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GRAMMAR SCHOOL HEADMASTER'S HOUSE.  MILLGATE. 1825
GRAMMAR SCHOOL HEADMASTER'S HOUSE. MILLGATE. 1825
Photo: RON HUNT
Views: 3,180
Item #: 31698
PAINTING BY THOMAS WHITEHOUSE SHOWING THE HOUSE AND TO THE RIGHT THE "COCK INN" LATER THE "MITRE" AND LATER STILL THE "BATH HOTEL"

Comment by: RON HUNT on 3rd December 2019 at 19:47

What wouldn't I give to go back and have a pint in the 'COCK INN'

Comment by: RON HUNT on 3rd December 2019 at 20:57

Just noticed the date on the house 1693

Comment by: Cyril on 3rd December 2019 at 21:21

At a 1/2d a pint you would be able to have good night out too, though I've been reading how unscrupulous brewers and beer shops would water down the beer and then add salt to flavour it and stimulate thirst too, or adding narcotics such as strychnine in small doses after diluting the beer to give it some wallop. During 1900-1901 an epidemic of arsenic poisoning causing over seventy deaths was blamed on adulterated beer, though later it was found to be accidental as arsenic was then used in the brewing process. A Royal Commission on Arsenical Poisoning was set up in 1901, and subsequently recommended a legal maximum of no more than one hundredth of a grain of arsenic per gallon of liquid or pound of food. Wonder what they added to the Scotch or Gin which was also adulterated, the usual explanations came down to the two offered by the Lord Mayor of London, Henry Winchester, in an exchange with a publican in 1834: ‘Either the gin must be very bad, or the glasses very small, to afford any profit.’, no Ron you're better staying with the craft beers of today, you know what your drinking will be genuinely good and pure. Cheers!

Comment by: Veronica on 4th December 2019 at 07:22

Interesting read Cyril, to think ale was drunk instead of water in those days, before water was treated.
Would the building have been opposite where the old baths were later situated?

Comment by: Bill Aldridge on 4th December 2019 at 17:34

Haven't seen this before Ron, great painting. There's a photo of an arch in a Wigan guide book which could well be the one shown here (I'll post it shortly).

Comment by: Joseph on 8th December 2019 at 11:13

Thomas Whithouse painted many scenes of Wigan, he lived in the house he leased on Milgate which was later known as Penningtons furniture shop and built by the Mayor Alexander Radcliffe elected 1771.

Comment by: Kath Arkwright on 29th December 2019 at 01:48

Thomas Whitehouse described this as Alderman Robert Letherbarrow's Mansion in Millgate, inherited by him from the Pennington Family, built 1657 and bequeathed as the Master's House 1717. Robert Letherbarrow died in April 1701 Alderman of Milgate. No will!
The house was bequeathed by Margery Bowyer who was one of Robert Letherbarrow's daughters married to George Bowyer sometimes called curate and other times clerk.
Her sister Ellen was married to Richard Welles originally of Sandbach and they also lived in Millgate.The initials on the house look like RTW. Ellen Welles died in 1707 and Richard Welles in April 1708 and in his will he left money to buy an organ for the church and made other bequests for the local community to be paid a year after his death. Margery leatherbarrow was his heir and executor getting everything. In August 1708 she married George Bowyer and instead of paying the main sums of money,only paid the interest until 1717 when she died and he got his hands on everything, continuing to pay just interest until he died in 1740, leaving his brother Thomas Bowyer as executive to be taken to the Duchy of Lancaster Court to recover the various sums of money.
Margery Bowyer paid for a monument in the church praising Richard and Ellen Welles but also saying she had given her house to the head schoolmaster.

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