Early Life and Family Roots Edward Armitage, born in London on May 20th, 1817, emerged from a background steeped in the burgeoning industrial wealth of Yorkshire. Though his initial years were spent within the capital’s confines, his lineage was firmly anchored in the north of England, specifically to the Armitage family of Farnley Hall, just south of Leeds. His father, James Armitage, was a prominent ironmaster, one of seven sons descended from a line that had acquired Farnley Hall in 1799. This familial foundation—a blend of established land ownership and entrepreneurial spirit—would subtl…