Enriqueta Augustina Rylands

Enriqueta Augustina Rylands (May 31, 1843 - February 4, 1908) was the founder of the John Rylands Library, Manchester.

Born Havana, Cuba, she was one of five children. Her father was Stephen Cattley Tennant (1800–1848), a merchant, and her mother, Juana Camila Dalcour (1818–1855).

Tennant retired to Liverpool, but died within a year. His widow migrated to Paris and married pianist and polymath Julian Fontana. Enriqueta Tennant was raised a Roman Catholic and completed her education in New York, London and Paris. In later life, she abandoned Catholicism and became a Congregationalist, under the influence of the Rev. Thomas Raffles .

Sometime after 1860, Enriqueta became companion to Martha, the wife of wealthy Manchester merchant John Rylands. in 1875, eight months after Martha's death, Enriqueta married John Rylands. When John Rylands died in 1888, Enriqueta became a major shareholder of his family firm and in the Manchester Ship Canal.

In memory of her husband, Enriqueta founded the John Rylands Library. The library was inaugurated October 6 1899, the aniversary of her marriage. On the same day, she was admitted to the Freedom of the City of Manchester , the first woman to be so honoured. She was committed to many philanthropic and missionary causes and bequeathed much of her wealth to educational and medical institutions.

In later life she was affected by rheumatic symptoms and spent regular intervals convalescing overseas. In 1894, she purchased a property in Torquay where she died. Following her funeral in Manchester, she was cremated and the ashes interred with her husband's in the Southern Cemetery.

Bibliography

• Farnie, D.A. (1989) "Enriqueta Augusta Rylands, 1843–1908, Founder of the John Rylands Library", Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library, vol.71, pp.3–38