Background
He was born in Leeds, where he lived until the age of 15, at which point he moved to London to join his uncle"s business.
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Joseph Hardcastle
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He eventually became a Merchant, still based in London. During his time in London he lived at Old Swan Stairs, before moving to Hatcham House in Deptford, then a rural Surrey village, which is now the New Cross Gate area of Lewisham. The slavery abolitionist, Thomas Clarkson was a frequent guest at Hatcham House.
Joseph Hardcastle was especially active in arranging missionary expeditions to Africa, and created schemes whereby missionary work could be self-funding by selling artifacts brought back by the missionaries themselves.
He is buried in Bunhill Fields non-conformist cemetery, in London. The grave is in the north section of the T-plan, close to the red granite obelisk to Joseph Hart.
The story of Joseph"s life was published in "Memoir of Joseph Hardcastle Esq., the first Treasurer of the London Missionary Society: A Record of the Past for his Descendants", which was written by his last surviving daughter, Emma Corsbie Hardcastle, and published in 1860. A number of roads in the modern New Cross Gate reflect his time, most notably Joseph Hardcastle Close.
