George Lawton (1878-1949) Born in Mossley, the son of a Mossley Magistrate, Alderman and cotton mill proprietor, George inherited the whole of his family fortune When he died in 1949, he left a wish in his will that almost his entire fortune should be expended on a new public building - the George Lawson Hall The Hall was built on the site of a former cotton mill and was officially opened by Lord Derby in 1960