The Rowntree Family of York Paul Chrystal Blackthorn Press £19.95
Mention the name Rowntree and it conjures up thoughts of KitKats, Fruit Pastilles and Randoms as well as the city of York. Yet this book by Paul Chrystal shows that there was much more to the family than the business. With their feet firmly planted in the Quaker faith the family led the way in employee welfare, housing and education. They concerned themselves with poverty, mental illness, education and the prevention of war.
Chrystal traces the family from the sixteenth century to the time when Rowntrees were taken over by Nestle and looks at the tensions which could be found between Quaker ideology and the demands of maintaining a business employing several thousand.
This generously illustrated book can be bought from Amazon as well as your local book shop.
