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For the Record : Benefactors

 

 

Some of Slaidburn’s Benefactors

Slaidburn has over the centuries been blessed with people who have given generously of their time, talents and money for the benefit of the community. For instance:

• John Brennand died in 1717 and left money so the school could be built and endowed. The school was built soon after his death but little is known of John Brennand himself except that he was a bachelor who has been described as a “gentleman” and a “collector of excise”. He lived at Pain Hill, Slaidburn (then spelt Pane Hill) and also owned several other properties in the area including Crawshaw, Higher Stony Bank and sundry copyhold lands in the Manor of Slaidburn.

Carving above the central upper storey school window
may be of John Brennand.
Reproduced with kind permission of Mr & Mrs D Higham

• Isabella Spencer whose dynamism was probably responsible for the Methodist Chapel getting off the ground. She had 10 children and among her descendants is Chris Spencer who has written a book entitled “A history of Methodism in Slaidburn and the WESLEYAN Methodist Chapel”.

Silhouette of Isabella Spenceraged 72 in 1833
reproduced with the kind permission of Mr Chris Spencer

• In 1843 Mrs Mary Wiglesworth gave the bells in the Church in memory of her husband, Revd. Henry Wiglesworth who was Rector of Slaidburn for some 56 years until his death in 1838.

• The Illingworths - father and son. John was a very successful Blackburn draper & tailor who fought hard and won a 30 year struggle for the rights of the Poor’sland Trust (see section on the local economy). John’s son, Revd. William Illingworth was a gifted minister and preacher who also had Slaidburn at heart leaving the then princely sum of £300 for Methodism in the village when he died in 1873.

Oil portrait almost certainly of John Illingworth

• Over the years the village has benefitted from the generosity of the King-Wilkinson family with many examples like the peppercorn rent charged on the old village hall from its opening in 1926 to 2007, the donation of new uniforms and instruments to Slaidburn Silver Band in 1899 by William King-Wilkinson (senior) and the provision of new electro-plated instruments in 1907 by William King-Wilkinson (junior).
  Land for the extensions to the graveyard in 1922 and 2000 were given by the Estate and the tradition of presenting bibles, testaments or dictionaries to school leavers at the May Queen Festival is still carried on.

• Anthony Moores, a member of the Moores family that owned Littlewoods Pools and other companies based in Liverpool, provided some of the funds in 2005 to convert the Chapel into a village hall. His father had bought Procters Farm, Slaidburn in 1969 and Anthony continues the family tradition of supporting community projects in the North West of England.

Tony Moore's in 2006