who was john rylands
John Rylands (7 February 1801 â 11 December 1888) was an English entrepreneur, and philanthropist.o successful were they that, in 1819, Rylands' father merged his retail business with theirs, creating the firm of Rylands & Sons. At its peak, the company employed a workforce of 15,000 in 17 mills and factories, producing 35 tons of cloth a day.