1922 JAMES MARTLAND AINSCOUGH (1854-1937)
James was born on 25 February 1854 in Standish, the son of James Ainscough, a retired farmer, and Sarah (née Martland). He attended the infant school in Rectory Lane, and then the grammar school until the age of 15. He was a member of St Wilfrid’s church choir.
In 1869 he was apprenticed to the draper John Pendlebury in Standishgate.
The 1871 census shows him living at 1 Market Place, Standish. By then Pendlebury had moved his drapery businesses from 7 Standishgate to Crawford House. In 1882 he entered into partnership with John Pendlebury.
On 6 October 1885 he married Mary Halton at St Wilfrid’s, Standish. Their son, Thomas Martland Ainscough (later knighted), was born in 1886.
In 1889 the firm was renamed Pendlebury and Ainscough Ltd. John Pendlebury died in December that year and James was then appointed Chairman and Managing Director of the firm.
The 1891 census records his address as 109 Back Crawford House, Wigan. He was widowed, and was living with Thomas, aged 4, and a servant, Sarah Betts.
Two years later he was living in Prospect House in Standish. He was elected People’s Warden, and represented the parish at the Manchester diocesan conference.
His second marriage took place on 4 August 1894 in Chorlton. His wife was Jane Lancaster, the daughter of Thomas Lancaster of Park Villa, Fulwood. Their son, James Percy, was born on 6 December 1896.
In 1900 he became a magistrate
Another son, John Martland, was born in 1906, but Jane died the next year.
His third wife was Margaret Almond, whom he married in 1908. Margaret was the daughter of J B Almond of Standish Hall. The following year their daughter Mary Margaret was born.
The electoral register of 1910 gives the family’s address as 1 Trafalgar Villas, Wigan Road, Standish. This was a temporary home: the family had moved out of Prospect House whilst renovations to the 1793 house were carried out, but it was destroyed by fire in 1908. The fire destroyed his extensive library containing books about local history.
In 1911 the family’s address was Lindley Mount, Parbold, and James was described as a draper and house furnisher. As well as his wife Margaret, the other residents were his sons Percy and John.
The couple welcomed twins Isabel and Dorothy in 1912, but Isabel died the following year. In 1913 their son William Almond born, but died aged 2 months.
In 1918, James was elected to Wigan council for St George’s ward, as a Conservative.
James was elected mayor in 1922. He remained an honorary member of the Library Committee after his mayoral term ended. During his mayoralty the Elms Estate was purchased for the borough, to improve the northern approach to the town. He was chairman of the War Memorial Fund committee, which raised £4400 by subscription. The committee asked Sir Giles Gilbert Scott to design it, and it was unveiled in 1925.
In 1924 Ainscough retired from the active management of the drapery company, but retained his position as chairman.
In 1927 Rev T C Porteus published The history of the parish of Standish. James Ainscough was a friend of Porteus, and had assisted him with the book.
‘James held a lifelong interest in education, local history, Standish parish church, and was a keen antiquarian, taking a great interest in the Standish family and its hall’.[i]
James Ainscough collaborated with Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect of Wigan’s war memorial and of Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral, to devise the Market Place improvement scheme for the area around St Wilfrid’s church.
James died on 8 January 1937. There was a service at St Wilfrid’s church, followed by cremation at Anfield.
From an article in the Wigan Observer on 9 January 1937:
A further account of his life (Wigan Observer 16 January 1937) gave additional information:
Further public interests included:
Probate was granted on 2 April 1937. The estate, valued at £67,286 1s, was granted to the Public Trustee and his widow Margaret.
His son, Sir Thomas Martland Ainscough OBE FRGS, became the government’s senior trade commissioner in India and Ceylon.
[i] All’s well that ends well: the story of Standish well and the arrival of piped water in the township, by John O’Neill. Past Forward number 80, p.14, December 2018. Some of the information about James Ainscough is taken from this article.
Other sources include extensive contemporary articles in the Wigan Observer. Wigan Buildings Preservation Trust has digitised the collection of memorabilia belonging to Anne Hurst, James Martland Ainscough’s granddaughter The Anne Hurst Collection - Wigan Building Preservation Trust.