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Brentford Councillors - William James Bolton

Introduction

Janet McNamara has researched details of the men who served as Brentford Local Board Members and Councillors, see intro page for more details of early local government structure.

William James Bolton (1871 - 1948)

Mr Bolton stood for election to the Brentford District Council in March 1921.
He and Mr Moore declared to the local paper that they were out ‘to end waste and extravagance’ and considered ‘the dearth of houses to be truly deplorable’ and they appreciated the beneficial effect of the Allotments.
They were receiving special support from the Chamber of Commerce ‘with the general programme of which Mr Bolton states that he is in full and hearty accord’. At that time the Chamber was running a campaign against the purchase of Carville Hall Park to be used as a memorial park after the First World War.
He was proposed by William Griffith and seconded by John Dinnis, proposed by Rev WN Roche seconded by Walter Green, proposed by Walter W Walker seconded by Edwin J Clarke, proposed by William Buck seconded by JH Chapman, proposed by FF Poole seconded by James Foster, proposed by Richard Glayas seconded by Samuel Brookman.
His address was given as Hatton House, Hatton and he was a House Furnisher.
Nine men stood for 4 seats and Mr Bolton came 4th in the poll with 1022 votes.
Through 1921/22 Council meetings where there were votes on the purchase of Carville Hall Park (Mr Bolton was against) the vote was even and the proposal carried by 2 different the Chairman’s votes.
In 1923 he was one of 3 Councillors who represented Brentford at the Conference of Local Authorities.
His name is on the dedication stone at Boston Manor House when it was opened to the public by Lady Cooper in 1924.

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He had been born in 1871 and in the 1871 census was 1month old living with his family at 7, Briar Cottages, Isleworth.
His father, James (28) was an Upholsterer Assistant and his mother, Jane (26) a Dressmaker. He had one older sister, Alice who was 2 years old.

By 1881 the family were at 6, London Road, Isleworth.
James was an Upholsterer born in Chalfont St Peter. Jane had been born in Loughton, Essex. Alice was 12 and had been born in Cranford and William James and 2 younger brothers and a sister had been born in Hounslow. Eliza (2) and Elijah (1 month) had been born in Brentford. They also had a dressmaker as a lodger. (Obituary for William Bolton senior is in the Brentford & Chiswick Times 11.4.1930)

By 1891 they had moved to next door to the White Horse Inn in the Market Place, Brentford (The Weir in 2012) and there were 2 more daughters aged 8 and 5.
William junior was an upholsterer. His younger brothers were an office lad and a shop assistant and Jane aged 14 was working at home.

In the 1901 census William James and his wife Sarah (35 born Brentford) were living at Hatton House, Cranford Lane, East Bedfont with their 6 year old children William and Doris who had also been born in Brentford.
They had been married in October 1893 (Brentford 3a 20).
William is shown as an upholsterer/worker and this is likely to have been at 190/91, High Street where 3 generations of the Goddard family had a House Furnishing business. The bhsproject website says that Bolton and Son had taken over the business by 1913 and W Bolton senior’s obituary in April 1930 says that they took it over when the last Goddard retired.
This is actually likely to have been before 1913 as the 1911 census shows William James as a House Furnisher - Employer. He was 41 and Sarah 45. They had been married for 17 years and their son and a daughter were aged 16. They were living at Hatton House, Hatton. (Most of the old village of Hatton is now part of Heathrow Airport).
The rate book for 1915 shows that 190/91 High Street was a House and Premises rented from Mr Clark by Jas Bolton and Sons.
The company appear to have been there until 1933.

William was still a Councillor in 1927 when Brentford combined with Chiswick to become the Brentford & Chiswick UDC and retired from the combined Council in 1930.

When he died on April 26th 1948 aged 77 he was living at 19, Leybourne Avenue, West Ealing and a report of his funeral in the Brentford & Chiswick Times on April 30th tells that he had been a President of the Chamber of Commerce and the Brentford Brotherhood. The funeral service had been at the Methodist Church in Windmill Road and the burial at Sutton Lane, Hounslow.
His father had been a member of the congregation of the Methodist Church too.

William James Bolton of 19, Leybourne Avenue, West Ealing, Mddx died 26th April 1948. Probate London 6 August to Sarah Ann Bolton widow. Effects £1,228.1.3d

Registered Ealing 5 a/c? 28 June quarter.

Might Bolton House in Albany Parade built in the 1950s be called after him?

Other material

Janet has also provided newspaper articles: his electoral address with A.E. Moore published 1921, and his death and funeral (April 1948). To be added as time permits.

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Page published April 2013