The Simm family originated around Downall Green, Ashton in Makerfield. The details
Full details of Joseph and Anne Simm's children, from the family bible, are as follows:
Mary, born 17/11/1828, died?
JOHN (1832-1897) AND MARY ANN SIMM.
John Simm was born 10/3/1832 at Billinge and died on 21/2/1897, the fourth child of
JOHN JAMES SIMM.
Was Mary Anne Simm's younger brother, born on 17/12/1873. He farmed at Wiswalls after his
CHARLES MATHER (c1868-1952), MARY ANNE SIMM & THEIR CHILDREN.
Charles was the eldest child of Hugh and Elizabeth Mather, being born around 1868. He married
Mary Anne Simm was born around 1868. She spent at least some of her childhood at Wiswalls Farm
On one occasion she was shopping in Pendlebury's, Wigan, when questions were asked as to her
Charles was interested in music. He was taught, by man named Birchall, to play the organ
He was a large, stocky man, who latterly walked with difficulty after badly injuring his knees when out
Francis was born in 1891, in the study at Wiswalls Farm.She was brougfht up by her mother
Hugh Leslie was born around 1895, and educated at Ashton Grammar School,
David was born in about 1899. His second name was Maurice, after Dr Maurice Enright,
James was born on 3/6/07, weighing 4 pounds. He was by far the youngest in the family, being born
This family history is only an extract from the Main text which can be downloaded from
JOSEPH (c1800-1849) AND ANN SIMM.
given below
were recorded in the front of the Simm family bible, belonging to Francis Hunt.
This bible revealed that Joseph Simm (circa 1800-12/3/1849) and his wife Ann had
11 children between 1828 and 1844. The fourth of these, John Simm, born 10/3/1832, was the
father of Mary Ann Simm who married Charles
Mather in 1888. They were a farming family and it seems possible that they gave rise to the
locality 'Simm's Lane End'. Ann Simm became a widow after her husband died of a fever in 1849.
The 1861 Census indicates that she was born in Ashton, around 1803 and that she was then living
with her son John and daughter-in-law Mary Anne at Brownlow, with James Melling. She is said
to have lived somewhere near the pub named the 'Foot', near Billinge Hospital, but further details
are not available.
John, born 12/1829, died 4/8/31 aged 19 months.
Jane, born 13/2/1831, died?
John, born 10/3/32 died 21/2/97 (see below)
Susannah, born 30/5/1833, died 23/6/1851 aged 18
Ellen born 4/1/1834 died 11/4/57 aged 22
Thomas, born 22/11/1836 died?
Abraham, born 7/8/1838, died? (Alive in Billinge, 1876)
Robert, born 8/7/1840, died?
Hannah, born 25/2/1842, died 16/3/45 aged 3
Joseph, born 14/8/44 died 26/1/46 aged 19 months.
Joseph and Anne Simm. He married Mary Ann Melling, who was born around 1829 and died
on 27/10/1891. Her older brother, James Melling, born around 1822, owned a stone quarry
(Coppice Wood quarry) on Billinge Hill around the years 1850-90 and made a considerable
amount of money. He built the rows of houses in Longshaw, around 1845 onwards, from rough
stone from his quarries. He was unmarried and lived for many years with John and Mary Simm
and their two children. At the 1861 Census, they were living in Brownlow and farming 14 acres.
At this stage, the household consisted of John, his wife Mary Anne, his mother Anne (aged 58),
his sister (Jane Wadsworth, 30), and James Melling (aged 39), described as a lodger and stonemason.
