John Rylands "they had become the summit of the firm's hierarchical organization, the seat of its central power and the goal of all ambitious employees" (D. A. Farnie, in "John Rylands of Manchester", 1973). In 1873, Rylands converted his business into a limited company but he retained sole management of it. The extra capital from this move led to the purchase of more mills and the company entered into fresh business in many quarters of the globe. The firm, which had a capital of £2 million, became the largest textile manufacturing concern in the UK. His business made him Manchester's first multi-millionaire.
Rylands v Fletcher leading to the development of negligence and nuisance and the further development of trespass. At the time of "Rylands", the previous case relied upon was "Vaughan v Menlove", decided in the Court of Common Pleas in 1837. The case had almost identical facts to "Rylands", but strict liability was never even considered. The case is instead thought of as one of the best attempts of early 19th century English judges to build up the law of negligence. The outcome of "Rylands" meant that judges would again impose strict liability on defendants who accumulated dangerous things on their land without any