1907-1911, Samuel Wood, Mayor of Wigan

SAMUEL WOOD

Mayor of Wigan (4 consecutive terms) Nov 1907 – Nov 1911

Samuel Wood (or Sam as he preferred) was born 19th April, 1872 and baptised 5th May, 1972 at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Standishgate.

His parents were William Wood and Alice (nee Schofield), married at Wigan Register Office in September 1856. Sam’s father William was a contractor who worked in the mining industry, the family home was 128 Scholes. Sam had a brother Joseph who was thirteen years older than him and a sister Elizabeth who was ten years his senior.

Sam was educated at the Wesleyan day School in Standishgate

His brother Joseph is recorded in the 1881 census return as being an Accountant by profession, he had a business in King Street where Sam when he left school aged between12 and 13 began working as an office boy. This would have been around the time their sister Elizabeth died; she was just 23 years old.

At the time of the 1891 census Sam then aged 18 is recorded as a clerk, but by the time of his marriage four and a half years later his profession is given as an accountant. Sam had developed an interest in music and became church organist at Abram Parish Church in 1892

Aged 23 Sam married at St Thomas Church, Wigan, 15th October 1895, his bride Louisa Morris age 22 the daughter of William Morris who was a retired brewer originally from Weymouth Dorset where Louisa had been born. Interestingly one of the witnesses who signed the entry in the parish record was Daniel Dix, he was at the time Mayor of Wigan, obviously a social contact and possibly an indication of the possible inspiration for Sam’s developing interest in local affairs?

Sam’s brother Joseph had by this time emigrated to America following which Sam stepped into his shoes and continued to run the accountancy business. In July of 1896 Sam was appointed by the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York as manager for the Wigan district, this role later expanded to include also the Bolton and Southport districts.

On two occasions In November 1898 Sam stood as a candidate for a seat on the Town Council, both attempts were unsuccessful. He stood once again the following year and was elected as representative for the Lindsay Ward following which he played a very active role on several committees and initiated various changes and reforms.

He has been credited as being instrumental in the decision to extend the town’s tram system to include Aspull. He has also been credited as being responsible for the creation of a superannuation scheme for Corporation employees. He was a Governor of the Mining and Technical College and pressed for the introduction of free evening school scholarships.

At the time of the 1901 Census, Sam and his wife Louisa had two sons and a daughter, they were living in Monument Cottage, Wigan Lane.

Sam was appointed a borough magistrate in 1905; he was at the time the youngest man ever to have been placed on the Commission for Peace for the town.

Later in November of that year, following the election of Hugh Ross as Mayor of Wigan, Sam served as his deputy mayor.

In 1906 Sam became district manager for the Car and General Insurance Corporation Ltd. This role covered a larger geographical area than his previous position and his office base was Manchester, thus involving daily travel from Wigan.

The San Francisco Earthquake disaster took place on 18th April 1906 and lasted several days, about 3000 people died, it is reported that Sam’s brother Joseph was one of the victims.

Two years after his term of serving as deputy mayor, in November 1907 Sam was himself nominated for and elected to serve as Mayor of Wigan an honour which would be repeated subsequently for the following three years.

Sam in his post election speech commented upon the various charitable events and entertainments with which predecessors had been involved, he apologised in advance as he felt that family and business commitments would restrict his ability to follow their example.

At a special meeting of the Council 6th October 1908, Sam nominated Andrew Carnegie the great Scottish American philanthropist for admission as Honorary Freeman of the County Borough of Wigan, this was seconded and passed.

Dr. Carnegie travelled to Wigan for the ceremony which took place in the Wigan & District Mining and Technical College in Library Street on 29th September 1909.

This renowned benefactor had over the years made several donations to local causes such as Pemberton and Ashton Libraries, he had provided funds for an organ at St. Thomas church, where Sam was by this time the organist. He had also made a significant contribution to the relief fund following the Maypole Pit disaster of August 1908 which had claimed the lives of seventy five miners. Their shared interest in music had helped fuel the acquaintanceship and also led to the Mayor and Mayoress receiving an invitation to visit Skibo Castle the Scottish home of Dr. Carnegie.

During their visit Sam took interest in a carved inscription which he had seen in the library:-

The man that cannot reason is a fool.

That will not – a bigot.

That dare not – a slave.

Dr. Carnegie explained the background to this was, that as a young subordinate railway worker in one of the American States he became aware of some proposed changes, about which he wrote a letter to a local newspaper using a nom-de plume.

The letter came to the notice of the man who was the manager of his section; who contacted the editor of the newspaper, to request that arrangements be made for the unknown writer of the letter to dine with him one evening.

The manager was astonished when Carnegie presented himself as they knew each other well. He however complimented him, and the evening went well. The manager, like Carnegie was very fond of books. Above the mantelpiece in the manager’s library was the above inscription. Carnegie told him that one day he would have a library and when he did he would have that motto in it.

On 2nd April 1910 the Wigan Observer carried a reported referring to an illness that Sam had been suffering for a week or two this had resulted in him travelling to Rushholme, Manchester for surgery, it was successful and he made a good recovery.

Sam’s busy business and civic life continued, a report in the Wigan Observer 8th April 1911 sets out a typical two day schedule juggling 3 or 4 hours per day attending to business in Manchester with 6 or 7 Civic commitments daily each within the Wigan Borough. Alderman Sam Wood completed his last Mayoral term in November 1911, maintaining both civic and business commitments.

Early in 1913 he was offered and accepted the role of agency manager for the whole of Great Britain for the Car and General Insurance Corporation Ltd. This required him to take up residence in London, a process which the family undertook, they had left Wigan only weeks prior to Sam suddenly developing appendicitis, he was operated upon, but died of septic peritonitis just hours later on 20th July 1913, he was 41 years old.

The funeral ceremony took place at St Thomas’s church where he had been married and been part of the choir and organist for some time previous. Amongst the condolences, was a telegram from Andrew Carnegie expressing deep sympathy with Sam’s wife Louisa and family.

The interment was at Wigan Cemetery.

Sources

Ancestry 1861 English census

Lancashire on Line Parish Cerks

Wigan Cemetery Index

Ancestry 1871 English census

Baptismal Records Wigan Wesleyan Chapel

Ancestry 1881 English census

Ancestry 1891 English census

Wigan Parish Records St Thomas Church

Ancestry 1901 English census

Ancestry 1911 English census

Wigan Examiner 6th Jan 1906

Wigan Observer12th November 1907

Wigan Observer13th November 1907

Wigan Observer7th November 1908

Wigan Observer21st November 1908

Wigan Observer 2nd April 1910

Wigan Observer 8th April 1911

Wigan Observer 26th July 1913

Ancestry England & Wales Free BMD Death Index 1837-1915

Ancestry England & Wales National Probate Calendar 1858-1966

The Mayor of Wigan (AldermanS. Wood, J.P.) by James Fairhurst

Andrew Carnegie in Wigan 29/5/09 by J. Fairhurst, November, 1988

Vic Rawlinson