In 1871 Longshaw House Farm, as Wiswalls was then termed, was home to Thomas Melling, 'farmer
of 33 acres, employing 2 boys'. The relation of Thomas Melling to James is unclear, and may be
non-existent. In 1881 John and Mary Simm are recorded as living at the 'City', Longshaw, with their
children Mary Anne (12) and John James (7), and James Melling. John is described
as 'farmer of 30 acres'. It is not clear whether they were living at Wiswalls at that time. James
Melling bought the farm from the Gerard family on 9/8/1888 for £3000, after renting it for
an unknown period. The farm included the triangle of land behind the Hare and Hounds. He died
on 28/12/89 at Wiswalls. His estate was valued at £1701-13s-1d. Most of his estate, including
Wiswalls Farm, was bequeathed to the children of his sister and brother-in-law, Mary Anne and
John Simm, who were confusingly also named Mary Ann and John James Simm. His will was made on
17/12/1889 and he died on 28/12/1889. James Melling had another sister named Jane, who died
prior to 1889, married to a man named Laithwaite. They had a son named James (or Joseph) Laithwaite,
who was nicknamed 'Old Paider'. By all accounts he was a severe drinker and lived a rather erratic
life, although said to be kind-hearted. He was left a row of houses to the left of Moore's shop
but in effect was cut out of most of his uncle's will. He had a sister, Anne, who married
William Barton. James Melling thus had several nephews and nieces and the two Simm children,
Mary Anne and John James, seem fortunate to have inherited most of the estate. Thus John Simm
farmed at Wiswalls, after farming at Brownlow, moving there after his brother-in-law, James
Melling, had bought it. As detailed above, he had two children, Mary Ann (born 27/9/1868)
and John James (born 15/12/1873). They were old parents - Mary Anne Simm (nee Melling) had
her two children when aged around thirty-eight and forty-four. Mary Anne
died on 27/10/1891 aged sixty-two and John Simm died on 21/2/1897 aged sixty-four.
father died in 1897. His uncle, James Melling, who died when he was 16, bequeathed Wiswalls Farm
to him. He was an intelligent man, who had wide-ranging interests, such as astronomy, violin-playing
and cacti. He was not a successful farmer, apparently spending too much time in his greenhouse.
Earlier in life he was in love with Bessie Mather (see below) who married Billy Cliffe. Towards the
end of his life he became an eccentric recluse and Wiswalls farmhouse became increasingly dilapidated.
Betty Wright, who was brought up at Longshaw House, barely half a mile away, never visited the farm
in those days. He was regarded as very strange and rather frightening. He died unmarried and intestate
on 15/8/1931, aged fifty-seven. For several years the house was derelict, until renovated by Hugh
Mather in 1941. His estate, including Wiswalls, was passed on to his sister Mary Anne Simm. The gross
value was £6259-8s-9d, net £1199-3s-1d.
Mary Anne Simm when both were aged twenty. He was regarded as rather idle and effectively retired
having married a wealthy young lady. His occupation when he married was given as labourer.
although it is not exactly clear when the family moved there. She attended a school at Brownlow and
was a potentially wealthy young girl when she married Charles Mather in 1888. Charles and Mary Anne
then lived at Wiswalls Farm for a while, with her parents and brother. In the 1891 Census, they are
recorded as living at Wiswalls with Charles aged 25, Mary Anne 22, John James 17, and their young
daughter Frances aged one. They subsequently lived at Chapel House, where Charles acted as coachman
and general assistant to his brother Dr R.O. Mather. They then moved to 2 Newton Road, which was one
of the row of houses built by his mother Elizabeth. They probably moved there after they were built
in 1903. Charles lived in the same house for virtually 50 years. Later he became Registrar of births,
deaths and marriages for Orrell, Billinge, UpHolland and Dalton, with his daughter Francis acting as
his assistant, holding this post for thirty-one years, retiring in 1935. He is said to have married
the young George Formby. He was fond of telling his children that 'there was no royal road to success',
but it was generally thought that he had disproved this hypothesis. There was some friction initially
between Mary Anne and Elizabeth, her dominant mother-in-law, who regarded the Simms as rather
ignorant, but was happy to utilise some of the Simm (i.e. Melling) family money nevertheless. Mary Anne
dressed rather plainly and appeared rather 'ordinary', out of keeping with her considerable wealth.
