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Produced byWigan Museums & Archives Issue No. 66 April-July 2014

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The three winners of the Past ForwardEssay Writingcompetition receivetheir prizes from the Mayor ofWigan, CouncillorBilly Rotherham. Theoverall winner of the competition was Denise Colbert,

second place wasAlan Roby, and thirdplace Tommy Heyes(pictured right). The competition was sponsored by Mr and Mrs O’Neil and theWigan BoroughEnvironment andHeritage Network.

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Letter from the

Editorial Team

HERITAGESERVICE

Contents4 Wigan's Undefeated

Champion of the World

6-7 Travelling Dentists

8-9 The Thicknesse Family of Beech Hill

10-11 Peter Peters: A life givento the London andNorth Western Railway

12-13 Saving Leigh's Babies

14-15 Edward Hall: Life Begins at 40

16-18 News from the Archives

19 Collections Corner

21 Stonemason's MalletReturns to its Origins

22-23 Wigan Collieries in 1923

24-25 The Museums getsConnected

26-27 Falling from Grace:Reverent Newbold andhis Hindley Parish

28-29 High Speed Railways inWigan: 1900 Style

30-31 My First Day at School

32 Society News

33 Your Letters

34-35 Museums, Archives andLocal Studies Events

32

FRONT COVER Advertising poster for theWigan Carnival, 1909, one ofWigan Museum's Top 50Objects for the GMMGConnected History Project

HERITAGESERVICE

Past ForwardEssay WritingCompetitionWinners

Copy Deadline for Issue 67

Past Forward 67, SpecialCommemorative Issue –

Contributors’ Note

The summer/autumn edition of Past Forward this year willcommemorate the start of theFirst World War in 1914. We

welcome the submission of anyarticles on the subject of theconflict, from life on the homefront, the effects of the war onthe area, or the stories of localmen and women in service.

For more information, please contact us at

pastforward@wlct.org

PAST FORWARD

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Welcome to PAST Forward Issue 66. As usual, there areplenty of fascinating, informative and unusual local historystories to be told, from the story of a Wigan world champion,to Edwardian maternity care in Leigh, and memories of a big day in everyone’s lives, the first day at school.The temporary exhibition at the Museum of Wigan Life has proveda success and stimulated much debate, discussion and argumentover pronunciation… Purring – Sport of the People, curated byAnna FC Smith, tells the story of clog fighting in the area and runsuntil 26 April 2014. Following this, we can look forward to a newtemporary exhibition on music in the Wigan Borough, opening on 3 May 2014.

We’re delighted to be able to announce that the new GMMG (GreaterManchester Museums Group) website has now gone live (see page 24for more details), including a showcase of 400 objects from theregion's collections, as part of the Our Connected History project.

Information for contributors, please see page 18

Essay WritingCompetition 2014Last year’s competition brought awealth of new Past Forward writersand we’re on the hunt for more.With this in mind, we are pleasedto be able to promote the WiganBorough Environment and HeritageNetwork 2014 Local History EssayWriting Competition – see page 20for more information. If you’repassionate about local history andpreserving it… Get Writing!

The deadline for submissions to the competition is Friday, 3 October 2014.

54

Mention wrestling to anyWiganer and it will mostlikely bring to mind the show-wrestling they have seen ontelevision. They may have noknowledge of the long historyWigan has with theLancashire style of wrestling,or Catch As Catch Can, as it isbetter known the world over.

Catch as catch can dates backto the mid-1800s, withhistorians describing Wigan inthe 1800s as the cradle ofcatch wrestling. Many mayalso be unaware that Wigan’sBilly Riley became WorldMiddleweight Champion bybeating Carroll ‘Pinky’Gardener at Albany, NewYork, in 1922, by two clearfalls in a contest that lastedover two hours. Almost adecade later, in August 1931,Riley defended his world titlein Wigan, against GermanMiddleweight Champion, Karl Reginsky.

In July 1931, Reginsky waspart of a team ofinternational wrestlerstouring Great Britain. AdamKing, British manager of theteam, posted a letter to theeditor of a Wigan newspaperon Reginsky’s behalf. Theletter stated Reginsky, 23,was prepared to meet Billy

Riley in a challenge match forRiley’s World Middleweighttitle and a side bet of anyamount up to £100.

Reginsky, like Riley, was theundefeated MiddleweightChampion of his country.Following his arrival in GreatBritain he had done all thathad been asked of him by histeam coach, fellowcountryman Peter Gotz, andremained undefeated.

King’s letter brought a swiftresponse from Riley. In a replyto the editor he informed himhe was prepared to meetReginsky at any time or place,for £100 in the Catch As CatchCan style. Riley stated that ‘asundefeated world champion, I am prepared to uphold thehonour and tradition of Britishwrestling, and as Lancashire isthe hotbed of wrestling in thisstyle, with world-renownwrestlers hailing from thiscounty, I feel Lancashireshould have preference forthis match, as it will be anopportunity for the old-timers to witness such an imposing event’.

On the 29 July 1931, allparties concerned attendedthe signing of the Articles ofAgreement at the offices of

the Wigan Examinernewspaper. These articlescontained the rules governingthe contest and gave thefollowing conditions:

‘William Riley and KarlReginsky would wrestle atmiddleweight, for theChampionship of the World,in the Lancashire style. Thebest of three pin falls in onehour to decide the winner.The contest and weigh-in totake place at the EmpressHall Wigan on Thursday 20 August 1931.’

Both contestants began theirfinal preparations, Riley at hisfamily home, the CrispinArms public house at BirkettBank, Scholes. Here hetrained daily with a smallgroup of experiencedLancashire style wrestlersfrom Wigan’s wrestling circle,under the watchful eye ofmuch sought-after coach andhis mentor from the age offourteen, Willy Charnock.Reginsky meanwhile basedhimself in Manchester andtrained under his touringteam coach, Peter Gotz.

The contest generated greatinterest across the North ofEngland and the EmpressHall was the chosen venue.

Anxiously waiting topurchase their tickets, newsthat the championship wasto take place in Wigan cameto the delight of wrestlingenthusiasts from across thenorthwest, who wished towitness which of the twoundefeated champions wasthe better man. Within daysof the news appearing in thelocal press, the ticket officeat the Empress Hall wasinundated with requests.Meanwhile the proprietors,anticipating a record crowd,had taken steps to increasethe seating on the balcony,filling the venue to capacityon the night.

The evening’s entertainmentbegan with a boxingprogramme involving fighters from in and aroundWigan. Then came theintroduction of some notablewrestlers from the pre-warera, who received a glowingovation from theknowledgeable crowd.

Following a brief interval, themaster of ceremonies enteredthe ring and introduced thetwo contestants for the mainevent. With the formalities over,the wrestlers shook hands, thehouse lights dimmed and thecontest began.

Reginsky’s match experiencewas a combination of Greco-Roman and Lancashirestyle. Being the younger manby eleven years he tried toforce the pace in the openingminutes. Riley, with hisexperience of the wrestlinggame kept his composureand began to turn the match in his favour. At onepoint early in the contest itlooked as though he couldscore a fall, turning his

opponent amid calls of ‘he’s down’ from spectatorsat ringside. However,displaying determination andbrute strength the Germanbroke free, and springing tohis feet gave them a cheekygrin. With the first thirtyminutes over and the pairdripping with sweat, thereferee called a halt so that they could towelthemselves dry.

The contest continued withthe pair concentrating on thehead. Riley saw his chanceand took Reginsky down tothe mat fixing him in thebody scissors. There was tobe no escape for Reginskythis time, as Riley turned him

with a half-nelson for thefirst fall of the contest.

Coming together for thethird period, and with a drawpossible, the strong andelusive Reginsky provedhimself a worthy challenger.Despite this, Riley, after abrief exchange at the head,had his opponent on allfours. Seizing the advantagehe forced Reginsky’s armacross his back, leaving himwith no option but toconcede the winning fall.

After an encounter that hadlasted 53 minutes, Wigan’sBilly Riley was declared thewinner and UndefeatedChampion of the World!

Wigan's UndefeatedChampion of the World

Billy Riley

BY TOMMY HEYES

76

In the Wigan Times, 1853, regularnotices appear advertising that,'Messrs Moseley, Surgeon Dentistsestablished 20 years, will beattending at Wigan every Thursdayat Miss Ainsworth's, confectioners'.

The Moseley family of dentists werepart of several dynasties of Jewishdentists who travelled countrywideoffering various dental services.Others included the Jones family(original surname Groomsfeldt), theMallan family (original surnameMilleman) the Alex family, theCrawcour family, the Eskell familyand the Gabriel family. There was agreat deal of intermarriage betweenthese families.

Lewin Yehuda Moseley, born in 1807in London, was the son of BenjaminIssachar Moseley and his wife Rose,nee Levy. Lewin, a dentist, marriedLydia Alex in 1832 at the Great

Synagogue London. Lydia and Lewinhad eight children, three of whombecame dentists: Simeon, Benjaminand Frederick.

Ephraim and Charles, also sons ofBenjamin Issachar Moseley, becamedentists and both attended to thepublic in several Lancashire towns.Charles who lived in Preston,appears in both the 1851 Slater’sCommercial Directory for Lancashireand Mannex’s 1855 Directory forMid-Lancashire. The Moseleynewspaper adverts which werecertainly not lacking in modesty,never name which particular dentistwould be attending. In one of theadverts, Charles is described asDentist to the King of Hanover,whereas their rivals Messrs Gabrieldescribe themselves as Dentists toPrince D’Ottojanno, who purportedto be Ambassador Extraordinary tothe King of Naples!

The Wigan Observer of 21 March1856 carries a large advertisementby Messrs Gabriel of 113 DukeStreet, Liverpool and 79 FenchurchStreet, London. They wereadvertising Artificial teeth from fourguineas a set and single teeth from3/6d each. They also advertisedproducts for Filling and Scalingteeth. On receipt of 30 postagestamps, Messrs Gabriel would senda packet of their newly invented'White Stopping' for filling decayedteeth. In the Wigan Observer in1858, regular adverts appear forMessrs Gabriel’s chemically-prepared'White Gutta Percha Enamel', priced1/6d a box. It was claimed that thiswas the 'best stopping extant fordecayed teeth and toothache. Theagent for the product was Mr Wall,Postmaster at Wigan Post Office.

By 1862, Messrs Gabriel wereadvertising their services in Wigan.In the Wigan Observer of 10 Januarythey announced that they would bein attendance in the town. A furthernewspaper announcement on 21February 1862 stated they would bein Wigan on alternate Fridays at thepremises of the Misses Peck onStandishgate.

The advert stated that, 'MessrsGabriel of Liverpool, London andBirmingham held the patent forindestructible mineral teeth andflexible gums without palates,springs and wires… the best inEurope.' The firm advertised in theBurnley Advertiser and PrestonChronicle stating they wereattending regularly in Bolton,Preston, Southport and Wigan andthe company claimed to have beenfounded in 1815.

One could purchase a complete setof American Mineral teeth for £4.4s

in 1860. By 1863, the cost of themineral teeth was £5. Accordingto the advert the teeth wereprepared in the laboratories underthe personal supervision of MessrsGabriel. Lyon (Leon) Gabriel wasborn in Amsterdam in about1785. His wife Adelaide was some19 years his junior. They appear in1841 census living in theSculcoates district of Yorkshiretogether with their nine children.Lyon’s occupation is given asdentist. By 1851, they had movedto London and in 1861 were inthe Ludgate area. His eldest son,Maurice was a dentist and threeother sons, John Adolph andSolomon, all born in Liverpool,were pupil dentists. Lyon, founderof the dental dynasty died inLondon in 1866.

A notice in the Wigan Observer,10 January 1862, announced that Eskells, Surgeon Dentists,would be attending every Friday in Wigan at 14 King Street,the premises of Mr J. C. Moss,brush-maker.

