Wigan Album

Martha Chadwick Hogg was truly one of the most remarkable people to hail from Wigan in the
twentieth century.In fact in any century,and I would contend,anywhere. Her achievements whilst
very much ignored in Wigan,I suggest put her at least on a par with with Countess de Markaievicz, The first woman to be elected to parliament in December 1918,and Nancy, Lady Astor,the first woman to take her seat,elected three months later. The latter being shoehorned in to her husbands constituency (Plymouth Sutton), after his elevation to the Lords.
Not wishing to undermine their commitment to suffrage,they operated from a position of great
privilege. Martha Chadwick on the other hand was born into poverty in the late eighteen hundreds, leaving School at thirteen ,and working in the factory until her Marriage,when she was forced to leave her employ,as most woman were in those days,to people's great surprise this arcane practice, applied to some professions,teachers for example,had to leave their chosen calling on their nuptial. Martha,to her great credit,fought against this prejudice and started training for midwifery,qualifying in nineteen hundred and twelve,and this led her to see the terrible living conditions and poverty. It was this that, that turned her mind to politics.
Her commitment to the unemployed,to the woman she cared for,living in appalling circumstances drove her to the Labour Party,and to seek to become a councillor for Lindsey ward.It is this that makes makes her standout as beacon,just as much as Markaievicz or Astor,
for women's rights.she was the first stood for Wigan council in nineteen nineteen,absolutely
remarkable for the time,a working class woman,taking on the establishment ,she lost that election by only ninety two votes,surely she would have been successful ,at her first attempt,if women had the vote at the same age as men ,that would only come ten years latter .
Undeterd she fought the seat again in nineteen twenty,this time successfully,becoming Wigan's first woman elected representative ,and one of the first in the country.This achievement has been generally overlooked and to amend this error, I have been campaigning for a monument to her,possibly in Mesnes Park or The Council Chamber.Her exploits didn't stop with her election. She became the first womem member of the watch committee in nineteen twenty nine,and one of the earliest woman magistrates,appointed in nineteen thirty one. Still caring for her patients until her untimely death on the sixteenth of May nineteen thirty four. Her funeral brought Wigan to a standstill,such was the esteem in which she was held.The coffin was carried into Wigan Baptist Church by four police constables.
After an article in the Wigan Observer, I was contacted by one of the two great grandchildren
of Mrs Hogg. Tim Jones from Ashton in Makerfield. We meet later,and decided to work together to have her life suitably recognised. This work continues .