Produced by Wigan Heritage Service Issue No. 58 August - November 2011 Seeds of £1 Change in Wigan YOUR HERITAGE HERItaGE SERVICE Contents Letter from the 3 Heritage Service 4/5 Grandad's Pal Editorial Team 6 Archives News It’s summer once again, although with all the rain, you 7 William Henry Lax could be forgiven for not noticing. 8/9 Who lived in my house In this issue we invite (see page three) all would be local history writers to enter our fantastic competition. Not only are there great prizes, but the winners will be 10/11 The Tragic Story of published in Past FORWARD . Arthur Ward Our new ‘Arts and Heritage Events and Exhibitions Guide July-December’ is 12 Collections Corner now available. It’s packed with interesting and fun things to do at all arts and 13 heritage venues in the borough. A few of our summer family activities are Exhibition: highlighted on page 20 and nearly all of them free. Grandparents bring along What a Picture your grandchildren. If you want more information about any event or activity, 14-15 Sundays at 32 Kendal St please telephone 01942 828128. 16-17 Why keep records? You’ll notice that ‘Probing Pictures’ where we ask readers to help identify photographs in our collection has grown somewhat in this edition. We know that 18-19 Walk the canal in Leigh you appreciate these historic images and we very much need your help to solve the mystery that surrounds them. Please get in touch if you have information. 20 Summer with the Heritage Service Also in this issue the Friends of Wigan Arts and Heritage Service (see page 20) are appealing for new members. This is an excellent organisation and we greatly value 21 Local and the support they give to the Service. Typically, members run events and activities, Family History News undertake research and suggest ideas for projects. If you are enthusiastic about 22/23 A Very Exciting Day our local heritage, why not join? There are some great benefits too! Finally, please do have a lovely summer. 24/25 Memories of a Wigan Lad 26 Book Review: • Articles must be received by the Discovering Coccium Information for copy date if inclusion in the next issue is desired 27 Exhibition Review: Contributors Seeds of Change Submission Guidelines If you would like to submit an article • Electronic submissions are 28/29 The Formby Project for Past FORWARD , please note that: preferred, although handwritten ones will be accepted 30 Society News • Publication is at discretion of 31 Editorial Team • We prefer articles to have a My Best Organ-ised Bride maximum length of 1,000 words 32-33 • The Editorial Team may edit Your Letters your submission • Include photographs or images 34/35 where possible – these can be Probing Pictures • Submissions will remain on file returned if requested until published • Include your name and address – we FRONT COVER • Submissions may be held on file for will not pass on your details publication in a future edition to anyone unless you have given us Giant dragonflies could once be permission to do so found in Wigan. To find out more • Published and rejected submissions visit the ‘Seeds of Change’ will be disposed of, unless you We aim to acknowledge receipt of exhibition. You can read a review request for them to be returned all submissions. of the exhibition on page 27. © The Natural History Museum, London CONTACT DETAILS: [email protected] or The Editor at Past FORWARD , Museum of Wigan Life, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1NU. 2 HERItaGE SERVICE ARTS AND WRITE 1000 WORDS HERITAGE SERVICE NEW WIN £100! RECRUIT Do you have a passion for local history? We welcome new member of Is there a local history topic that you would staff Ruth Darling, who joins love to see featured in Past FORWARD ? us as a part time Exhibition and Display Officer, working alongside Lisa Keys Then why not take part in Wigan Borough (currently on maternity leave). Environment and Heritage Network’s Local Ruth says “After studying archaeology at Glasgow and History Writing Competition? Sheffield Universities, a career in heritage seemed the Prizes obvious choice. I’ve always loved exploring the past. I started my career cataloguing archaeology in First Prize - £100 Second Prize - £75 Third Prize - £50 Wakefield and moved on to running the temporary Criteria exhibition programme at Norton Priory Museum. • Articles must be a maximum of 1000 words. I’m looking forward to putting this experience to good use bringing the borough’s history to life through our • Articles must focus on a local history topic within collections and archives. the geographical boundaries of Wigan Borough. If you have great ideas for exhibitions, Ruth would be • By entering the competition you agree to very pleased to hear from you. your work being published in Past Forward. The winning article will be published in Past FORWARD Issue 59. Other submissions may also FORWARD be published in Issue 59 or held on file for Past publication in a future edition. If selected for publication the Past FORWARD Editorial Team Subscription Form may edit your submission. How to enter Past Forward Subscription • Articles must be received by e-mail or post by Subscription is £5 for three Friday 14 October 2011. issues. Payment by cheque (payable to Wigan Leisure & • Electronic submissions are preferred although Culture Trust), postal order or handwritten ones will be accepted. credit/debit card (telephone • You must state clearly that your article is an entry 01942 828128). into the Local History Writing Competition. Please state which issue you • You must include your name, address, telephone wish your membership to begin number and e-mail address (if applicable). We will not pass your details on to anyone. K I am a registered blind person and • It will not be possible for articles to be returned. would like the CD version • You are welcome to include photographs or Name images however they cannot be returned. Address Postcode Submit to Telephone No. [email protected] OR Local History Writing Competition, Past Forward, Museum of Wigan Life, Email Library Street, Wigan WN1 1NU Signed Date K Please tick here if you would like to receive information regarding Wigan Leisure & Culture activities and events. Copy Deadline for Issue 59 We do not pass your details to other organisations. Contributors please note the deadline for Return to: The Museum of Wigan Life, Past Forward the receipt of material for publication is Subscription, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1NU Friday 28 October 2011. 3 By Tony Grandad’s Pal Berry Cruising through Lamberhead Green by tramline “pony express” In his younger days, Weezer contractor of Hall Green, During the latter part of his was employed as a labourer Upholland. It was then that he life my grandfather, Robert down the pit. The fact that he came into close contact with Berry, formed a friendship wasn’t a fully-fledged miner my father, William Henry Berry, with James Speakman. They could be explained by an who from 1927, was the driver were living two doors apart in Mill Lane, Upholland, in accident that he experienced as of one of Mr. Marsh’s traction the 1940’s and both died in a lad. Whilst in the grip of a engines, hauling a threshing- that decade in their fever, probably due to machine and straw-baler to seventies. James was quite pneumonia, he fell out of bed farms within a large radius of a character and was known and broke his leg. The fractured Hall Green. Weezer provided to all and sundry as Weezer; bone was apparently badly set the transport for some of the the actual origin and by the doctor with the result local workers who accompanied spelling of the nickname that for the rest of his life he the machines to distant farms, being lost in the mists of walked with a limp. He was and Grandad was sometimes time. About 1850, their married in 1891 but his wife one of these workers. grandfathers were farmers died five years later, leaving him in the Carr Lane area of with a daughter, Jane. His latter Some of the journeys that Holland Moor, an years were spent with Jane and Weezer undertook were not agricultural region that the her husband and family. without incident. On one authorities thought occasion, at the end of a day’s fit to eradicate completely In the 1920’s, Weezer was work at Bill Bennett’s farm in when they sanctioned employed as the driver of a Smethurst Lane, Lamberhead the building of pony and trap by Herbert Green, Weezer was Skelmersdale New Town. Marsh, an agricultural accompanied by my father on 4 the trip back to Upholland. As tougher in those days. No doubt paid. According to Weezer, they pulled away from the farm Weezer would have taken when he was parting with his the pony began to play up and advantage of the nearness of cash he sighed so deeply that it Weezer had difficulty in the pub to down a quick pint to seemed to come from the controlling it. When they turned revive his spirits! bottom of his boots! left on reaching Ormskirk Road, Grandad and Weezer the wheels of the trap dropped In the days before the NHS was seemed to share a certain into the tramlines and it established many people were empathy. One day, they were became, in effect, part of the rather deficient in the number of standing in the street with my Wigan tramway system! With teeth they had, and Weezer was father when a man walked by.