John Lister (philanthropist)

Lister grew up in Sandown on the Isle of Wight and Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

In his remaining years, Lister focused on managing his estate at Shibden Hall and on local history.

With his friend Arthur Burrell he deciphered the code used by his ancestor Anne Lister in her diaries.

When the content of the secret passages was revealed, Burrell advised John Lister to burn all the diaries.

[2][3] In 2011, Anne Lister's diaries were added to the register of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.