1866 THOMAS HEALD (1828-1899)
Thomas Heald was baptised on 16 November 1828 at St Laurence, Chorley. His parents were Hugh, a shopkeeper, and Alice. In 1841 the family was living in Lyons Lane, and there were 10 children at home.
By 1851 Thomas was a lodger in Hope Street, Wigan and was an articled clerk to the solicitors Woodcock, Part & Scott.
He married Helen Claypole on 3 February 1858, and by that time was a qualified solicitor. They had moved to Greenfield House in Billinge by 1851; the address of his practice at the time of his death in 1899 was Market Street.
He was first elected as mayor in 1866, having previously served as chairman of the Watch Committee. This was clearly a time of great changes to (what we might term) the infrastructure of the town: on accepting his election[1] he said,
The waterworks, the paving and sewering of the streets, the new gaol – and all similar works will, I trust, be brought to a satisfactory conclusion before the expiration of my year of office.
On 22 October 1867 a silver cradle was presented to Mrs Heald, in celebration of the birth of their son and in appreciation for the mayor’s service to the town.[2] The model cradle was intended as a table centrepiece. It stood on a pedestal and was extremely elaborate; the cost of over £158 was raised by subscription. The gift was a revival of an older practice of marking the birth of a son to the mayor. The presentation took place at the family home, Greenfield House, in Billinge[3]. The pedestal of the cradle carried two inscriptions:
Presented by the borough member, the Corporation, magistrates, tradesmen, and corporate officials of Wigan, to Helen, wife of the worshipful Thomas Heald, Mayor, to commemorate the accession to his family by the birth of his son, Reginald Mayor, on the 7th June 1867; and the opportunity is taken of hereon recording the universal approbation of his worship’s excellent discharge of the duties of his official position.
Christened at All Saints’ Church, Wigan, by the Hon. and Rev. G. T. O. Bridgeman, M.A., Rector of Wigan, 8th day of August 1867. – Rev. A. Hume, L. L. D., and J. H. P. Leresche, barrister-at-law, Godfathers, Mary Bolderson, Godmother. – Thomas Knowles, chairman; R. A. ffarington, treasurer; William Atkinson and William Hardy, secretaries.
In 1868 Thomas was elected mayor for the third time. His son, John Claypole Heald, became a partner in the newly-renamed practice of Heald & Son.
His mayoral year coincided with turbulent times in the town[4].
After his term of office as mayor, in 1871 he was appointed as a justice of the peace, a position which continued until his death. During his retirement he tended to his farm in Billinge.
Thomas Heald was one of the last men to act as a commissioner for taking acknowledgements from married women.[5] Under the 1833 Fines and Recoveries Act, when property within a marriage was to be sold, a woman had to appear before a commissioner to certify that she was not being forced to accept the sale. The need for commissioners was ended with the Married Women’s Property Act 1882.
Thomas died at his home on 14 February 1899. His funeral service at Wrightington parish church, although described as ‘of a very quiet and private nature’[6] was attended not only by family members but by representatives of the council and Wigan infirmary, and four of his employees acted as pallbearers.
[1] Wigan Observer 10 November 1866, p.8a
[2] WO 25 October 1867 carries a lengthy description of the event.
[3] There is extensive information about Greenfield House, including its later use as a Catholic school and orphanage on Flickr https://tinyurl.com/maffmt89 (The Makerfield Archive.)
[4] WO 18 February 1899
[5] WO 18 February 1899. Essex Record Office has an extensive article about Commissioners of Acknowledgement https://tinyurl.com/2rk5rwvz
[6] WO 22 February 1899