Margaret Higson (1825 - 1887)
Margaret Higson was born in Rumworth in March 1825. She was eighth child and second daughter of James Higson and Mary Pendlebury. She was christened on April 3 1825 at the Deane parish church - St Mary's the Virgin in Rumworth.
At the time of her birth, her father was a Shopkeeper althought he returned to farming and weaving in the years to follow.
In March 1841 - at the time of the 1841 census - Margaret was living with her parents at Daubhill where she is recorded as working as a hand loom weaver - For more on this trade see on Hand Loom Weaving the 19th Century
Margaret married John Hayes of Ainsworth at the Deane parish church - St Mary the Virgin in Rumworth on 1 October 1848. John was the son of William Hayes and Mary Heaton
Between 1848 and 1873 the Margaret and John had five (5) children (:
- William Hayes Born 1848
- Mary Hayes Born 1851 Married David Yates Died 1929
- Jane Hayes Born 1853
- Elizabeth Hayes Born 1860
- Edith Hayes Born 1873
Margaret and John moved to Bolton after their marriage prove to be quite mobile over the following 30 years
- In 1851 they are living in 111 Burnden Rd, Bolton - where both John and Margaret are cotton hand loom weavers
- In 1861 they are living at 80 Commission St Great Bolton - where again, both John and Margaret are cotton hand loom weavers
- In 1871 they are living at 35 Back Pump St Great Bolton - where John is a Hand Loom Weaver and Margaret is noted as a cloth cooker in Cotton Mill
- In 1881 the family are not together
- John is living visiting with his daughter Mary at 149 Morris Green Lane (and is still recorded as a Cotton Hand Loom Weaver);
- Margaret and her daughter Jane are recorded as being an Institutional Prisoners at the Police Station, Town Hall, Great Bolton (she is recorded as being a Char Woman and Jane a Cotton Weaver)
At this point it is not known why or how Margaret and Jane ended up in jail.
The lock up under the Bolton Town Hall was built as part of the broader Town Hall project. The new Bolton Town Hall was opened in 1873 by the Prince of Wales. The Police quarter took up half of the floor area of the basement, the magistrates courts were housed on the first floor, directly above the cells. The police offices opened on to Howell Croft, and moved from the Town Hall in 1936 when it was extended
It is suspected that Marget died in 1887
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