’. According to the Moore papers Oliver had been found guilty the previous year of receiving bribes.

Oliver married Elizabeth but they had no children – but they lived a good life. Elizabeth died in 1686 and Oliver returned to Prescot and little more is heard of him at this time.

In 1707 at the age of 71 Oliver decided to leave £500, which he had in bonds, to Jonathan case Lord of the Manor of Whiston for the purpose of building almshouses. These were built in 1709 for the use of the poor persons of the area and were held as Oliver Lyme’s Almshouses.

Oliver himself died in 1716 leaving his sister Ellen Glover his sole heir and executrix.

Oliver had left a lasting memorial to the family name in the title of the Oliver Lyme Almshouses, Oliver Lyme road and the Lymehouse cinema.

The Charity itself was set up by order of the Charity Commissioners on the 13th November 1896 in the urban district of Prescot and under the civil parish of Whiston, in the county of Lancaster.

The charity became an amalgamation of Oliver’s own charity, the Elizabeth Atherton Charity (founded in 1860 in memory of her late sister Lucy Willis), and the Charity of the Reverend Samuel Sewel.

Many of these names are still part of the local area – with Atherton Street and Sewel Street in Prescot, and the Willis name being well known across Whiston.

At that time the amalgamated charity owned the almshouses, Oliver Lyme House and several parcels of land across the Grange Park estate. The trustees also are shown as owning sums of stock’s totalling over £55,000.

The amalgamated charity’s focus was the relief of poverty and sickness – which remain the focus of the charity to this day.

We also continue Oliver’s legacy by ensuring all funds are spent within the boundaries, or for the benefit of those living in the districts of Prescot and Whiston – although the area would look so very different to Oliver now, sadly the problems that many people face remain the same.

The trustees offer their thanks to Mavis Abraham for the history of Oliver used above.