# Edwin Davies

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British businessman and philanthropist

For the publisher, see [Edwin Davies (publisher)](/source/Edwin_Davies_(publisher)). For the army general, see [Edwin D. Patrick](/source/Edwin_D._Patrick).

Eddy Davies Born (1946-06-18)18 June 1946 Little Lever, England Died 11 September 2018(2018-09-11) (aged 72) Education Farnworth Grammar School Alma mater Durham University Occupations Businessman, philanthropist Title Lord of the Manor of Farnworth Spouse Susan Davies Children 2

**Eddie Davies** [CBE](/source/Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire) (18 June 1946 – 11 September 2018) was a British businessman and philanthropist. He served as chairman of the [Strix Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Strix_Group&action=edit&redlink=1) from 1984 to 2006. He was the owner of [Bolton Wanderers F.C.](/source/Bolton_Wanderers_F.C.) until March 2016, when [Dean Holdsworth](/source/Dean_Holdsworth) fronted a consortium to take over the club. The Eddie and Susan Davies Galleries at the [Victoria and Albert Museum](/source/Victoria_and_Albert_Museum) in [London](/source/London) are named in his honour.

## Early life

Eddie Davies was born on 18 June 1946 in [Little Lever](/source/Little_Lever), near [Bolton](/source/Bolton), [Lancashire](/source/Lancashire), England.[1][2] He was educated at the [Farnworth Grammar School](/source/Farnworth_Grammar_School) in [Farnworth](/source/Farnworth), [Lancashire](/source/Lancashire), England.[1][2] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from [Durham University](/source/Durham_University).[1][3]

## Career

Davies started his career at [Avon Rubber](/source/Avon_Rubber).[3] He worked in management at the [Scapa Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scapa_Group&action=edit&redlink=1) from 1968 to 1984.[1] He served as chairman of the [Strix Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Strix_Group&action=edit&redlink=1) from 1984 to 2006.[1]

He joined the board of directors of [Bolton Wanderers F.C.](/source/Bolton_Wanderers_F.C.) in 1999.[2] By 2003, he became the majority shareholder of Burnden Leisure, which owned Bolton Wanderers.[2] In 2011–2013, he was still the owner of the club.[4][5] In October 2014, it was announced that Davies was ready to sell the club.[6] Davies wrote-off loans to Bolton which, including interest, totalled approximately £175 million.[7] Shortly after his death, it was revealed that, four days before he died, Davies had given Bolton £5 million to help save the club from administration.[8]

He served on the boards of directors of Moonshift Investments, Sula Group, and Squarestone Brasil.[3] He has been a Fellow of the [Chartered Institute of Management Accountants](/source/Chartered_Institute_of_Management_Accountants) since 1985 and the [Chartered Management Institute](/source/Chartered_Management_Institute) since 1996.[3] He became an [Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire](/source/Order_of_the_British_Empire) (OBE) for services to industry in 2000.[2]

As of 2004, he was the 558th richest man in the United Kingdom, with an estimated wealth of £60million.[2]

## Philanthropy

He was for a time a Trustee of the [Victoria and Albert Museum](/source/Victoria_and_Albert_Museum) in London.[1] The Eddie and Susan Davies Galleries at the V&A are the result of charitable donations from Davies and his wife.[9] Those five galleries include 200 paintings by [Thomas Gainsborough](/source/Thomas_Gainsborough), [John Constable](/source/John_Constable), [J. M. W. Turner](/source/J._M._W._Turner), [Sandro Botticelli](/source/Sandro_Botticelli), [Tintoretto](/source/Tintoretto), [Dante Gabriel Rossetti](/source/Dante_Gabriel_Rossetti), [Edgar Degas](/source/Edgar_Degas) and [Eugène Delacroix](/source/Eug%C3%A8ne_Delacroix).[10]

He made a charitable contribution of £100,000 to the [Royal Bolton Hospital](/source/Royal_Bolton_Hospital) in [Bolton](/source/Bolton) for the establishment of a coronary care unit.[2] He also made charitable gift to the [Manchester Business School](/source/Manchester_Business_School),[3] part of the [University of Manchester](/source/University_of_Manchester), which led to the establishment of the Eddie Davies Library.[11] He received an honorary doctorate in 2008.[1]

He became a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for charitable services in 2011.[12]

## Personal life

He was married to Susan Davies.[10] They had two children.[2] They resided on the [Isle of Man](/source/Isle_of_Man).[5] He underwent [coronary artery bypass surgery](/source/Coronary_artery_bypass_surgery) in 1996.[2]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-debretts_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-debretts_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-debretts_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-debretts_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-debretts_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-debretts_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-debretts_1-6) [Debretts: Eddie Davies](http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/24183/Eddie-DAVIES) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150704234316/http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/24183/Edwin-DAVIES) 4 July 2015 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-manchestereveningnews_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-manchestereveningnews_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-manchestereveningnews_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-manchestereveningnews_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-manchestereveningnews_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-manchestereveningnews_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-manchestereveningnews_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-manchestereveningnews_2-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-manchestereveningnews_2-8) [Eddie Davies profile](http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/eddie-davies-profile-1159703), *[Manchester Evening News](/source/Manchester_Evening_News)*, 12 August 2004

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bloomberg_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bloomberg_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-bloomberg_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-bloomberg_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-bloomberg_3-4) [Bloomberg: Eddie Davies OBE](https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=34056016&privcapId=99023619&previousCapId=99023619&previousTitle=SQUARESTONE%2520BRASIL%2520LTD)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-guardianjamie_4-0)** Jamie Jackson, [Bolton Wanderers clinging on thanks to owner Eddie Davies's generosity](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/dec/31/bolton-wanderers-debt-increase), *The Guardian*, 31 December 2013

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-guardianmatt_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-guardianmatt_5-1) Matt Scott, [Bolton Wanderers have more to worry about than 'crisis-hit' Arsenal](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/sep/22/bolton-wanderers-debts-gary-cahill), *The Guardian*, 22 September 2011

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Mark Ogden, [Bolton Wanderers for sale, reveals chairman Phil Gartside](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/bolton-wanderers/11151710/Bolton-Wanderers-for-sale-reveals-chairman-Phil-Gartside.html), *The Daily Telegraph*, 9 October 2014

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Bolton owner Eddie Davies to write off loans to ease takeover"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/34908977). BBC News. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Eddie Davies: Ex-Bolton Wanderers owner helped save club from administration before death"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45586738). BBC News. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [Victoria & Albert Museum: Room 87: Constable, Turner & the Exhibition Landscape](http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/galleries/level-3/room-87-constable-turner-landscape/)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-vamrefurbishment_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-vamrefurbishment_10-1) [Refurbishment of the paintings galleries, 2003: The Eddie and Susan Davies Galleries](http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/r/refurbishment-of-the-paintings-galleries/)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Manchester Business School: Eddie Davies Library"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150309224509/http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/locationsandopeninghours/eddiedavies/). Archived from [the original](http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/locationsandopeninghours/eddiedavies/) on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [New Year honours list: GBEs, DBEs and CBEs](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/dec/31/new-year-honours-list-gbe), 31 December 2011

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Edwin Davies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Davies) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Davies?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.