Frederick Abraham Eskell,Surgeon–dentist, appears in 1851living at St Peter’s Square,Manchester, with his wife Sarahand daughter Ann. His brotherLouis, also a dentist, was livingwith them. Frederick was born inScotland, as was Sophia, hismother. His father Philippus Eskell,was born in the Netherlands.Philippus, who later became

known as Philip was also asurgeon dentist. In the WiganObserver of 14 March 1856 thereis an advert from Frederick A.Eskell, headed by a Coat of Arms:

'Provisionally Registered - Petitionrecorded in the office of theCommissioners on 13 Nov 1855,FREDERICK A ESKELL, MechanicalDentist of 2 St Peter’s Sq.,Manchester. For the invention ofan improvement in plates that arefree from taste and preventoxalation, which is occassioned bythe soldering of gold platestogether, as the solder is found tobe of inferior metal to the goldplates. This splendid GOLDENAMEL is the grand desideratumso long required by Dentists tomake Dentistry of all artificialrequirements, the most perfect inall its branches. LOSS OF TEETH, A NEW AND ELEGANTIMPROVEMENT connected withdental surgery has been inventedby Mr F. A. ESKELL, surgeondentist of 2 St Peter’s Sq.,Manchester.

It is the production of an entirelynew description of artificial teethwhich never change colour; nordecay; also without springs orwires and warranted formastication and articulation. Theyso perfectly resemble nature thatthe practised eye of the dentistcould not detect them from theproduction of nature. Mr Eskellreturns his sincere thanks toNobility, Gentry and Inhabitantsof Manchester and its vicinity forthe high and extensive practice hehas had the Honour to befavoured with during his manyyears residence in Manchester.

FILLING DECAYED TEETH withESKELL’S White terra paste whichnever changes colour. SingleArtificial Tooth 10/-; Loose teethfastened. F.A. Eskell’s methodcombines all the ModernImprovements of Paris and Berlin.'

By 1861, Frederick and Sarah hadsix children and were still inManchester moving to Londonsoon afterwards. Frederickappears in 1848 Slater’s TradeDirectory as a dentist at 34Cooper Street, Manchester and

in 1855 at St. Peter’s Square. Hisson, Louis Benjamin Eskell, born1855, also became a dentist.

Frederick Abraham Eskell was afounder member of the SouthManchester synagogue in 1872and was its first representative onthe Board of Deputies. Prior tothis he had been highly involvedwith synagogue politics inManchester for many years.Frederick was president of acharity run by the ManchesterBenevolent Society to supplypoor Jews of the city with bread, coal and other necessariesin the winter. Frederick was theauthor of several books ondentistry and took out severalpatents for the invention ofimprovements in beds or basesfor artificial teeth. In 1862,Frederick published a book onthe system of treating and fixingartificial teeth and in 1869, oneon scientific and painlessdentistry. Frederick died atHanover Square in 1874 at theage of 58. His widow Sarah,carried on the business under his name but by 1881 it fell to bankruptcy.

Information and SourcesMargaret E. Macculloch and David J. Hall, Family History Research website;

Christine Hillam, Brass Plate and Brazen Impudence (LiverpoolUniversity Press, 1991);

Cameron Hawke-Smith, The Jones Dental Dynasty;

Bill Williams, The Making of Manchester Jewry, 1740-1875(Manchester University Press);

John Cowell, Furriers, Glaziers, Doctors and others: A history of the Preston Jewish Community(privately published, 2009).

Author's NoteThis article is part of my research into the Jewish community of Wigan which I hope to publish later this year, following the book I co-authored on Bolton’s Jewishcommunity in 2012. If you have anyinformation on the Jewish communityin Wigan that you would like toshare, please contact the Editor.

Dental Instruments, Wellcome Library, London

Advertisement for Messrs Gabriel,in Attendance at Standishgate,

Wigan, 1862

Travelling Dentists:Moseley, Gabriel and Eskell by Hilary

Thomas

had the right to extend its canal to Westhoughtonalong that line.2

Ralph Thicknesse was active in politics. He waselected as a Whig in the general election of 1831;a year later Parliament passed the Great ReformAct.3 He was a founder member of the LiberalParty in Wigan, and represented the town inparliament until 1835. He died in 1842, leaving anonly son, Ralph Anthony.

Ralph Anthony carried on the business of thebank and some cotton mills inherited from hisfather, but began to contract the collieryoperations. He was of a philanthropic nature. Heestablished a small free library in a house inWigan, founded a school for the children of hisemployees, and paid for trips to the seaside forhis workers. He was a Liberal M.P. for Wigan onseveral occasions between 1847 and 1854.

Ralph Anthony’s life was not without tragedy. On 13 September 1853 his only son Ralph, and his nephew Thomas Woodcock weredrowned in a boating accident on LakeWindermere. The Thicknesse and Woodcockfamilies were at Waterhead for a holiday and theparents were travelling on a pleasure boat when astranger shouted from the shore, 'Terrible news!There are two gentlemen drowned! TheWoodcocks [sic] of Waterhead!'.

Ralph Anthony never recovered from the shock. To lose a son was bad enough, but the fatherbelonged to that social class for which thedescent of property in the male line wasimportant, and the Thicknesse male line had beenin existence for six hundred years. Less thantwelve months later he died at Harrogate, wherehe had gone to improve his health.

He did, however, have adaughter named Anne.She married FrancisColdwell, whom she hadmet when he was acurate at Wigan parishchurch. By royal licencehe assumed the nameand arms of Thicknesse.He rose through theAnglican hierarchy,

eventually becoming Suffragan Bishop ofLeicester. His second son, Francis NormanThicknesse became rector of the fashionable St. George’s church, Mayfair. Francis Norman’ssecond son, Cuthbert, was appointed rector ofWigan in 1922.

During the Great Depression, Cuthbert arrangedfor the provision of cheap meals for theunemployed, and campaigned for increases inchild benefit, and vocational training foradolescents. He left Wigan in 1936, on beingappointed Dean of St. Albans.

After Ralph Anthony died the family’s house at Beech Hill was let to tenants. In 1902 the estatewas broken up and sold. The house, which had decayed, was demolished about 1930 andsoon afterwards Wigan Council built on the estate to alleviate the chronic shortage of workingclass housing.

There is a monument to the Thicknesse family inWigan parish churchyard, in the shape of a Celticcross. The plinth is slightly damaged, but thenames of family members can still be read.However, a more lasting memorial exists in thename of a street on their former estate in BeechHill: Thicknesse Avenue.

Notes1 A likely story! B.B.2 Townley, C. H. A., Smith, F. D. and Peden, J. A.,The Industrial Railways of the Wigan Coalfield(1992), Cheltenham, Runpast Publishing.3 For an account of this eventful election, see Bob Evans’ article in Past Forward Issue 60.

8 9

The ThicknesseFamily of Beech Hill

BY BOB BLAKEMAN

The Thicknesse family of Beech Hill played a majorrole in the economic and social life of Wigan fornearly two hundred years, but they were notnative to the town.

Their connection with Wigan began in 1747,when Ralph Thicknesse M.D. sold his ancestralestate at Balterley in rural Staffordshire, andinvested the proceeds in the Wigan district,including a 37 acre estate and a house at BeechHill set in a little park. He set up practice as aphysician and became distinguished nationally inthe field of medicine. He died in 1790. Hisobituary in the Political Register stated that hissudden death was occasioned by his reading anewspaper article in which a physician namedRalph Thicknesse was described as 'an unreformedquack', but in fact the reference was to anotherphysician of the same name. 1

Dr Thicknesse had an only son, also named Ralph.In 1792, in partnership with his brother-in-lawThomas Woodcock, he founded Wigan’s firstbank, the premises of which were situatedopposite the present W.H. Smith’s shop.

In 1810 Ralph Thicknesse and John Hodson took alease of the coal seams near Kirkless Hall, HigherInce, and sank a number of pits. Some time laterThicknesse also sank a colliery on the Woodfieldestate (now Kirkless Wood), to the north of TopLock, and had a tram-road constructed from thecolliery to the canal. Canal enthusiasts may havewondered why at this point the former LancasterCanal has been extended a few hundred yards

past its logical connection with the line of thecanal ascending from Wigan. The reason is thatthe Lancaster Canal Company cut this extension in1835 solely to inconvenience the proprietors ofthe Springs Branch railway line, because the linewould have been detrimental to the canalcompany’s business. It could have been used totransport coal from the collieries in Higher Ince,which indeed was its purpose.

It so happened that Thickness’s pierhead was onthe line of the canal extension, and the canalcompany’s workmen destroyed it. Thickness tookthe canal company to court, but lost his casebecause under an act of 1772 the canal company

Thicknesse’s Kirkless Colliery, the Springs Branch railway and the bridge over the extension to the Lancaster Canal as shown on the 1849

O.S. Sheet 93.

The arms of FrancisNorman Thicknesse.

Cuthbert Thicknesse (far left) with dignitaries at thededication of new bells, Wigan parish church, 1935

1110

reason, Peter Peters was not present.He may well have been asleep athome, perhaps after a long day onduty – we shall never know.

He was immediately suspended, andhis record of service shows that he wassubsequently: 'dismissed 19/10/98 fornot being on duty when Royal trainstopped at Wigan…and paid 1 monthin lieu of notice’.2

This will have been devastating for aman who had worked for the London& North Western Railway for 26 yearsand who had a family to support.

The Wigan Observer recorded thetragic event which followed: 4

‘Much excitement was caused in townon Thursday evening by the news thatMr Peter Peters, who up to a recentperiod was station-master at theLondon & North Western RailwayStation at Wigan, had committedsuicide in a shocking manner. Shortlyafter eight o’clock the deceasedgentleman was found in the back yardof his home in Earl-street, Swinley, withhis throat cut in a terrible way, thegash extending almost from ear to ear.’

This happened on 1 December. Shortlyafterwards the paper carried a fullreport of the inquest. Sarah said thather husband 'had looked very low-spirited since he had left the stationand had never spoken about it'. Hersolicitor said that Peter had been afaithful servant to the company, andthat some of his fellow employees hadtried to bring about his reinstatement.The coroner recorded a verdict thatPeter had taken his life 'whilsttemporarily insane'.

An explanation of why he was soseverely punished was provided byanother newspaper article: 5

‘…for the Queen’s safety the stationmaster at every station from Windsorto Balmoral is not only required to beon personal duty at the station whenthe Queen passes through, but he

must fifteen minutes previously to the arrival of the royal train personallyvisit all the signal boxes within thelimits of his station and satisfy himself that every signal is workingperfectly, and failure in this duty isregarded by the railway companies asso serious an offence that it meansimmediate dismissal.’

It is possible to find out what happenedto the family in the aftermath.

The 1901 census shows the family stillliving in the house – if the railwaycompany had owned it the familywould have had to move out. Sarahwas able to stay there by becoming aboarding-house keeper, and had twoboarders and a servant girl. Two of herchildren were also earning money –Ethel was 18 and a telegraph clerk,and 15 year old Peter was a telegraphmessenger.

A Wigan street directory of 1903shows Sarah as keeping, 'Apartments',although that was a rather grand way of saying that she let out rooms.By the time of the 1911 census, Sarahhad moved to 122 Swinley Road. Her entry shows her simply as awidow, but (Mary) Constance is livingwith her and is a registration clerk withthe Board of Trade.

It has been sad but fascinating to findout about a previous occupant of ourhouse – and to feel that, despite hissad death, he doesn't haunt us!

A great deal of information to helpwith family history can be found inresources provided by museums,libraries and archives. For railwayhistory, other useful sources are theNational Archives, the National RailwayMuseum, Cheshire Archives andspecialist railway societies.

Notes1 Author's own2 UK, Railway EmploymentRecords, 1833-1956, on AncestryInstitution, via LancashireLibraries http://bit.ly/1itW45C orWigan Archives & Local Studies

3 The Standard, 1 September 1898,in British Library NineteenthCentury Newspapers, viaLancashire Libraries

4 Wigan Observer microfilmsavailable at Wigan Local Studies

5 Reynolds's Newspaper, 4December 1898, in British LibraryNineteenth Century Newspapers,via Lancashire Libraries

Peter Peters: A life givento the London and North

Western Railway

When my husband, Nick (a volunteerwith the Wigan Archives Service) and I moved into our house in Wigan, the previous owners left behind anindenture of 1925,1 giving the historyof the house from its construction in1895 until that time.

This led me to want to find out more.By using a simple search online, I found the story of a previousoccupant of the house, and hisconnection with the London & NorthWestern Railway and what is nowWigan North Western station.

Peter Peters was born in Culcheth in1855. The earliest trace I can find ofhim – in the 1871 census – shows hewas living with the Setta family andwas described as an assistant to thehead of the household, Francis, whowas a drysalter – a dealer in a range ofchemical products used in glue,varnish, dye and foodstuffs.

The record of his career on the railwaybegins with his employment as an

apprentice on 22 April 1872 at Leigh. 2

To advance his career he later movedto work at Runcorn, Stafford, Lymm,Widnes and Edgehill.

By the time of the 1891 census he wasmarried to Sarah [nee Moston], hadthree children and employed a servant.They went on to have five children intotal – Thomas Moston, Ethel Banks,Peter Lewin, Mary Constance andGeorge Maurice.

His employment record shows that hewas appointed stationmaster at whatis now Wigan North Western, on asalary of £150 per annum, on 1 October 1893. By the beginning of1898 this had increased to £180.

The nineteenth century sawphenomenal, unstructured growth inrailways following the opening of thefirst passenger service in the world, the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, in 1830. As early as 1832, the Wigan Junction Railway opened a linefrom a station in Chapel Lane to join the Liverpool & Manchester atParkside Junction.

Six years later the station was relocatedto its present position when the NorthUnion Railway opened between Wiganand Preston. In 1846, as a result ofcontinuing amalgamations, theLondon & North Western Railway wasformed, allowing through trains fromLondon Euston to Glasgow.

Between 1888 and 1894 the stationwas substantially enlarged and rebuilt.So Peter Peters was a witness to greatchanges and possibly oversaw some ofthe remodelling.

The visit of the Prince of Wales(later Edward VII) to Wigan on

18 May 1898

In 1898, a momentous year for Peter Peters, the Prince of Wales visitedthe town.

Later that same year, on the night of31 August, Queen Victoria made oneof her regular journeys north to stay atBalmoral, which was to have adramatic outcome for the Wiganstationmaster. There is a detailedaccount of the journey from the courtcircular in The Standard newspaper. 3

She set off from Gosport at 8.20 in theevening and was scheduled to arrive atCarlisle at 5.27 the following morning,so the train will have passed throughWigan between 3 and 4 in themorning on 1 September. For some

BY MARIANNE HOWELLCommunity Heritage Manager, Lancashire County Council

In the very back yard where Peter ended his life, his son Peter Lewin Peters carvedhis name on a large slab in 1900 [Author's own image]

1312

Maternity and Child Welfare service.Besides employing another HV, theyestablished a Maternity and ChildWelfare Centre in the Old Town Hall,King Street. There, the MOH monitoredbabies whilst HVs recorded theirweight. In necessitous cases free driedmilk and Virol was supplied; fresh milkwas not, for fear of older siblingspurloining it. As mothers’ ability tobreast feed was reliant on theirnutritional state, malnourished motherswere offered free milk.

Maternity bags (layettes) were loaned,and frequently articles of clothinggiven. In the same venue a School forMothers was instigated; initiallyperiodic, by 1915 it became a regularfeature. A paid Superintendent, SchoolNurse, and volunteers, ran the School.The School’s first curriculum had threedistinct themes; practicaldemonstrations of how to cooknutritious meals using coal fires (mosthomes had no stove); sewing classes,repairing, darning and making infantclothing (the latter aimed at eradicatingthe practice of binding babies, whichrestricted breathing); and related health lectures.

Further expansion was facilitated by themore prescriptive 1918 Maternal andChild Welfare Act. A Council Sub-Committee was created with two, laterfour, female co-opted members. Theirsole responsibility was Maternal andChild Welfare. Helped by governmentmoney, Leigh’s Maternal and ChildWelfare Clinic was upgraded, movingto Stone House, St Helen’s Road in1919 and staffed by the MOH, twoHVs, one School Nurse and twovolunteers. In the 1920s problems ofaccessibility were addressed by theprovision of branch clinics in Coal PitLane (1925) and Nangreaves Street(1927), each having their own HV.

Success

Due in no small part to the partnershipbetween mothers and professionals,the incidences of death due to

Epidemic Diarrhoea were significantlyreduced. Identifying and preventingdeaths due to wasting diseases wasmore complex and more difficult toaddress. Insufficient knowledgesurrounding food values led tomalnourished, sickly babies.

Mothers who could not breast feed were often dependent oncommercially produced baby foods,many of which were not fit forpurpose. The cheapest and mostconvenient baby food was condensedmilk, incidentally, provided at theClinics. Unfortunately, by the turn ofthe century, manufacturers hadreplaced full fat with skimmed milk,thus removing some nutritional value.

Some products were potentiallyharmful. Peptolaxa, a pain killer,targeted new mothers, declaring, ‘Aninfant often needs a little medicine aday or two after birth’. Leigh’s infantmortality due to respiratory diseases,despite concerted efforts to reduce it,remained comparably one of thenation’s highest. Leigh’s geographicand climatic location, low lying, withsandstone on clay soils in an area ofcomparatively heavy rainfall, createdthe damp conditions conducive todiseases of this nature, whilst damp,overcrowded houses exacerbated the problem.

Cinderellas

The illegitimate mortality rate, with afew exceptional years, was oftenaround or over double the legitimate.Many unmarried mothers andillegitimate babies were associated atone time with the Workhouse anddespite Guardians’ efforts the plight ofillegitimate babies remained dire.

Guardians acted on the precepts of the1908 Children’s Act and monitoredfostered babies closer (most babiesborn in the Workhouse wereillegitimate). They employed districtInfant Protection Officers to search outunregistered fosterers (as per the 1909Infant Protection Act) whose suitabilitywas then assessed. From 1915, theyinformed HVs when a new-born leftthe Workhouse.

Unmarried mothers struggled against asystem that although attempting to aidthem, was based upon a strict moralframework that stigmatised anddiscriminated against them and soughtto remove the children born to themfrom their care. In one case a womanwas refused aid by the relieving officersentirely and some women took thehard decision to remove themselvesentirely from the system and find theirown way to raise their children. Theywere trapped in a vicious circle that inmany cases put their babies at risk.

Saving Leigh's Babies(1900-1925)

BY YVONNE ECKERSLEY

In 1917, ‘It was more dangerous to bea baby in England than to be a soldier’,said the Bishop of London. England’sinfant mortality rate was higher thanthat of its soldiers at war.

Something was undoubtedly wrong.Statistical evidence had, and wascontinuing to reveal an appallingly highinfant mortality rate among the urban,industrial working class. As thiscoincided with a low birth rate, theperceived ‘wastage’ of the nation’sbabies became a major concern. Public, political and professional figuresat all levels focused on why so manydied, identifying contributing factorsand instigating courses of action toprotect babies.

Central and local government strategieswere two-pronged. Before 1900,connections between the unsanitarynature of urban towns and high deathrates had been established. NumerousSanitary Acts required local authoritiesto address certain issues, such asunhealthy water supplies, inadequatedrainage, poor sewers, overcrowdingand unsanitary housing. However,environmental improvement, whilst avital component for bringing down thetown’s general mortality, was a longterm project, and one severelyrestricted during and after the War. Itcould not, in itself, reduce the highinfant mortality rate. A more pragmaticand achievable strategy was required.

Consequently, the governmentidentified three preventable conditionsthat led to infant death, namely,Epidemic Diarrhoea (SummerDiarrhoea) and Enteritis, respiratorydiseases, and the generic ‘wastingdisease’. They placed mothers at thecentre of their planned solution.

Mothers, it was reasoned, onceinformed, were in the position to beable to orchestrate change.Government introduced legislation, andmore importantly provided money tohelp local authorities devise andexecute schemes.

Provision of Services

Using Leigh’s Medical Officer of HealthReports as my main resource I havediscovered that these men and Leigh’sHealth Committee were committed toformulating, financing (supplementedby Government grants) and executing,realistic achievable services in line withand at times pre-empting developingtheories and guidelines. Throughout,they were sensitive to the difficultiesworking class mothers faced whilstraising their offspring.

Provision of services of this kind wasunprecedented; state, local authoritiesand mothers had no templates toguide them. Initially volunteer led,Leigh’s embryonic child welfare servicebecame increasingly professionalisedwith volunteers given a vital, butsecondary role.

Health Visitors (HVs) were the linchpinof the service. Their primary role was tovisit newborn babies, offer motherssupport and report back to the Medical Officer of Health (MOH). As meticulous, investigative, datacollection continually linked artificialfeeding with infant death, HVs were to promote breast feeding.

Babies were most at risk fromcontaminated cow’s milk. The source ofEpidemic Diarrhoea was milkcontaminated by faecal matter. Despiteassiduous efforts to improve its purity –

‘pure milk is as important as pure beer’, said Dr Clay Beckett, MOH –Leigh’s milk remained suspect.Eventually Clinics stopped supplying itfor babies.

If mothers relied on artificial feeding,HVs were to stress the need forscrupulous cleanliness when preparingbottles, storing and protecting milkfrom houseflies. Houseflies wereidentified as transmitters of infection,moving from the faeces of diarrhoeasufferers to uncovered milk. Motherswere to be weaned from the use of theextremely unhygienic, flat bottle with ateat at the end of a long rubber tubefrom which the babies sucked, andencouraged to use the newly designedhygienic boat shaped bottles. Longtube bottles were advantageous tobusy mothers as they could be leftbesides babies to suck independently.Consequently it took years to end their use.

Midwives were identified as a ‘second line of attack’. ConsecutiveMOH reports emphasised the need topersuade delivering midwives to stressthe importance of breast feeding,and/or the hygienic requisites ofartificial feeding, plus the importanceof personal hygiene to new mothers. Unfortunately, as no midwives were directly employed,midwives’ co-operation depended ongood will. In 1919 Leigh’s midwiveswere distinctly antagonistic, by 1925more compliant.

The Clinics

In 1912, Leigh adopted the 1907Notification of Births Act. Utilisingassociated Government monies theycentralised and expanded their

Nurses weighing a baby at Stone House, Leigh

1514

We continue Bill Melling’sexploration of the life of EdwardHall, the man behind WiganArchive’s famous diary collection(see Issues 63 and 64)

From the mid-1920s, Edward hadsuffered something of an identitycrisis, with feelings of inadequacyand self doubt. His early years in aprosperous upper-middle classfamily and his experiences in theFirst World War as an officer hadleft him totally unprepared for a lifeof poverty. He also bitterly resentedthat he had been made to leaveschool at 14 without any formalqualifications, ruling him out offinding the type of job he thoughtsuitable for someone with hisupbringing and background. Hewas particularly conscious of thiswhen working on the Bibliographyat the London School of Economicswhen he felt he was looked downon by the academics he wasworking with.

1938, the year Edward turned 40,started very badly for him. His workon the Bibliography was completedand he was back on the dole. InAugust his father died a particularlypainful death from cancer leavingEdward, his eldest son, only hisgold watch (which he promptlypawned). The rest of his moneywent to Amy, the eldest daughter.

