John Moore
Chairman of Aspull Urban District Council 1944/45, 1950/51, 1957/58, 1965/66
Elected Chair 20/04/1944
Elected Chair 22/05/1950
Elected Chair 24/05/1957
Elected Chair 20/05/1965
b 1894 Adlington
Parents: Joseph Moore, miner, and Margaret (Formerly Threlfall)
m 1915 in Aspull to Annie Morris
children: Two sons and three daughters, two girls died in infancy.
d 1975 Aspull, Annie died in 1983, both or buried in St David’s Churchyard, Haigh.
John Moore’s parents, Joseph, a coal miner, and Margaret were both born in Aspull but were living in Adlington, Chorley, when John was born in 1894. The family moved to Abram, near Wigan, before returning to settle in Aspull. Initially they lived in Scot Lane before moving to Haigh Road.
John was the eldest in a family of five boys and three girls, three of his brothers and one sister died in infancy.
John followed his father working in the pit as a coal drawer in 1911, in 1939 he was a shot-firer. For some part of his career he was an official at Blainscough Colliery and later became a trades union official. He retired in the late 1950s.
In 1915 he married Annie Morris at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Haigh Road, Aspull. They lived at 121 Haigh Road where they had three daughters, two of whom died in infancy, and two sons.
Around 1932 John was elected to Aspull Urban District Council, his main interests being to attract industry to Aspull, housing, education and the welfare of schoolchildren. He served on the Division 13 Education Committee of Lancashire County Council and worked strenuously to bring housing and industry to Aspull.
In 1946 he met the President of the Board of Trade at the House of Commons seeking to persuade him to send some industry to Lancashire – he did but not to Aspull.
He was elected Chairman of the Council on four occasions. On his second appointment, in 1950, he expressed the Council’s disappointment that they had not been included as an industrial development area and hoped that, during his term in office, they might be able to substitute moorland for development. He also referred to the state of the schools which were not up to modern standards. After his installation as Chair he treated the Council members to light refreshments and invited them to join him in attending the Civic Sunday service at Our Lady’s Church.
Looking at the semi-rural landscape of Aspull today it might be thought fortunate that the industrial development plan was unsuccessful but it should be remembered that post-war Britain desperately needed industry and housing.
During his third term of office as chairman, in 1957, he was censured by a vote of no confidence after he intervened “unconstitutionally” to solve a problem with the water supply in Aspull. Several meetings had been held to discuss difficulties with the water supply. One afternoon Councillor Moore gave instructions to the council waterman and road surveyor to commence work connecting to the Rural District Council’s watermain from Blackrod. In giving orders to Council workmen he had exceeded his authority and acted contrary to Standing Orders. The work he had instructed to be carried out also went against advice from the Ministry.
Councillor Moore believed that he had done the right thing and acted in good faith to bring additional water into the district. He offered his apologies to the council and officials but insisted that he had acted with the best intentions.
In April 1965 Councillor and Mrs Moore celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. The following month he began his fourth term of office as Chairman, having been a member of the Council for 32 years.
John Moore died in 1975 at 121 Haigh Road. Annie moved to live with her family in Whittle-le-Woods where she died in 1983, both were buried in St David’s Churchyard, Haigh.
Author: Peter Walker
Sources:
Aspull Urban District Council Minutes
Wigan Observer 25 April 1944 p2c (Elected Chairman)
Wigan Observer 27 May 1950 p7g (Elected Chairman)
Wigan Observer 31 May 1957 p6c (Elected Chairman)
Wigan Observer 12 July 1957 p7i (Vote of no confidence)
Wigan Observer 16 April 1965 p17a (Golden wedding anniversary)
Wigan Observer 17 March 1983 p14d
Lancashire Online Parish Clerk
Lancashire BMD
Ancestry.Com (Free at Museum of Wigan Life)
Findmypast.co.uk (Subscription required)