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Ashton-under-Lyne's Inaugural Corporation 1847
Under the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835 it became possible for towns to petition the Queen for a Charter of Incorporation. This evoked a strong desire in many of the growing industrial towns to apply for borough status. However, in Ashton-under-Lyne the Town Commisioners were forced to proceed with caution. Ashton was a notorious hotbed of unrest. The 'New Poor Law' and their Board of Guardians were so loathed by the people that they couldn't implement the full force of the Act for a full 17 years, together with unrest at the very poor living and working conditions, the Corn Laws and the 'People's Charter', conditions were not ripe for the institution of another raft of Government. However after the repeal of the 'Corn Laws' in 1846 and the resultant reduction in the price of bread hopes were raised that a period of peace and order would follow.
Early in 1847 the following leading men of the town gathered under the leadership of Jonathan Andrew, the people's mayor, to announce a public meeting to be held on February 23rd 1847 to discuss petitioning the Queen to apply for Borough Status for Ashton-under-Lyne. The meeting was held in the new Town Hall, where the proposal was accepted and the petition drawn up and despatched. It was then published in the 'London Gazette' and went before the Privy Council on May 31st, who put it to Queen Victoria with advice that it should be granted on September 29th 1847.
List of Petitioners
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Samuel Adams William Aitken Thomas Ashton Isaac Bardsley Joseph Bardsley Robert Bardsley William Bardsley Thomas Bentley Thomas Bird John Blackshaw Michael Blomeley William Booth James Boothman James Bottomley C Bradbury John Bradley Henry Bramhall Samuel Brelsford Tim Broadbent William Broadbent Joseph Broomhead John Bruckshaw Nathaniel Buckley Samuel Buckley John Burns George Butler Joshua Butterworth John Casey Chris Chadwick Thomas Chadwick R H Chambers John Charlesworth Ellis Chorlton George Clay J J Cleminson Edwin Clough George Coldwell Frederick Cooke James Cooke James Corry Snr William Cotterill Samuel Cowley Charles Cox John Cox Ralph Cropper Hugh Cross Eli Cryer James Dalgleish Michael Dannoch Edward Davies John Dean Ellis Dernerley Robert Dickenson George Downs John Driver Richard Ely James Farrand Robert Farrand John Fawcett John Fletcher George Foster John France John France John Galt John Garlick Edward Garside James C Gee John Geldthorp John Glover Ezekiah Goddard James Green Peter Grimshaw John Grundy Thomas Grundy |
Josh. Hall Wright Hall George Harding George Harding George Heginbottom William Heginbottom John Hibbert John Hilton Joseph Hilton I F Hindley Thomas Hines Abraham Hintchliffe Edward Hobson Eli Hollingworth James Howarth Thomas Hurst William Hurst John Jackson George Johnson John Johnson James Judson James Keon Henry Kirkham Isaac Knott James Knott John Knott John Knott Joseph Leach Samuel Leach William Leach William Leech John Lees Samuel Lees Thomas Legh Peter Leigh Joseph Lingard John Long Thomas Lord John Lowe Joseph Marples Booth Mason Hugh Mason W McDonald Edward Mercer John Metcalfe W. Micklethwaite Isaac Miller John Moody Nathaniel Moore Edmund Moorhouse William Morley Henry Naden Abraham Newton James Newton Henry Ogden James Ogden William Ogden James Oliver John Oliver William Orme William Ousey William Ousey William Pollitt James Pomfret William Prestwick Orlando Ratcliffe John Rayner Edward Redfern William Redfern John Repworth Robert Ripley John Robinson Joseph Ryder |
James Saxon John Saxon Thomas Saxon James Schofield Thomas Schofield William Schofield Samuel Seel Thomas Seel Joseph Sharpe Henry Shaw James Shaw James Shaw Thomas Shaw James Shepherd John Siddall Mark Simms Thomas W Slater Benjamin Smith J D Smith Edmund Spencer Michael Stafford William Stanfield J S Stanley John Stansfield William Sunderland W H Sutcliffe L. Swallow Abel Swann Joseph Swindells Benjamin Swire William Swire W L Symes Edward Taylor James Taylor John Taylor John Taylor Samuel Taylor Joseph Thacker Samuel Thacker John Thompson John Thomson Samuel Timperley George Turner John Tweedale William Tweedale Mark Uttley James Vaughan John Walmsley Nelson Warren W H Waterhouse Benjamin Whitehead James Whitehead James Whitehead John Whiteley Thomas Whittaker William Whittaker John Wilde Edwin Williamson John Williamson John Williamson Edward Winstanley James Wood John Wood Joshua Wood George Wood Shaw R Worthington William Wright Samuel Wroe |
The Queen granted a Charter of Incorporation to the town, by which all ratepayers, of the area to be included in the new Municipal Borough, where thenceforward constituted burgesses of Ashton-under-Lyne - who should be called upon to elect their Mayor and Corporation on November 22nd 1847.
The Town was divided into four wards; "Market Ward", "St Michael's Ward", "Portland Place Ward" and St Peter's Ward", each to elect six councillors. Below are the names of councillors elected to serve on the inaugural council.
| MARKET WARD | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| George Mercer | Clogger | George Street | 378 |
| James Walker | Innkeeper | George Street | 371 |
| John Metcalfe | Grocer | Chester Place | 363 |
| William Henry Waterhouse | Chemist and Druggist | George Street | 353 |
| William Tweedale | Grocer | Stamford Street | 349 |
| John Wilde | Builder | Turner Lane | 337 |
| ST MICHAEL'S WARD | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Leigh | Draper | Stamford Street | 123 |
| James Mills | Manager | Queen Street | 122 |
| William Sunderland | Schoolmaster | Stamford Street | 115 |
| John Chadwick | Cotton Spinner | Dunham Terrace | 114 |
| John Strongi'th'arm Stanley | Cotton Spinner | Park Parade | 111 |
| James Schofield | Innkeeper | Stamford Street | 109 |
| ST PETER'S WARD | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| William Leech | Butcher | Oldham Road | 213 |
| Abel Buckley | Esquire | Ryecroft | 202 |
| John Grundy | Innkeeper | Stamford Street | 202 |
| Edwin Moorhouse | Reed Maker | Stamford Street | 195 |
| Booth Mason | Cotton Manufacturer | Henry Square | 173 |
| Thomas Wright | Cotton Manufacturer | Catherine Terrace | 167 |
| PORTLAND PLACE WARD | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| James Newton | Auctioneer | Stamford Street | 202 |
| Samuel Brierley | Surgeon | Stamford Street | 199 |
| Edward Winstanley | Manager | Bollington Street | 194 |
| George Heginbottom | Cotton Manufacturer | Chester Place | 157 |
| William Heginbottom | Cotton Manufacturer | Delamere Place | 156 |
| George Bancroft | Grocer | Stamford Street | 153 |
Source: Winefred Bowman's "England in Ashton-under-Lyne".
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