War clouds were gathering and heapplied for and obtained a job as atemporary clerk in the registry atthe Air Ministry headquarters atAdastral House where he started

work in October 1938. In June1939, he applied to join the newlyformed RAF Officers’ VolunteerReserve. Much to his surprise, twoweeks after the outbreak of war, hereceived a phone call telling him hehad been commissioned as a PilotOfficer. He was given a uniformallowance, told to get himselfkitted out and to be ready to go toFrance within a week. On 1 October1939 he flew to France and after achaotic journey found he had beenposted to Number 73 squadron atRouvres. In September 1939 No. 73was one of two Hurricane fightersquadrons that had been sent toFrance as part of the the AdvancedAir Striking Force, the other beingNo. 1 Squadron.

Edward’s first job was to act asliaison officer between the twosquadrons but there was little forhim to do and he was soonappointed to the much moreimportant post of Adjutant to No.73 Squadron. The Adjutant wasdirectly responsible to the squadronleader for day to day administrationof all non flying activities and wasin charge of the Orderly Room (thesquadron office). Prior to going toFrance, 73 Squadron had beentraining as part of a larger groupand had not needed a full timeAdjutant and they regardedEdward’s arrival with somesuspicion. However, they were nowoperating as an independent unitand after a shaky start Edwardsoon demonstrated his worth andwas accepted as a valuable additionto the squadron. He was much

older than the other officers,particularly the pilots, and becamesomething of a father figure,affectionately nicknamed ‘Henry’,after Henry Hall , the well knowndance band leader. Given hisaversion to modern music – ‘Jazz’,as he called it – this was ratherinappropriate but it was a measureof the high regard in which he washeld that his fellow officersintroduced ‘The Henry Hall Hour’.For an hour each evening Edwardwas given full control of theOfficers’ Mess radio to listen toclassical music of his choice, anactivity, which by his ownadmission, usually emptied the room.

At first the squadron had lived intents but soon obtained morecomfortable lodgings in Rouvreswhere they spent the winter of1939-40, a period known as the‘phoney war’, during which therewas little or no fighting due to theparticularly severe winter. Theywere one of the few British units inthat part of the front and werewined and dined practically everyevening by neighbouring FrenchOfficers. In his letters home,Edward regaled Em, his wife, withdetails of the exotic menus and finewines he had enjoyed whilstclaiming that unlike his fellowofficers, particularly the youngpilots, he never over indulgedhimself or got drunk. He also got insome sightseeing in theneighbouring towns and wangledhimself a new set of dentures, aprocess which involved several

round trips of over 100 milesthrough pleasant countryside,before they were finally fitted.

Prior to the onset of the badweather the squadron had a fewbrushes with the enemy and onone day shot down four Germanplanes, an event which attracted alot of media attention. Edwardappeared on the newsreels of thetime, examining the wreckage ofthe planes along with thevictorious pilots and he had tosuffer some good natured leg-pulling from the young pilots onhis new role as a film star. Giventhe lack of news coming from thefront these events greatly increasedboth public and official interest inthe squadron and brought aconstant stream of visitors whoEdward, as Adjutant, was oftencalled upon to deal with. Theseincluded Anthony Eden (theMinister for War), the head of theR.A.F., delegations from the Britishand foreign press and the Duke ofWindsor, who Edward had topersonally show around theaerodrome in the absence of theCommanding Officer, SquadronLeader B.W. Knox.

Knox was a larger than lifecharacter who was far happierleading his men in the air thansitting behind a desk and when hefound he could trust Edward tocarry through his wishes, he washappy to leave him to deal with

the non-flying administrativematters. Edward christened himBONG due to his habit of issuingan order and then booming‘BONG’ to signify the end of theconversation. Despite beingdropped into a completely new career in an alienenvironment, after some initialmisgivings Edward rose to theoccasion and apart from missinghis wife and family, thoroughlyenjoyed his new job.

As the oldest officer in thesquadron and the only one withprevious war experience (and themedal ribbons to show for it), heparticularly appreciated the way he

was respected by the young pilotswho accepted him as a valuablemember of the team and treatedhim as an equal. Knox showed hisappreciation by recommendinghim for promotion first to FlyingOfficer and later to FlightLieutenant, moves which at longlast meant that Edward and Em’sfinancial worries were over.

The ‘phoney war’ dragged on intoDecember and as things were soquiet it was decided that homeleave could be granted over theChristmas and New Year period. It fell to Edward to organise theleave rotas and also the Christmasfestivities for those who stayedbehind. This involved locallysourcing and arranging for thecooking of 32 turkeys, thedistribution of 29,000 cigarettesand finding a last minutesubstitute for the plum puddingsthat got lost somewhere in thesupply chain. At long last, he gotleave and went home to his familya changed man. In the six monthssince the war started he had beentransformed from a penniless clerk,who in his own words was‘scorned and rejected by the worldoutside my little circle’, to aconfident, well respected officer,on speaking terms with Royalty,Military Commanders and Cabinet Ministers.

EDWARD HALLLife begins at 40

Hurricane refuelling, Number 73 Squadron

On leave, 1940, Hall and family, (left to right) Bunk, John, Em,Joan and Edward Hall

BY BILL MELLING

1716

NEWS FROM THE ARCHIVES& LOCAL STUDIES

Current Projects

Several important projects are underway asthe anniversary of the start of the FirstWorld War draws closer and we would liketo thank all our volunteers for their efforts.The index of Wigan Council Minutes, 1914-1918 is now complete and this newresource can be viewed atwww.wlct.org/wigan/museums-archives/wals/collections/. The index is auseful tool for helping researchers interestedin particular in the effect of the conflict onthe home front and the people of Wigan.

At the Archives Service, Archives Volunteer,Tim Sen is digitising a collection ofphotographs from Wigan Borough LeisureDepartment from the early 1980s. Thecollection consists of over 300 images,everything from the RAC rally at Haigh, to theHaigh railway, darts tournaments at FormbyHall, visits from Michael Heseltine and BobbyCharlton, and the now somewhat dated MissLeisure Services competition... The images willbe going online during 2014, but if youwould like more information or to view themat the Archives, please get in touch.

Wigan Metro Darts Championship, c. 1981

We are also in the process of transcribingCensus Returns for references to inmates atWigan Workhouse and the indexing of our mapcollection, to highlight places and buildings ofinterest. If you are interested in gettinginvolved with any of our current projects,please get in touch with Rita Musa atr.musa@wlct.org.

Shadrach and Annie Critchley

Nearly 100 years ago a couple in Westleigh bothmade a pact to die together rather than endurethe separation and horror of the First World War.The couple’s names were Shadrach and AnnieCritchley. Shadrach enlisted in 1915 but only amonth later both him and Annie had killedthemselves by asphyxiation whilst Shadrach wason leave. This story was discovered andresearched by Susan Berry. Susan volunteers forWigan Archives and Local Studies.

We need more volunteers like Susan to helpresearch and collate a list of the fallen from theFirst World War by researching the stories ofthose affected. Volunteers will compile a list ofnames of those who are commemorated onmemorials in the borough and research theindividuals using our collections and onlineresources. For details of how to get involved

please contact Rita Musa / Hannah Turner on01942 828020 / 404559 or emailr.Musa@wlct.org / h.turner@wlct.org

To read more about Shadrach's story please see the GM1914 blog athttp://gm1914.wordpress.com/ or contact Leigh Local Studies on 01942 404559 /H.Turner@wlct.org

Recent Acquisitions and Accessions

Archives

• Mine manager's training papers of JohnWilliam Ormshaw (Acc. 2013/80)

• Leigh School Sports Photographic Collection(Acc. 2013/83)

• Records of Ashton Recreation Society (Acc. 2013/86)

• Colin Mather Photographic Collection,1980s-2000s (Acc. 2014/2)

• Wigan Pier Experience Archive, 1980s-2000s(Acc. 2014/1)

• Lowton St Luke Parish Records, parish magazines (Acc. 2014/7)

• Turnpike Gallery Archive (Acc. 2014/9)

Wigan Local Studies

• Atherton, David and Peyton, Michael P.Faith & Martyrdom: The Holy Hand of StEdmund Arrowsmith (271.53)

• Girls’ High School Magazines 1937 – June1962 (incomplete)

• Hulbert, Henry L. P.Sir Francis Sharp Powell Baronet andMember of Parliament: A Memoir (929.2 POW)

• Recusant History Volume 31, Number 4• The SELNEC StandardNewsletter of the SELNEC PreservationSociety January, 2006 – May 2013(incomplete) (388.322)

• Shevington & District Community Association (942.736 SHEV)

• Transactions of the Historic Society ofLancashire & Cheshire, Volume 162, 2013

Your Museums and Archives

Need You!Would you like to help us care for your heritage? Do you think you have the skills and experience to help run a support group? The Museum of Wigan Life and Wigan Archives & Local Studies are looking for individuals interested in establishing a ‘Friends of Wigan Museums and Archives’ group.

The ‘Friends Of’ group would fundraise, raise awareness, organise events and encourageeveryone to enjoy and use our services. We are looking for a wide range of people with theskills and enthusiasm to get active in promoting and supporting the service. The museumand archive staff would support the group by providing a venue and administrative support.

If you’re interested or want to find out more, please contact Alex Miller (01942 404 430) or Lynda Jackson (01942 828128).

Information forContributorsWe always welcome articles and letters forpublication from both new and existingcontributors.

If you would like to submit an article for PAST FORWARD, please note that:

• Publication is at discretion of Editorial Team

• The Editorial Team may edit your submission

• Published and rejected submissions will bedisposed of, unless you request for them tobe returned

• Submissions may be held on file forpublication in a future edition

• Articles must be received by the copy date if inclusion in the next issue is desired

Submission Guidelines• Electronic submissions are preferred,although handwritten ones will be accepted

• We prefer articles to have a maximum lengthof 1,000 words

• Include photographs or images wherepossible – these can be returned if requested

• Include your name and address – we will notpass on your details to anyone unless youhave given us permission to do so

We aim to acknowledge receipt of all submissions.

CONTACT DETAILS:pastforward@wlct.org or The Editor at PAST FORWARD, Museum of Wigan Life, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1NU.

NEWS FROM THE ARCHIVES& LOCAL STUDIES COLLECTIONS CORNER

Volunteer Focus

Ian J F Mullins and the Wigan Borough Maps Project

Since May 2013 I have been examining,identifying, checking indexes and listing all themaps held at Wigan Local Studies. These arecurrently housed in map drawers and cabinetsand there are others held on the premises thatwe are working to re-house. The maps coverWigan and all surrounding areas. Theinformation will be transferred onto spreadsheetsand the project will move to Wigan Archives andLeigh Local Studies so that we will have onecomprehensive catalogue of everything held andwhere it is located.

In identifying each map I have entered details of principal roads, farms, ancient buildings,schools, churches, woods, waterways, publichouses, railways and places of interest that may help researchers to track down what theyare looking for.

It has been a long, laborious task and theidentification and listing is perhaps now four-fifths done but it may be some time before thefinal catalogue is ready.

Apart from normal Ordnance Survey Maps thereare many interesting items including GeologicalMaps, architectural drawings of the old MarketHall and Haigh Hall, many local graveyards andeven two battlefield maps of sites from theSecond Boer War listing local casualties!

There are early and late Victorian Maps with anexcellent scale enabling the researcher to studyeach individual item. An 1841 map shows themineral line from Winstanley Collieries ending inthe famous ramp on the Leeds Liverpool Canalthat gave us our Wigan Pier! We can see whereWigan Boat and Ship Building Yards were locatedand where Roman Coin hoards and early artifactshave been found. It has been interesting tocompare different editions of 1:2500 maps fromthe 1950s to the 1980s, noting the massivespread of housing development and the declineof manufacturing industries, coal mining andrail networks.

