John Higson (antiquary)
John Higson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1825 |
| Died | 1871 (aged 45–46) |
| Occupation | Antiquarian |
John Higson (25 July 1825 – 13 December 1871) was an English antiquary and topographer associated with Gorton, Droylsden and Lees (Lancashire).[1][2] Employed by the Springhead Cotton Spinning Company, he produced local-historical writing alongside full-time work; he wrote in a letter that, despite twelve-and-a-half-hour shifts as a secretary (Monday to Friday, with a half-day on Saturday), he “managed to do a good deal of writing”.[3]
Life
Higson was born at Whiteley Farm, Gorton, on 25 July 1825, and was baptised at the Manchester Collegiate Church on 30 October 1825.[1] A contemporary obituary described him as the son of poor parents who received little formal education, and as largely self-taught.[2]
For some years he lived in Droylsden, and later at Lees (near Oldham).[2] At the time of his death he was employed by the Springhead Cotton Spinning Company (described in the local press as a cashier).[2] He was active in local civic life, including support for the Droylsden Mechanics’ Institute and work at Leesfield Church.[2]
Higson died at Lees on 13 December 1871, after a sudden collapse at home; heart disease was reported as the cause.[2] The local press reported that he left a widow and seven children.[2] (Crofton later recorded six sons and two daughters, with one son dying in infancy.)[1]
Writing
Higson began publishing local history in the early 1850s, including The Gorton Historical Recorder (1852).[2][4] He also produced a history of Droylsden and remained closely involved in local newspaper culture; an attempt to launch a Droylsden paper “on liberal-conservative lines” failed.[2]
From the mid-1850s he contributed articles, often on local history and antiquities, to the Ashton Weekly Reporter under the signature “H”.[2] At his death he was compiling a Glossary of Lancashire Idioms (unpublished).[2] Crofton later credited him with further unpublished work, including a projected history of Lees and a dialect glossary, and noted that he wrote “some hundreds of newspaper articles”.[1]
Selected works
- The Gorton Historical Recorder (1852).[4]
- Historical and Descriptive Notices of Droylsden: Past and Present (1859).[5]
- “Boggarts and Feorin”, Notes and Queries (4th series), vol. 4 (1869), pp. 508–509.[6]
- “Boggarts, Feorin, etc.”, Notes and Queries (4th series), vol. 5 (1870), pp. 156–157.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d Crofton, H. T. (1904–1905). A History of Newton Chapelry in the Ancient Parish of Manchester. Vol. I. Manchester: Chetham Society. pp. 4–5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Death of Mr. John Higson of Lees". Ashton Weekly Reporter. 16 December 1871. p. 8.
- ^ Barlow, T. Worthington, ed. (1853). The Cheshire and Lancashire Historical Collector. Vol. I. London; Manchester: W. Kent and Co.; Burge and Perrin. p. 112.
- ^ a b Higson, John (1852). The Gorton Historical Recorder. Droylsden: Privately printed.
- ^ Higson, John (1859). Historical and Descriptive Notices of Droylsden: Past and Present. Manchester: Beresford & Souther.
- ^ Higson, John (1869). "Boggarts and Feorin". Notes and Queries. 4. 4: 508–509.
- ^ Higson, John (1870). "Boggarts, Feorin, etc". Notes and Queries. 4. 5: 156–157.