credit-worthiness. The manager apparently told the assistant that she could buy the entire contents
of the shop if she wished. She is remembered as a quiet, kind, intelligent lady. She was generous
to a fault and charged only nominal rents on the dozen or so houses she inherited at Longshaw from
James Melling. She used to host a family party on Boxing Day, after the Wigan/St Helens rugby match,
and offer hospitality at 2 Newton Road to the large 'extended' Mather family. Towards the end of her
life, Mary Anne had a stroke and prolonged ill-health. After being virtually chair-bound for several
years, she died on 13/7/1941 aged seventy-two. Her obituary notice in the Wigan Observer refers to her
'very charming disposition'. She grieved considerably over her two children who died in infancy, John
Irvine and John Oswald, and at her death was found to have retained their bootees as a cherished possession.
and was organist at Billinge Church for many years, from around 1888 to 1922. At that time,
the organ was at the rear of the church, before the East End extension was built (around 1905).
It is said that he had to be fetched from the Eagle after sermons to play the final hymn. On
Christmas morning 1921 he was found to be unfit to play and Albert Mather (who is no relation) was
asked to take over. Charles finally retired as organist in June 1922 after 32 years service and was
presented with a chiming clock. He played the piano for silent films shown at the Conservative club
and at one time had piano pupils, although his own children did not learn. He is said to have
stored bacon inside his piano during rationing in World War I, resulting in rusty strings.
shooting, in 1935. He was universally known as 'Old Charlie' in his later years. He played a
prominent role in local Council affairs for many years, serving on Billinge and Winstanley District
Council for forty-nine years, from 1897 to 1946. He was Chairman of the Council on several occasions
and was Chairman of the Water Committee for a long period. He was involved in various local projects.
A water pump near Brownlow was named the Mather pump after him. Until an accident in 1935, he had
never missed a council meeting for 38 years. He was appointed a County Magistrate in 1919. However,
he was to some extent overshadowed by his bright and talented younger brother, Richard, for most of
his life. Sadly, he died from burns. To quote the inquest, it was his practice to get up about
4.30 a.m. to light the kitchen fire at 2 Newton Road. He stumbled into the fire while fastening his
boot. He died on the following day in Billinge Hospital, on 6/12/52, aged eighty-six.Charles and
Mary Anne Mather had six children. Four survived to adult life. These were Francis, Hugh Leslie,
David Maurice and James Simm. They are detailed below. Two boys, John Irvine and John Oswald,
born between Francis (in 1891) and Hugh (around 1895) died in infancy, aged around ten months
and eighteen months, from gastro-enteritis.
to be a gentlewoman and wore smart clothes and kid gloves, in contrast to her 3 younger brothers,
who tended to be rather scruffy. She attended the Gamble institute in St Helens and may have
studied Art.She also boarded at the Notre Dame Convent in Wigan. As only French
was spoken at mealtimes, she became fluent in French. She worked as a nurse
at Billinge Hospital during the First World War when it was a military hospital. She married
William ('Billy') Hunt, a farmer, around 1925, when she was well into her thirties. They lived
at Home Farm, Ashton, ran a milk round and sold poultry and provisions, in conjunction with
running the dairy farm. Her husband died around 1944. Francis then lived with Billy and Bessie
Cliffe in Winstanley Road, before finally moving to 93 Up Holland Road, where she lived for the
remainder of her life. She had one son, David, who was born around 1928. She had a gift for
communication with children, and was much loved by younger generations towards the end of her life!
She died in the1970's, then aged in her eighties.
as were David and James. He was notoriously mischievous as a boy and was
fond of practical jokes. He grew to be a handsome, talented young man who excelled at sport,
particularly athletics and trained in medicine at the University of Durham, in Newcastle. After
his initial student training, he enrolled in the Navy as a surgeon probationer and fought in the
Battle of Jutland. He subsequently undertook another spell in the Navy, in lieu of his younger
brother, David. He then returned to Newcastle to finish his medical studies, qualifying as MB BS
on 23/6/22. After serving as assistant to Dr Ormsby in Standish, he entered general practice with
Norman Hartley in Pemberton, who subsequently died from appendicitis. Hugh then married his widow,
Jeannie, took over the practice and lived in the Hartley family home, Leighton House, in Orrell Road,
Pemberton. Jeannie is said to have married Hugh in part to retain the Pemberton practice for her
son, Roy, who qualified in medicine intending to take up general practice but finally became an
obstetrician. Alice Ashley, who subsequently lived at Wiswalls as Hugh's housekeeper, was employed
there as a maid and wore a stiff black and white uniform. Hugh and Jeannie moved to Wiswalls after
extensive renovations to the derelict house in 1941. He ran the farm, as well as the Pemberton
practice, until his death on 3/12/1957, age sixty-two. He had intended to build a house on the
Rough Heys, rather than renovate the house, but was unable to do so because of War restrictions.
Ivy was said to be growing through the grandfather clock, which is now in the hall at Wiswalls.
Hugh was a handsome, energetic, intelligent man, with a good sense of humour. He liked fast cars
in his youth and at one stage owned a large Sunbeam, of which he was very proud. He was a Mason,
having been Master of Lindsay Lodge. He latterly became rather reclusive, partly because his marriage
to Jeannie was not particularly close. She was often away, at her holiday home at Treadur Bay. They
had no children.
a locum doctor who stayed at Chapel House around that time. He had asthma in childhood and was
generally not over-robust. As a child he broke his leg while playing in the building site when the
houses on the opposite site of Newton Road were being erected in 1905. The leg set badly, leaving
it slightly crooked for the rest of his life. Both David and Hugh were strongly encouraged to work
by their father, Charles, who was fond of telling them that 'there was no royal road to success'.
They were both brought up at 2 Newton Road from 1903 onwards and David had the clock stopped in the
evenings so he could concentrate on his studies. He progressed from Ashton Grammar School to
Liverpool University. He became bald early in life, wore glasses and was rather sensitive. A
lifelong bachelor, he remained close to his brother James, who was about eight years younger. After
qualifying MB ChB on 30/6/20, he entered general practice in Billinge. He also worked at Billinge
Hospital throughout his adult life, becoming Medical Superintendent in 1936, on the retirement of
his uncle. Dr David worked almost single-handed in the War years and undertook fairly major surgery.
He drained empyemas, did 'Manchester' repairs, performed around 400 Caesarian sections during the war
and had a deep interest in mental health and geriatrics. The geriatric unit at Billinge Hospital has
subsequently been named in his honour. He lived at 2 Newton Road until the death of his father in 1952
then came to live with James and his family at 25 Newton Road and moved with them to Wiswalls in 1958.
In the 1930's he farmed at Wiswalls, after the death of John James Simm, although he never lived there.
Both he and Hugh liked shooting and he was active in the Home Guard in the war. He died on 6/5/65 age
sixty-six. At the opening of the David Mather Unit at the hospital, it was aptly stated that 'his
humanity, understanding and sense of humour endeared him not only to his patients but also to medical
and nursing personnel with whom he came into contact.
about eight years after David, and as a boy was gentle and 'easy'. His middle name was Simm, for obvious
reasons. He also attended Ashton Grammar School and Liverpool University, where he qualified when aged
twenty. He was offered further training in surgery but came home to work in the family practice. He lived
with David and his parents at 2 Newton Road from 1928 to 1938, when he married Edith Mee and moved to 25
Newton Road. In addition to his work in the practice, he was Medical Officer of Health for Billinge from
1932 to 1963, having obtaining the DPH diploma. He also gave many anaesthetics at Billinge Hospital,
especially during the War. He was interested in music, opera and the theatre and was heavily involved
in Masonry, becoming Worshipful Master of the Lindsay Lodge in Wigan. He also served as President of
the BMA in Wigan. He was overwhelmingly popular as a doctor in Billinge and surrounding areas from 1928 to 1963.
He died on 14/10/63, aged fifty-seven. A window in Billinge Church is dedicated to his memory.
the Longshaw Common to Chadwick Green Page.
The Simms history was contributed by Hugh Mather.