Museum Collections Corner

By Carrie Gough, Collections Officer

A couple of objects which have caught my eye particularly in the last few weeks are thesetwo beautiful death/coffin masks. The first is an Eighteenth Dynasty Egyptian gilded coffinface and has been described as an extremely rare example of it’s kind (below).

An interesting comparison to the Egyptian mask is the Roman – Egypt Death Mask(above), circa early second century AD. This unusual object comes from Egypt, which wasthen a province of the Roman Empire. It would have been placed over a mummified body.The style of the mask shows how the two ancient cultures influenced each other. TheRoman mask does show an idealized representation of the person but it is more realisticcompared to the Egyptian one.

Both of these masks were donated to Wigan in the 1920s as part of the Sir John ScottEgyptology collection. They will both be featured on the website of the GreaterManchester Museums Groups (GMMG) on our forthcoming Our Connected Historyshowcase, http://www.gmmg.org.uk/our-connected-history/

18 19

2120

The Chief Stone of St Michael and All AngelsChurch in Howe Bridge in Atherton was laid on the5 July 1875. The ceremony was performed byKatherine Isabella Fletcher, wife of Ralph Fletcher(1815-1886). To mark the occasion the builderWilliam Winnard of Wigan, presented her with asilver trowel and a stonemason’s mallet.

The trowel remains within the Fletcher family tothis day but the mallet ‘disappeared’. However, inOctober 2013 it was put up for auction in Pimlico,London and purchased by Mr Conn White. Onlearning of the sale, Richard Sivill, a St Michael’sparishioner and a member of the Wigan BoroughHeritage & Environment Group, informed RobertCornish, the great-grandson of Ralph Fletcher, ofthe sale. Robert, who lives at Hale Barns inCheshire, subsequently purchased the mallet.

On Saturday 8 February 2014 St Michael’scelebrated 137 years since the church wasconsecrated in February 1877 when it held itsannual Open and Gift Day. In the afternoon Robertgave an excellent talk on the Fletcher family andended by donating the mallet to the church.

Stonemason's Mallet returns to its Origins by Richard

Sivill

Write 1000 words - Win £100!Do you have a passion for localhistory? Is there a local historytopic that you would love to see featured in Past Forward?Then why not take part inWigan Borough Environmentand Heritage Network’s LocalHistory Writing Competition?

Local History WritingCompetition

1st Prize - £1002nd Prize - £753rd Prize - £50Five Runners-Up Prizes of £25

The Essay Writing Competition is kindly sponsored by Mr andMrs J. O'Neil.

Criteria• Articles must be a maximum of1000 words.

• Articles must focus on a localhistory topic within thegeographical boundaries ofWigan Borough.

• By entering the competition you agree to your work beingpublished in Past Forward. Thewinning article will be published

in Past Forward Issue 68. Other submissions may also bepublished in Issue 68 or held onfile for publication in a futureedition. If selected for publicationthe Past Forward Editorial Teammay edit your submission.

How to enter• Articles must be received by e-mail or post by Friday 3 October 2014.

• Electronic submissions arepreferred although handwrittenones will be accepted.

• You must state clearly that yourarticle is an entry into the LocalHistory Writing Competition.

• You must include your name,address, telephone number and e-mail address (if applicable). We will not pass your details onto anyone.

• It will not be possible for articlesto be returned.

• You are welcome to includephotographs or images howeverthey cannot be returned.

Submit topastforward@wlct.org ORLocal History Writing Competition, Past Forward, Museum of Wigan Life, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1NU

The Stonemason’s Mallet and presentation inscription to Katherine Isabella Fletcher

Robert Cornish presents Richard Sivill with the mallet

22 23

Wigan Colleriesin 1923 Part One

I’ve been interested in mining around Wigan since Iwas a nipper in the 1950s. No matter how much youthink you know, there are always surprises andmysteries just waiting to be uncovered.

Recently, I went through the official, 1923 List of Minesand many of the simple facts it contained threw a newlight on the state of the industry soon after the FirstWorld War. A few of the little pits operating then arebarely remembered at all and many of the larger pitswere a lot bigger (or smaller) than you’d haveexpected. There’s no clear definition of the WiganCoalfield but, for this article, I’ve taken it to stretch toUpholland, Holland Moor and Skelmersdale in thewest, Coppull to the north, Westhoughton andWestleigh in the east and Golborne and Haydock in thesouth. For many pits, I’ve given the numbers of menemployed. There were still women employed inscreening the coal but nowhere near as many as inearlier years, and the Mines Lists don’t differentiatebetween the sexes!

Looking at the little pits first, it would probably bepossible to pinpoint where they were from theAbandonment Plans but I haven’t had time to look atthose yet. Perhaps someone might remember Almond& Stone’s Birchenheads colliery in Downall Green. Itemployed 41 working the King Seam and very close by,the Downall Green Colliery Company’s Downall Greencolliery employed 28 men. Over in Dalton, A. Ashcroftof Rogers Farm had just abandoned his Dalton pit on21 September 1922. I have wondered where that was?A more successful colliery in Dalton was Elmers Greenwith 33 men still at work and J. Graham and J. Hopehad a little drift mine on Ashurst Beacon calledStannanought Pit with just five men. They weren’t theonly ones. Martland & Martin Collieries, based atWoodlands, Appley Bridge, were working their ownDalton pit with 20 men.

I’d thought that Cheshire Holes Colliery, not far fromDarlington Street had been closed in the nineteenthcentury but E. R. Bibby was still clinging on there withnine men. Meanwhile, the Bromilow Brothers wereprospecting for coal at City Road pit in Kitt Green and a

company with a very old name – Ince Hall Collieries Ltd– must have reopened one of the many old Ince Hallcollieries with 59 men. Close to the centre of Wigan,Maloney Brothers employed 16 men at their BottlingWood pit and W. Littler was mining coal at Hill Top,Whelley – wherever Hill Top was – but no employeeswere listed for this operation.

Billinge, Winstanley & Upholland were riddled withsmall collieries right up to the 1980s but only a fewwere active in 1923. Probably the most historic site wasDean Wood where mining was well established by thelate eighteenth century. The Dean Wood Coal Companywere working the Orrell 5ft seam here with 27 men in1923, presumably having found a block of coal the ‘oldmen’ had left untouched. Alfred Allen’s nine men wereworking the Newgate pit in Upholland and the still-remembered Laithwaite family had a mine on theirLawns Delf site employing 32. Littler Brothers wereworking the Bottom Mountain Mine. On the St Helensside of Billinge, the Carr Mill Arley Colliery Co had threeArley pits, Number 1 being recently abandoned but 2 and 3 pits keeping 31 men busy.

While all these little pits kept people at work supplyingmainly market for coal within the home, they wereinsignificant in the greater scheme of things. Even inUpholland and Billinge, there were much largercollieries at work and they in turn were dwarfed by thebig pits further east.

The big employer in the Upholland Area was the WhiteMoss Coal Co. Their Holland No 6 and No 9 pits,adjacent to the Wigan-Kirkby railway and often said tobe on its last legs by 1923, were anything but, andactually needed 596 men to handle their output.

Easily the biggest operations in the Billinge area werethose of the Bispham Hall Colliery Co, allied to BisphamHall Brick & Terracotta Company Limited, the remains of whose superb brickworks can still be seen upSmethurst Lane. The colliery company operated a shaftmine and a day-eye (drift), Gauntley No 1 and No 2 onthe brickworks site, the Mountain mine away to thewest and the Roger Shale drift somewhere near the

Alexandra Pit, New Springs

brickworks. Altogether, they employed 440 men,excluding the brickworks itself. Gauntley Number 1 pitcontinued in use, still with a steam winding engine, upto 1965. I was involved in moving the classic woodenheadgear from this pit to Haigh Hall Plantations inaround 1977 but it soon became a victim of weatherand neglect and was demolished. We also capped theGauntley shaft; the task of pouring the concrete capwas held up for 15 minutes while we rescued a frog!

The Orrell coalfield, a hotbed of activity a hundred yearsearlier, was all but worked out by now, though OrrellNo 3 pit, by the Southport railway, still mustered 355men. North of the Douglas were the Standish collieries, owned by the Wigan Coal & Iron Company.Working in 1923 were John & Taylor pits, Giants Hall,Victoria, Broomfield and Langtree plus a pumping pit in Robin Hill Lane. Together, they kept 2,655 people in employment.

In Coppull and Coppull Moor, there were four sizeablemines – Welch Whittle, Blainscough, Ellerbeck and thebiggest and last surviving pit at Chisnall Hall. Theyemployed no less than 3,196 people – remarkable whenyou think of the small size of Coppull in those days.

Like Orrell, Haigh and Aspull had seen better miningdays and within ten years, collieries there would bevirtually a thing of the past. In 1923, production atCrawford Colliery near the Finger Post was scaled rightdown, though Moor No 5 and Meadow were stillworking normally. In New Springs, Alexandra andLindsay collieries were at work, Alexandra still with

thirty years life ahead of it. Scot Lane Colliery, nearer Blackrod, was a big producer as were theWesthoughton Coal & Cannel Company’sWesthoughton and Starkie pits, but they were doomedthrough no fault of their own. They relied almostentirely on Wigan Coal’s massive Aspull Pumping Pitwith its fleet of beam engines to drain their workingsand when the Pumping Pit closed in 1932, the ScotLane and Westhoughton pits soon followed.

From Hindley and Hindley Green all the way down toWestleigh were more collieries, including Hindley GreenGrammar & Arley, California, Swan Lane, Westleigh,Heyfield and the Wigan Coal pits Eatock and Hewlett.Each employed hundreds more men but there were twomuch larger collieries. Abram and Bickershaw wereimpressive operations with no less than 4,000 menbetween them and Bickershaw was destined to last until1992, long after most of the others had been bulldozedout of existence. Around Abram and Platt Bridge wereyet more substantial collieries which we’ll look at in thenext article.

Ninety years later, the Wigan area has been completelytransformed and there are few clues to its heavyindustrial past. Some mill buildings survive as does oneof the ironwork’s slag heaps at Kirkless but traceselsewhere have to be diligently searched for. It’s hard tobelieve now that nearly 50,000 men and womenworked in the collieries around Wigan in 1923!

Editor's NoteSee Issue 67 for the second part of ‘Wigan Collieries in 1923’

By Ted McAvoy

2524

The Museum of Wigan Life team areexcited to be part of a specialproject to bring together the richand diverse collections of museumsacross Greater Manchester. Majesticmuseums, splendidly spooky halls,underground air raid shelters –Wigan and Greater Manchester have it all.

The museum in Wigan is part of anetwork of museums acrossTameside, Bury, Bolton, Oldham,Salford, Stockport and Rochdalecalled the Greater ManchesterMuseums Group (GMMG). Thegroup’s most recent success was aninternational art exhibition whichtoured around China and includedour very own ‘Going North’ (1875)oil painting by George Earl. Thepainting was originally exhibited atthe Royal Academy in 1876 andtoday is regarded as Earl’s greatestcomposition, showing a group ofwealthy travellers departing fromKings Cross Station for Scotlandand the start of the grouseshooting season (the ‘Glorious12th’). ‘Going North’ has nowcome back from ‘going east’,having returned from China at theend of 2013.

The GMMG are keen to showcaseartworks and other importantobjects from collections in theregion to the whole world via theweb. Our Connected History on theGMMG website has recentlylaunched and features images andtext of 400 objects and art worksfrom key collections. This selectionincludes 50 fantastic items from theMuseum of Wigan Life andTrencherfield Mill. As well as highquality photographs andinformation, visitors can accessvideos of artists, local historians andmuseum curators providing a behindthe scenes insight into thecollections. Wigan and Leigh’sfootage includes Local StudiesOfficer Hannah Turner discussing the1839 pike reputedly confiscatedafter the ‘Leigh Feight’ - a clashbetween Chartists and theauthorities in King Street. The greatsteam engine at Trencherfield Mill isalso captured on film on the websiteand with background informationabout it.

Artworks in the borough’s top 50objects include the famous paintingof Sir Roger and Lady Bradshaigh(1746) in front of Haigh Hall by

Edward Haytley. More recent worksinclude J. L. Isherwood’s portrait ofhis friend and fellow painter L. S.Lowry (1971) and The Wigan Arms(1973), the latter now on display atthe museum. There are bleakindustrial landscapes depicted inTheodore Major’s works includingCrucifixion and Houses in the Snow(1950s). Much loved Wigan artistGerald Rickards is represented withhis Charter Mural, also on display atthe museum.

The Borough’s manufacturinghistory is told through examples ofseventeenth and eighteenth centurypewterware, a long case clock(1710) made by John Burges ofWigan and a pocket watch (1975-1815) by James Coates. Industrialhistory is represented by a WalkerBrothers industrial fan, an Ormerod

THE MUSEUMGETS CONNECTED

Lynda Jackson, Community History Manager

Detatching Hook and a pick axebelonging to a survivor of thePretoria Pit Disaster (1910). Thehistory of Leigh is well representedby a variety of objects, from TheSpinning Jenny tile panel to theAlbion No.5A reaper-binder (farmingmachinery) made by HarrisonMcGregor. The Spinning Jenny wasoriginally on the side of a buildingon the corner of Spinning JennyStreet and King Street. It wasinstalled there in 1911 to mark thecontributions to the textile industryof the Leigh inventor Thomas Highsin the eighteenth century. It isbelieved that Thomas Highs inventedthe Spinning Jenny at a house onKing Street. The tile panel is nowdisplayed inside Leigh Town Hall.

As the First World War centenaryapproaches, the website includesitems from the Borough's wartimeexperience. One example is an

enamel badge given to the childrenof those men fighting on the front.The badges were accompanied by1lb of chocolate, given out onChristmas Eve 1914 and paid forthrough an appeal by the mayor ofWigan, Alderman Grimshaw. There isan example of the famous, PrincessMary's gift box, presented to Britishtroops at Christmas 1914 after anappeal by the 17 year old daughterof King George V and Queen Mary.The reality of war is shown in theprosthetic arm and discharge papersof Robert Marsh who served in themachine gun corps; Marsh lost hisarm, suffered damage to his eye andwas gassed. Also featured online is aPickelhaub helmet from the ImperialGerman Army, thought to be an‘ersatz’ type (1916), and shrapnelfrom the bomb dropped by aGerman zeppelin in an air raid on the area in April 1918. The

shrapnel is engraved by WilliamChivers of Scholes.

On a lighter note there are objectschosen to reflect the everyday life ofthe borough including a railwaysign, musical instrument andCarnival poster. There are stunningitems from the museum’sEgyptology and Roman collections,including a Gold Aureus of Vitelliusfound on Mesnes, part of a samianware bowl, a death mask fromRoman Egypt and an Egyptiangilded coffin face dating from the18th Dynasty. The museum team areexcited that such fabulous treasurescan be seen by a wider audience andhope the website will improveaccess to collections for the peopleof Wigan Borough and beyond.

Visit GMMG athttp://www.gmmg.org.uk/our-connected-history/

The old parish Abram Church and Reverend Scott Abram St John, Concert Party, 1916

Abram Church Heritage DayAbram Parish Church are hosting an open day as part of the nationalHeritage Open Days scheme in September.The church will be open for guided tours, private prayer, refreshments, as well as for family historyenquiries regarding the church’s historic baptisms, marriages and burials, and help finding a grave inthe churchyard.

Come along and have a look inside this beautiful church building on Saturday 13 September 2014,10.00am until 4.00pm, at Abram St John the Evangelist Parish Church, Warrington Road, Abram.

Please contact the church directly for more information.

A poster for the Grand Carnival atCentral Park 9th September 1909

Fragment of a Samian ware bowl featuring Diana the hunting goddess, a hare and charioteer, c. 70-85 AD. Found in the Weind in 1982.

mentioned the subject to us, or without, so far as weknow, consulting a single member of the congregation,we therefore invite the congregation to meet us… toconsider whether it is desirable to make the proposedchange or not’.

John Leyland told the court that ‘a resolution wasunanimously passed condemning Newbold's manner ofintroducing that hymnal as arrogant and offensive’. Thevicar demonstrated his outrage at the next service on 3 November, speaking unevenly and animatedly andonce again considered to be under the influence ofdrink. He spoke of people ‘calling meetings and gettingthe majority, and then going home, lying in bed, andcalling themselves almighty’. He went on to exalthimself in the sermon by such expressions as, ‘the parishpriest, ordained by Jesus Christ himself’.

A witness relayed how upon realising that the reverendwas drunk he wished to leave, but his wife replied, ‘No,let's sit the service out. He'll very likely disgrace himselftonight and then we shall have done with him’. Thishighlights the vicar's reputation in the eyes of hisparishioners; although it had been deteriorating itseems that this occasion decided Reverend Newbold'snew status as persona non grata in the parish. Thenumber of people attending church began to markedlydecline and the churchwardens took their concerns tothe Bishop just three days later.

Several witness told of times that the vicar had notattended their sick relatives, despite their desire andrequests for him to do so. According to ElizabethBleakledge, Newbold had told her at her daughter'sfuneral that he was unable to visit as he had sprainedhis foot – although he was not limping. He said hewould visit her when his foot improved, but later sentword that he would not.

There were also allegations that Newbold had madedisparaging remarks about his church and parishionersand was not averse to threats of violence. According toMr. Higham, a Hindley clothier, the vicar came into hisshop to wish him a happy New Year, but during aconversation about why the witness had stoppedattending All Saints', Newbold said, ‘I don't care a flirt ifno one comes to church’, in a manner ‘not becoming ofa clergyman’. Another shopkeeper told of Newbold'sthreat to a drunk Irishman who wanted to smoke insidehis shop: ‘. . . if you attempt to smoke here I'll kick you’.In both of these situations – as in most of thosewarranting complaint – the vicar was believed to beunder the influence of drink.

Providing a damning testimony to Reverend Newbold'scharacter, John Leyland commented that the vicar'sreputation was affected by reports of being, ‘unduly

intimate with a schoolmistress, and of bringing up hischildren badly’. He said that the Newbold children hadnot gone to school, went about with pipes in theirmouths, went into beerhouses and pulled girls about inthe streets. He also mentioned that ‘…Mrs. Newboldhad once urged him to bring Mr. Newbold's conductbefore the Bishop’, but Leyland, ‘did not wish to bemixed up in the painful matter at all’.

The schoolmistress, known to the court as 'Miss M', wasreferred to by several witnesses regarding a rumoured,clandestine affair which seems to have led to atemporary separation from Mrs. Newbold. Mr. Marsh (a churchwarden and one of the promoters of the trial)spoke of this and also alleged that the vicar seduced agirl who was Newbold's domestic servant in 1868.Another schoolmistress – Jane Inglefield – gave evidenceagainst Reverend Newbold in this respect, citing manyinstances of inappropriate conduct toward her, on oneoccasion being accosted by Newbold on a dark stairwaywhere he tried to kiss her. The vicar often sent notes toMiss Inglefield, inviting her to visit him at the vicarage,which she always declined. On one of these occasionsshe told Newbold that the reason was because of ashopping trip, and he sent her a Melton Mowbray piewith a note and a mocked-up marriage licence; both ofwhich were read out in court. The letter made much ofthe “shopping” trip [his italics], likening her use of thephrase to mean that she was unwilling to visit.

While the defence did a good job of countering themain points of the prosecution, the sheer number ofcredible witnesses and their corroborating evidence wonout – Newbold was suspended from all clerical dutiesfor three years and declared liable for the costs incurredby the proceedings. At the end of this period, he wasrequired to provide references from three clergymenattesting to his ‘good behaviour and morals’; failure todo so would extend his suspension.

John Leyland wrote in his diary on the day of theoutcome, ‘Sorry though I am for the misguided man, Inevertheless rejoice at the sentence, as he has broughtgrievous scandal on the Church of England and onreligion generally’.

Charles Newbold died in May 1878 in Haydock LodgeAsylum, presumably never returning to his duties. Onecan only speculate on the intervening five years, but it ispossible that he suffered a breakdown, fuelled byalcohol or otherwise, and paid the ultimate price for histransgressions.

Sources:Hindley Library Papers [Wigan Archives, Acc. 2012/11/32]John Leyland's diary [Wigan Archives, UD/Hi/E2/3]Ancestry.com

Falling from Grace:Reverend Newbold andhis Hindley Parish

The summer of 1873 saw scandal hit Hindley.Reverend Charles Hutchinson Newbold had been theparish vicar of All Saints since 1863, enjoying a happyand largely uneventful incumbency in this time.However, charges of drunkenness and immoralitybrought against him a decade later would rock thetown and catalyse his journey down a pernicious pathto desolation.

The son of a slave-owner, Reverend Newbold was bornin Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. He studied at St. Aidan'sTheological College in Birkenhead, Merseyside andwhile there Charles married Charlotte ElizabethFennessey, the daughter of an Irish gentleman. Hiscuracy was undertaken at All Saints Church in Wiganand in October 1863 he read himself in at Hindleyparish church.

The charges in question were brought to the Bishop ofChester on 6 November 1872, by the churchwardensof All Saints, prominent Hindley businessmen JohnLeyland and William Marsh. Leyland wrote of theinterview in his diary:

‘We laid before the Bishop several unpleasantdifferences which had arisen between Mr. Newbold and his parishioners,and several irregularities which hadmarked his private life. To me it was a painful and unpleasant duty.’

On 8 July 1873, the case wasreported in the Manchester Examiner & Times. The articles ofimpeachment accused ReverendNewbold of drunkenness whilstperforming the offices of the

church, neglect of his duty to visit the sick, immoraland indecent conduct and conduct unbecoming aclergyman bringing great scandal upon the Church.

There were instances of alleged drunkenness in themonths of January, March, October and November1872. On New Year's Day of that year, the reverendapparently arrived 2 hours late for a burial andwitnesses reported that he appeared to be ‘for'ard indrink’. Later when people began to leave the church,he was overheard exclaiming ‘I don't care a straw forone of them’. Various additional instances of Newbold‘labouring under liquor’ and conducting himselfinappropriately for a man of the cloth were described.Significant among them was the evening of 3 November, when he conducted an eventful servicewhich brought things to a head.

In the week before, the wardens held a meeting calledby a circular: ‘To the congregation of All Saints, Hindley, - Mr. Newbold having announced his intention ofsubstituting 'Hymns Ancient and Modern' for thosenow used in the church, without having once

BY DENISE COLBERT

2726

Burial certificate signed by C. H. Newbold

2928

Bill authorising its construction had includedprovision for it to extend beyond Wigan,possibly to Blackpool, presumably to getaccess to the holiday traffic to the Lancashirecoast. This proposed extension had met withthe approval of Wigan Town Council since itfollowed a route through an undevelopedarea to the north-west of the town centre,described in the report as, ‘crossing WiganLane somewhere at the commencement ofSwinley Road and proceeding across thevacant land to the east of Ryland’s Mill,crossing the L.&N.W, Railway [present WestCoast main line] at a point between the milland Boar’s Head bridge’. However, thisextension was not proceeded with and theParliamentary approval for it lapsed, hencethe need for a new Parliamentary Bill whenthe scheme was again mooted in 1906.

