Second son of William Rathbone V and Elizabeth (née Greg).
m. 1. (26 April 1855) Rosamund Maria Cuthbert (c. 1834-1867), daughter of Col. Cuthbert of Cheltenham; they lived at Allerton House, Liverpool.
Nine children:
William Cuthbert (25 Feb 1856-1943)
Rosamund Augusta (1857-1953)
m. Arthur Godfrey 9 April 1885
Caroline Ida (b.1859?) m. John Owen Desborough 22 March 1890
Sidney Cuthbert (b. 18 June 1860)
Alexander Cuthbert (16 June 1861-1863)
Ella Marion (1862-1946) m. Henry S. Hele-Shaw 12 April 1890
Hilda Marian (1864-1926)
Robert Cuthbert (4 Aug 1865-1943)
Rosamund Minna Frances (1867-1938)
m. 2. (9 Jan 1869) Augusta Hervey (née Lyle, d. 27 Jan. 1913)
Samuel Rathbone was a merchant, becoming partner in the family firm of Rathbone Brothers and Co. in 1847. His successful trip to China in the 1840s led to the establishment of two branch houses, in Shanghai and Canton, to sell British-made goods and purchase Chinese teas and silks for export.
In Liverpool, he was elected as a Liberal councillor in the 1860s. His main concern was for the improvement of elementary education, and he founded a pupil teacher college and day industrial school in the city. He was a J.P. for over 40 years, and was made a Freeman of Liverpool in 1894. Samuel Greg Rathbone in the Rathbone papers
Papers of Samuel Greg Rathbone (RP XI) date from 1836-c. 1880 and include:
