1919-1920, William Grundy, Mayor of Leigh.

1919-1920, William Grundy, Mayor of Leigh.

William Grundy was born in April 1876 to a deeply religious mother. He was known as a man of steady character, deep convictions but who could be also very quiet and deep in his thoughts.

He attended the Westleigh Wesleyan School. At the age of just ten years old he began work at the cotton mill of J & J Hayes. Three years later, William left school and went to work at Victoria Mills where he found full employment but he continued his education by attending evening classes in the Church Street.

At 18 years old he had the than quite unique distinction of being one of the first pupils to secure a City Guild first-class honours in cotton spinning. After which he began studying at Technical School classes with great success in subjects such as mathematics and machine construction. He continued his work in the cotton industry but he left J & J. Hayes in favour of Tunnicliffe & Hampson.

William was a deeply religious man so he started work as a Sunday school teacher and became superintendent and teacher of a young men’s class. 

In 1908 due to his natural flair for public speaking and his knowledge of the Labour Party, he formed The Leigh branch of the Labour Party, and in the November elections of the very same year he contested St Paul’s Ward defeating his opponent Joseph Kenyon by two votes.

1910 was the year he was appointed a Justice of the Peace and nine years after he was chosen as the first ever Labour Mayor and 12 months after that he became the first Labour Alderman.

In 1911 William won another election against his opponent John Hodgkiss with majority increase over 240 votes.

As his term in the office of Mayor he obtained funds for the purchase of the then up-to-date ambulance.

His interests whilst serving on the council for 40 years were for gas, water and better education. He became a chairman of the gas and water committee before the nationalization. He was also a supporter of several innovations such as the formation of school clinics and an art gallery and museum for the borough. William was president of the local Labour Party at that time. 

In 1913 he was associated with the Wesleyan Methodist movement and became a lay preacher with his services being in high demand not just in Leigh but throughout the whole of Lancashire and Yorkshire. In later years he appointed a trustee of both the Westleigh Wesleyan Chapel and The Avenue Independent Methodist Church. 

In May 1938 William was presented to King George VI and wife Queen Elizabeth on their visit to Leigh and in 1939 he became the chair of the Education Committee which he served on until May 1949. He served regularly on the General Purposes, Library, Water, Housing, Health, Transport, Highways Rating, Finance, Estate and Parliamentary Committee. He also served on the Education Divisional Executive and the Lancashire Education Committee and was a governor of both the Boys’ and Girls’ Grammar Schools and trustee of the France and Speakman charities.

In November 1949 he passed away at the age of 73 and interred at Leigh Cemetery. The memorial service took place at the church William was a member of, the Avenue Independent Methodist Church.

By Simon Williamson

Biographical cuttings – William Grundy, Leigh Local Studies