To the dismay of the Town Council theproposed route north in this new Bill wascompletely different from that approvedpreviously and the Parliamentary Committee ofthe Council actioned the Town Clerk andBorough Engineer to produce a confidentialreport on its implications. The new proposalwas that the line should continue from thestation, over Crompton and Greenough streets,through Central Park rugby ground and up theDouglas Valley between the river and WiganLane, where, to quote the report, ‘lies the bestresidential property in the Borough, and thehouses there are of high rateable value and areoccupied by the large business men of thetown, and the carrying out of the scheme inquestion will undoubtedly ruin theneighbourhood in question for residentialpurposes with the probable result that theselarge ratepayers will have to leave the townbefore being able to find satisfactoryaccommodation’. The report describes in detailthe effect the line would have on the variousproperties along its route, with theirpretentious names and large gardens lookingdown on to the Douglas valley and the fieldsbeyond. After crossing Coppull Lane it wouldpass close to ‘The Hermitage’, cross LordCrawford’s carriage drive, and then enter acutting through the grounds of ‘The Hollies’

and ‘Mariebonne’, passing close to each of the houses. It would then cross Leyland MillLane and proceed through the gardens andgrounds of ‘Woodfield’, ‘Southworth House’,‘Sicklefield’ and ‘The Larches’ to the boundaryof the Borough. To add insult to injury it was also proposed to build a branch line,crossing Wigan Lane in the vicinity ofGreenhill, to the Gidlow pits of the Wigan Coal & Iron Company.

The authors of the report pointed out thatwhist new railways brought undoubtedbenefits to the town, in this particular case,the question had to be asked, were thesebeing bought at too great a sacrifice – werethey worth the loss of the rateable value of the wealthiest residential district and itsresidents, many of the most influentialindividuals in the town? They recommendedthat the Corporation should oppose thepresent Bill on the grounds that ‘the Companyhad not adopted the best route’ but if theCompany were prepared to go back to theroute proposed in the previous 1870s Bill thiswould have their support.

What action the Corporation took as a resultof this report is not known, but after havingits second reading in the House of Commons,the Bill was withdrawn and the line wasnever built. Wigan Central Station remainedthe terminus of a minor branch line, doing auseful job, particularly during the SecondWorld War, transporting Wigan workers toand from Risley, Cadishead and Irlam. Duringthe 1950s it went into decline and DrBeeching deemed it to be uneconomic andhis axe finally fell in 1968.

However, that might not be the end of thestory. The recently published route of the HS2shows that at its northern end, where it joinsthe west coast main line, the proposed routefollows the course of the old Great Centralline from Glazebrook, through Culcheth toLowton St Mary’s. It then follows the branchof the old Great Cental to St Helens to thepoint where it mees the main north-southline at Bamfurlong.

The longer I work as a volunteer at theWigan Archives the more evidence I see tosupport the old adage – ‘history repeatsitself’. Time and again one sees olddocuments and reports of long forgottenevents and happenings that are echoed inmodern day situations and behaviour. Mostpeople would regard ‘NIMBY-ism’ [Not In MyBack Yard] as a modern phenomenon but Irecently came across evidence of its existencein Wigan over a hundred years ago.

The document in question was a report,produced in 1906 by the Town Clerk andBorough Engineer, advising on what attitudethe Town Council should take towards aParliamentary Bill for the construction of theproposed Wigan and Heysham Railway. Just like the modern HS2 [High SpeedRailway] project, the Bill contained draconian powers to ‘enter upon, take anduse such of the lands delineated in thedeposited plans and described in thedeposited Books of Reference as may berequired for the undertaking’.

In 1906, Wigan was served by three differentrailway companies, the London and NorthWestern Railway (LNWR), the Lancashire andYorkshire Railway (L&YR) and thirdly theGreat Central Railway (GCR), the companyproposing to build the new line. The first twoof these companies were long established inthe town and their stations are still operatingto the same destinations very much as theywere in 1906. The GCR was a relativenewcomer to the town, having openedWigan Central Station in the appropriatelynamed, Station Road (where the GrandArcade now stands) in 1892.

The line to Wigan was a branch from theirmain line from Manchester to Liverpool, viaWarrington. It left that line at Glazebrookand came north through Newchurch andCulcheth to Lowton St Marys where itdivided with one branch going to Wigan, theother to St. Helens. Although the mainintention for the line had been to tap intothe lucrative coal traffic in the Wigan, Leighand St Helens areas, the 1870s Parliamentary

High Speed Railways in Wigan: 1900 Style

By Bill Melling

Postcard showing Wigan Lanelooking north towards Greenhill,with the Wigan coat of arms.

30 31

At the back of Miss Dickinson’s desk – yes, you've guessed – another statue, this one of TheVirgin Mary, but smaller than her saintlycompanions in the main hall and looking in goodhumour with a definite smile on her face. On closerinspection I notice that her nose had been chippedmore than once and repainted probably by Miss D.who in the following weeks I'm convinced can doanything. On her desk there's always a vase shapedjar of Gloy (water based glue) with which sheseems able to make anything from birthday cardsto little paper lanterns at Christmas time. I try topersuade Mam to buy a bottle of Gloy for home soI can show her how to make paper chains and allthe other things Miss D. has demonstrated, butMam says flour and water mixed into a thick pasteis just as good.

‘It's not as good’, I protest, ‘there's a little brush inthe jar at school’.

‘Well you can use the brush from your paintbox’. I realise I'm fighting a losing battle and contentmyself with the thought that when I grow up I willbe able to buy my own.

The morning seems everlasting and I keepwondering how they are coping at home withoutme. I ask Miss Dickinson if it is possible to go hometo make sure everything is as it should be. Sheassures me that all will be well. I'm not totallyhappy with her assurances. My mind is taken awayfrom home by the announcement,Thomas (me), Brian and Martin,your turn at the sandpit, muchmore fun than learning new prayers,which had taken up the majority ofthe morning. Then at last, gracebefore meals and the realisationthat Mam would be waiting at theschool gates.

Mam seems overjoyed to see me. I knew how much she wouldmiss me.

'Have you made some new friends?Is teacher nice?'. The questions goon all the way home. When wearrive, my Auntie Maggie's waiting

to welcome me, 'Here comes the big schoolboy!',she acclaims. We have a nice dinner with morequestioning of course. Then like a bolt from theblue, Mam says, 'Wash your hands and face', timeto go back to school. 'WHAT, twice in a day,' I sigh.After a lot of persuading we make the short walk toschool. I'm not as happy as I was, only a few hoursearlier on my initial journey to St Patrick’s Schoolfor Young Gentlemen, as a sarcastic neighbouralways referred to it. I'm not aware of his sarcasmand thought that was the full title of theestablishment for many a long year. Thankgoodness I never uttered it within the hearing of a teacher.

Grace after meals, the first prayer of the afternoonsession. Prayers completed, Miss Dickinson reads astory and although I can remember almosteverything of that day, I can't recall the contents,but I know I enjoyed it enormously and wonderedfor the rest of my school life why teachers didn'temploy this method of teaching more often. I hope against hope for the call to the sandpit for asecond time; alas, the call never comes. Theafternoon passed much quicker than the morning.Miss Dickinson says, ‘that we've all been very good‘,and she was looking forward to seeing ustomorrow; not if I can help it, I think. On the way through the main hall, I half look up at St Patrick and from that day to this, I'm sure hegave a wry wink.

My first day at St Patrick’s School is etched on mymemory as brightly as the moon on a clear frostyevening. My Mam takes me to the school door – asfar as parents were allowed to go in those days – andI'm not at all nervous. On the contrary, I'm lookingforward to my life as a schoolboy and my Mam hadbeen telling me for several months that I'm a big ladnow and would really enjoy it. New friends, learningto read and I've heard her say to my Aunties, ‘He'sready for school’, he of course being me.

Mam gone, a very large statue of St Patrick gazesdown on me with what I convince myself is adisapproving look, not the hint of a smile. I in mychildlike way try to reason why if our patron saint isin heaven he looks so glum. On the other side of thelarge hall is another statue of The Sacred Heart ofJesus. The expression on his face is only marginallymore friendly. Maybe he's annoyed with St Patrick fornot showing more joy at being in paradise. I soonavert my eyes from the residents of heaven and busymyself with my new class mates, some of whom Iknow from the adjoining streets, but the vastmajority are completely new faces. Several of the newfaces are much taller than me and much like thestatues, don't seem overjoyed at my presence. I startto wonder if this school thing is such a good ideaand I am sure my Mam will be lonely and missing meterribly. Tears are only held back by the fear that if Iallow them to flow, I will be called a softie or worsestill a sissy.

The atmosphere of the hall changes noticeably on thearrival of the Head Teacher, Miss Egan, whom I knowby sight from seeing her at Mass on Sundays. She iswelcoming and seems very pleased with her newcharges. Miss Egan tells us that we are fortunate tobe coming to the best school in Wigan and we oughtalways to remember that – both in and outsideschool. Miss Egan then introduces us to our class

teacher, Miss Dickinson, who is at least seven foottall. She has a very friendly countenance and I thinklooks a lot like my Mam.

Everyone is delighted with her pleasant manner, nonemore than me. I'm sure she'll be particularly nice tome because of her striking resemblance to my Mam.As we make our way to the babies class – the firstclass was always referred thus – passing theaforementioned statue of St Patrick, I give a sidewaysglance at the saint. He seems to have the hint of asmile; no more than a hint, mind you. Statues, Iought to explain, are a feature of most RomanCatholic Schools, not of course to be worshipped assome people imagine but as a reminder of the saintto whom we may direct our prayers, asking for theirintercession, perhaps as one might look at aphotograph.

On reaching the classroom the first thing I notice isthe very large fireplace and the equally large fireguard. After that my eyes dance round theclassroom, little green chairs and desks, displays allover the walls and my eyes alight on a sandpit withbuckets and spades.

By Tom Walsh

My First Dayat SchoolSt Patrick's, 1949

Schooldays: Tom Walsh

Class group at St Patrick's School, 1947

3332

Aspull and Haigh Historical Society

Meetings are held on the second Thursday of the monthat Our Lady’s RC Church Hall,Haigh Road, Aspull at 7.30pm.

All are welcome, contactBarbara Rhodes for furtherdetails on 01942 222769.

Atherton Heritage Society

Monthly meetings held onsecond Tuesday of each monthin St Richard’s Parish Centre,Mayfield Street, Atherton at7.30pm.

Admission – Members, £1.00,Non Members, £2.00, includingrefreshments.

8 April‘The Hultons of Hulton’, Part 2,Speaker – Mrs MaureenGilbertson.

13 May‘The Pretoria Pit Disaster’,Speaker – Mr Alan Davies.

10 June‘The Origin of Place Names’,Speaker – Mr Peter Watson.

Contact Details: MargaretHodge, 01942 884893.

Billinge History andHeritage Society

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at Billinge Chapel End LabourClub at 7.30pm. There is a doorcharge of £2.

Please contact Geoff Crank formore information on 01695624411 or atGcrank_2000@yahoo.co.uk

Hindley & DistrictHistory Society

Meetings are held on the secondMonday of the month at 7.00pmat Tudor House, Liverpool Road,Hindley. Please contact Mrs JoanTopping on 01942 257361 forinformation.

Leigh & DistrictAntiques andCollectables Society

The society meets at Leigh RUFC,Beech Walk, Leigh. Newmembers are always welcomeand further details availablefrom Mr C Gaskell on 01942673521.

Leigh Family HistorySociety

15 AprilAbandon Hope – Life in theWorkhouse – Peter Watson.

20 MayCatholic Ancestry – Allan Mitchinson.

June & JulyNo meeting.

