Occupations: Grocer

Several relatives became grocers or provision dealers in the second half of the 19th century encouraged by the movement of population into urban centres. Most of these remained small scale shops that lasted until after the Second World War when urban redevelopment and supermarkets meant they were no longer viable.

The following relatives set up grocer businesses.

• 1840 Edward Nixon, previously and subsequently a farmer, seems to have been a Grocer and shopkeeper for a short time, until 1843, in Winstanley Wigan.
• 1847 Henry Mawdsley setup a Grocer business in Wallgate Wigan, Henry having previously been a Farmer. Henry ran the business until his death in 1862 when his son John Mawdsley took over the business. John expanded the Grocer business until a Jam Making Business in 1882 which he ran until his death in 1919. After that John’s sons Henry Mawdsley and Thomas Mawdsley ran the business until Thomas’s death in 1955 after which his son Frank Mawdsley ran the business until sometime in the 1960s after which the business was presumably bought by another company but no details of this can be found.
• 1870 Thomas and Susannah Barton setup a Grocer business in Harrogate Street Central Wigan, Thomas had previously been a Labourer and a Carter. Susannah was a daughter of Edward Nixon and ran the business after Thomas’s death in 1880. After Susannah’s death in 1891 her son Henry Barton runs the business, expanding into milk provision, until his death in 1945. It is unclear what happened to the business after this but the assumption is that it was wound up.
• 1881 Elias and Elizabeth Nixon setup a Grocer business in Scholes Wigan, Elias having previously been a Collier. Elias ran it until he died in 1887 then Elizabeth ran it until sometime after the 1921 census when her son Thomas Nixon ran it until his death in 1935 after which his son Thomas Nixon ran it until the Second World War when presumably it was wound up.
• 1883 Richard Lamb setup a Grocer business in Harrogate Street Central Wigan , having previously been a Joiner, and ran it until he died in 1923, after which it was run by his daughter Evelyn, likely until the 1950s after which Harrogate Street Central Wigan was demolished. There are memories of Evelyn on Wigan World. Richard’s daughter Ethel married Evan Barton who managed the Barton Grocer business for his brother Henry Barton in the first half the 20th century.