19 AugustGetting Started.

Local History Federation Lancashire

The Federation holds severalmeetings each year, with avaried and interestingprogramme. For details visit

www.lancashirehistory.org orcall 01204 707885.

Skelmersdale &Upholland Family History Society

Meetings held at 7.30pm on thefourth Tuesday each month atHall Green Community Centre,Upholland. There are nomeetings in July or August.For more information contactSue Hesketh (Secretary) 01942212940 or Suehesketh@blueyonder.co.uk or visitwww.liverpoolgenealogy.org.uk/SkemGrp/Skem

Wigan Civic Trust

If you have an interest in thestandard of planning andarchitecture, and theconservation of buildings andstructures in our historic town,come along and meet us.

Meetings are held on the secondMonday of the month at7.30pm. The venue is StGeorge’s Church, Water Street,Wigan WN1 1XD. Contact Mr AGrimshaw on 01942 245777 forfurther information.

Wigan Archaeological Society

We meet on the first Wednesdayof the month, at 7.30pm, in theStandish Suite at the BrocketArms on Mesnes Road - on thefirst Wednesday of the month(except January and August).There is a car park adjacent onthe left. Admission is £2 formembers and £3 for guests. For more information call BillAldridge on 01257 402342.

SOCIETY NEWS YOUR LETTERS - CAN YOU HELP

Dear Editor

I wonder if you could help us. The Labour Party hasa long history in Wigan, but very few records areavailable or seem to be in existence.

I would be grateful if anyone who has in theirpossession any documents, minutes or memorabiliaregarding the Labour Party would contact me. My name is Sheila Ramsdale and I am Chairpersonof Wigan Constituency Labour Party. My telephonenumber is 01942 244309.

We are trying to collect as much information aspossible so that the records can be placed in theArchives for anyone interested in researching thesubject in the future.

Yours sincerely,

Sheila Ramsdale

Dear Editor

Patrick Brennan was married to Winifred Regan on11 October 1921 at the Church of St Oswald,Ashton in Makerfield. The Brennan Family hadcome to the Wigan area, from Ireland, at the endof the nineteenth century. As a descendant of thisfamily I am aware that, over time, links betweenmembers have faded away. I am hoping to traceother descendants of this line of my family.

As background, I would mention that PatrickBrennan was an uncle of my mother, born asCatherine Towey at Ishlaun, Ballaghadereen, CountyRoscommon. Also, I have come across the familystory that a group of relatives, from Wigan,attended the funeral of Ann Carroll in 1991. Thisfuneral was held in the Stretford area of SouthManchester. Ann Carroll herself was also a niece ofPatrick Brennan. I was not aware of the funeral atthat time and I have found no record of the detailsof those who attended. Thus I would reallyappreciate help in tracing other family members,for instance cousins who may still be living in theWigan area.

I can be contacted through the Editor of Past Forward or at 85 Berwick Crescent, Sidcup,Greater London DA15 8HU.

Bernard Catallo

Dear Editor

I have been working for some time on a project for Bedford High School (formerly Leigh BoysGrammar School) to find out some of the personal histories of the old boys who died in theFirst and Second World Wars. The two memorialplaques are sited at the main entrance of the Upper School.

Whilst the project is well advanced, I would be pleased to hear from anyone who has anydetails of any of the old boys listed in order toverify my research.

If you have any information on old boys of theschool who served in the conflicts, please contactme through Past Forward at pastforward@wlct.org

With thanks,

John Medling

A Family HistoryResearch Service

A friendly, personal and professional service.No search too big or too small.

Find the name of a great - grandparent?Find a birth, marriage, or death certificate.

Find a Census Record.Solve that family mystery?

Have a real problem that needs unblocking?Compile your whole family tree.

Get in Touch!Ring 07701 020218

or email info@knowyourancestry.co.uk

3534

PURRING – SPORT OF THE PEOPLE EXHIBITION

Saturday 18 January 2014 - Saturday 26 April 2014 Museum of Wigan Life FREE

Be the first to see our newexhibition about the mysteriouslocal sport of clog fighting orPurrin’. View artist Anna FC Smith’sspecially commissioned drawingsand films revealing the rules,fighters and locations behind thishidden ‘sport of the people’.

The museum is hosting a range ofspecial creative events as part of theexhibition programme. Why not trysomething different and get thosecreative juices flowing?

No previous experience required!

ART MASTERCLASS

3 April 2014, 1pm - 3pmMuseum of Wigan Life£2.50 including tea/coffeePlaces are limited so please book on01942 828128

A chance to meet the artist andguest curator behind our newexhibition. Anna FC Smith will beleading a special workshopdiscussing her findings which havemade this show, and demonstratinghow she created her ink drawingson display. This is a hands onworkshop so be prepared to getinvolved! To celebrate Purring –Sport of the People exhibition.

PALAEOGRAPHY PRACTICE

7 April 2014, 2.00pm - 3.30pmMuseum of Wigan Life FREE

Medieval to Modern Handwritingfor Experts

Informal drop-in sessions for thosewith a basic understanding ofpalaeography styles over the ages,transcribing original documentsfrom the archives in a group.

BUNNIES AND BONNETS

8, 10, 15 & 17 April 2014, 1pm - 2.30pmMuseum of Wigan Life£2.50 per child

Places are limited so please book on01942 828128.

Come along for some egg-cellentEaster fun at the museum. Make abonnet or bunny ears and createyour own springtime masterpiece totake home.

COFFEE CAKE & CULTURE - GOING OUT

11 April 2014 10.30am - 12 noonMuseum Of Wigan Life £3 per personPlaces are limited so please book on01942 828128

Have you danced at the EmpressBallroom in Wigan or did you go tothe Country Playhouse to catch afilm? How did we entertainourselves?

CARRY ON CLEANING @ WIGAN ARCHIVES

30 April 30 2014, 10.00am - 3.00pmWigan Archives Service, Leigh Town Hall FREE

If you've ever wondered how wepreserve historic records, comealong to Wigan Archives to join inwith our ongoing project to cleanand document the records ofWigan's Victorian courts. Join ourteam of volunteers in revealing thestories of crime and punishment inWigan and learn how to helppreserve the Borough's history.

WIGAN MUSIC EXHIBITION

Saturday 3rd May 2014 - Saturday29th August 2014 FREEMuseum of Wigan Life

Be the first to view our newexhibition exploring the rich soundsof Wigan Borough. Northern Soul,brass bands, jazz, choirs and pop –our Borough has it all! Do youremember Wigan Casino? Did youknow that the Beatles played inLeigh? Find out more about this and local talents like George Formby,the Beat Boys, Georgie Fame andthe Verve.

BANK HOLIDAY HERITAGE DAY

Heritage 5 May 2014, 11.00am - 5.00pmTrencherfield Mill Steam Engine,Wigan Pier Quarter, Wigan WN3 4EF.Some activities will incur a small charge. 01942 828128

Wigan’s Trencherfield Mill will host abumper Bank Holiday Heritage Dayon Monday 5 May. Classic cars,traction engines, funfair rides, canaltrips, vintage attractions, craftsactivities and street theatre providedby the award winning drama schoolALRA. This will ensure an actionpacked programme for all the family. Refreshments available at theRed Pepper Café in the WiganInvestment Centre.

ALL PARKING (FREE) WILL BEAVAILABLE AT THE WIGANINVESTMENT CENTRE WN3 5BA.

MUSEUMS AT NIGHT

16 May 2014, 6.00pm - 8.30pmTrencherfield Mill Steam Engine,Wigan Pier Quarter, Wigan WN3 4EF.Tickets £2 per child, bookingessential on 01942 828 128.

Join us for a truly monstrousMuseums at Night experience! We will start with an out-of-hourstour of the mill, to see the giantTrencherfield steam engine, followedby some rank rhymes and terrifyingtales (well, not too terrifying…)

If you are still not ready to run, wewill then share what makes us shiver,and create our very own Mutant MillMonster out of whatever we canfind. We are all working together onthis (including the adults!) and bythe time our fearsome friend isfinished, we will have written apoem about him, too. Then, whenwe all think it couldn’t get more grisly, we will sit down andlisten to award winning children’sauthor Guy Bass, who will tell us allabout his marvellous monstermasterpieces and his brand newbook, The Legend of Frog. All thisand you can still be safe in bed by9.00pm, as long as there isn’t amonster hiding under it…

COFFEE, CAKE & CULTURE - SPARE THE ROD EXPERIENCE

20 May 2014, 10.30am - 12 noonMuseum Of Wigan Life £3 per personPlaces are limited so please book on01942 828128

Love it or hate it, we all went toschool. Did you enjoy your schooldays and is it true children were seenand not heard? An interactiveworkshop not for the faint hearted!

MAKING A RACKET!

27 & 29 May 2014, 1pm - 2.30pmMuseum of Wigan Life£2.50 per childPlaces are limited so please book on01942 828128

Come down and make some noisewith our half term activities inspiredby George Formby. Music and craftfor children of all ages.

CARRY ON CLEANING @ WIGAN ARCHIVES

28 May 2014, 10.00am - 3.00pmWigan Archives Service, Leigh Town Hall FREE

If you've ever wondered how wepreserve historic records, come alongto Wigan Archives to join in with ourongoing project to clean anddocument the records of Wigan'sVictorian courts. Join our team ofvolunteers in revealing the stories ofcrime and punishment in Wigan andlearn how to help preserve theBorough's history.

PALAEOGRAPHY PRACTICE

Medieval to Modern Handwriting forExperts2 June 2014, 2:00pm - 3:30pmMuseum of Wigan Life FREE

Informal drop-in sessions for thosewith a basic understanding ofpalaeography styles over the ages,transcribing original documents fromthe archives in a group.

CARRY ON CLEANING @ WIGAN ARCHIVES

25 June 2014, 10.00am - 3.00pmWigan Archives Service, Leigh Town Hall FREE

If you've ever wondered how wepreserve historic records, come alongto Wigan Archives to join in with ourongoing project to clean anddocument the records of Wigan'sVictorian courts. Join our team ofvolunteers in revealing the stories ofcrime and punishment in Wigan andlearn how to help preserve theBorough's history.

2014 FOOTBALL WORLD CUP

Museum of Wigan LifeCome and celebrate the 2014 FootballWorld Cup at the Museum of WiganLife. Get in the spirit as the matcheskick off in Brazil during June and July.Further details coming soon.

MEET THE ROMANS AND ANCIENTEGYPTIANS

Tuesday and Thursday 29th, 31st July, 5th, 7th, 12th, 14th, 19th,21st AugustMuseum of Wigan Life£2.50 per child

Calling all budding archaeologists!Look out for a summer of exploringwith the Romans and AncientEgyptians. Be inspired by realtreasures from the past and try someactivities inspired by our collections.

Free drop-in activities availableeveryday over the summer socome along and get stuck in!Plenty to keep all ages busy.

MUSEUMS, ARCHIVES & LOCAL STUDIES EVENTS

What’s On at the Museum of Wigan LifePlease note that booking is essential for all events unless otherwise stated. Places arelimited so book early to avoid disappointment by calling 01942 828128 or emailmuseumofwiganlifebookings@wlct.org. Remember we are always adding more events soplease visit http://www.wlct.org/wigan/museums-archives/ for further details.

How to Find Us

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Museum of Wigan LifeLibrary Street, Wigan WN1 1NUTelephone 01942 828128heritage@wlct.org

Leigh Local HistoryLeigh Library, Turnpike Centre, Civic Square, Leigh WN7 1EB

Telephone 01942 404559h.turner@wlct.org

ArchivesLeigh Town Hall, Leigh WN7 1DY

Telephone 01942 404430a.miller@wlct.org

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Trencherfield Mill EngineWigan Pier Quarter, Heritage Way, Wigan WN3 4EFTelephone 01942 828128b.rowley@wlct.org