List of mayors of Bolton

This is a list of the Mayors of Bolton in the north west of England. The office of Mayor is a ceremonial, non-political post. As the Borough's First Citizen, the Mayor serves as the civic representative at a wide range of functions and events throughout the local authority.

The Mayors of Bolton have represented three types of local government districts. The Mayors of the Municipal Borough of Bolton 1838–1889, the Mayors of the County Borough of Bolton 1889–1974, and the present Mayors of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton since 1974.Links in a Chain - Bolton 1838–2008. URL accessed 11 May 2008.Famous Boltonians. URL accessed 11 May 2008.

There was also a transitional Mayor / Chairman in 1973–1974 who saw over the dissolution of the County Borough of Bolton and the foundation of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton.Links in a Chain - John Collins Hanscomb. URL accessed 11 May 2008.

Mayors of Bolton Municipal Borough Mayors No. Mayor Party Tenure Terms Notes 1 Charles James Darbishire 1838–1839 1 b.1797 – d.1874. The first Mayor of the Municipal Borough of Bolton. 2 Robert Heywood 1839–1840 1 b.1786 – d.1868. Father of John Heywood, Mayor of Bolton 1903–05. 3 James Arrowsmith 1840–1841 1 b.1791 – d.1870. Father of Peter Rothwell Arrowsmith, Mayor of Bolton 1853–55. 4 Thomas Cullen 1841–1842 1 b.1782 – d.1859. 5 Robert Walsh 1842–1843 1 b.1791 – d.1873. 6 Thomas Gregson 1843–1844 1 b.1795 – d.1865. 7 John Slater 1844–1845 1 b.1798 – d.1861. 8 Stephen Blair 1845–1846 1 b.1804 – d.1870. Conservative MP for Bolton 1848–52. 9 James Scowcroft 1846–1847 1 b.1788 – d.1865. 10 Thomas Ridgeway Bridson 1847–1848 1 b.1795 – d.1863. 11 Thomas Lever Rushton 1848–1850 2 b.1811 – d.1883. 12 William Gray 1850–1852 2 b.1814 – d.1895. Conservative MP for Bolton 1857–1874. 13 John Stones 1852–1853 1 b.c.1804 – d.1859. 14 Peter Rothwell Arrowsmith 1853–1855 2 b.1816 – d.1890. Son of James Arrowsmith, Mayor of Bolton 1840–41. 15 James Knowles 1855–1857 2 b.1813 – d.1886. 16 William Makant 1857–1859 2 b.1807 – d.1880. 17 John Orton 1859–1860 1 b.1804 – d.1870. 18 John Harwood 1860–1861 1 b.1802 – d.1875. Brother of Richard Harwood, Mayor of Bolton 1863–64. 19 James Rawthorne Wolfenden 1861–1863 2 b.1811 – d.1886. Brother of Charles Wolfenden, Mayor of Bolton 1875–77. 20 Richard Harwood 1863–1864 1 b.1802 – d.1875. Brother of John Harwood, Mayor of Bolton 1860–61, and father of George Harwood, Liberal MP for Bolton 1895–1912. 21 Richard Stockdale 1864–1866 2 b.1809 – d.1886. 22 Dr Fergus Ferguson 1866–1867 1 b.1805 – d.1887. 23 James Barlow 1867–1869 2 b.1821 – d.1887. 24 Thomas Walmsley 1869–1871 2 b.1812 – d.1890. 25 William Walter Cannon 1871–1873 2 b.1822 – d.1903. Brother in law of Richard Stockdale, Mayor of Bolton 1864–66. 26 Jeremiah Marsden 1873–1875 2 b.1820 – d.1877. 27 Charles Wolfenden 1875–1877 2 b.1826 – d.1884. Brother of James Rawthorne Wolfenden, Mayor of Bolton 1861–1863. 28 James Greenhalgh 1877–1878 1 b.1822 – d.1881. 29 Peter Crook Marsden 1878–1879 1 b.1838 – d.1913. 30 Henry Marriott Richardson 1879–1880 1 b.c.1816 – d.1893. 31 Joseph Musgrave 1880–1881 1 b.1812 – d.1891. 32 Thomas Glaister 1881–1882 1 b.1829 – d.1891. Grandfather of Thomas Glaister, Mayor of Bolton 1949–48. 33 Ebenezer Green Harwood 1882–1884 2 b.1833 – d.1902. 34 Thomas Fletcher 1884–1887 3 b.1832 – d.1914. 35 Thomas Moscrop 1887–1888 1 b.1811 – d.1889. 36 John Barrett 1888–1889 1 b.1842 – d.1908.

County Borough Mayors No. Mayor Party Tenure Terms Notes 1 John Barrett 1889–1890 1 b.1842 – d.1908. The first Mayor of the County Borough of Bolton. 2 Matthew Fielding 1890–1891 1 b.1848 – d.1915. 3 William Nicholson 1891–1894 3 b.1825 – d.1915. 4 Lt Col. Sir Benjamin Alfred Dobson 1894–1898 4 b.1847 – d.1898. Knighted on the 21 July 1897. Died in office. 5 William Nicholson 1898–1899 2 b.1825 – d.1915. Acted as caretaker Mayor in 1898, and re-elected the same year. 6 John Edwin Scowcroft 1899–1901 2 b.1845 – d.1901. Died in office. 7 William Nicholson 1901 1 b.1825 – d.1915. Acted again as caretaker Mayor in 1901. 8 John Miles 1901–1903 2 b.1841 – d.1917. 9 John Heywood 1903–1905 2 b.1849 – d.1910. Son of Robert Heywood, Mayor of Bolton 1839–40. 10 Colonel George Hesketh 1905–1906 1 b.1853 – d.1930. Appointed High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1918. 11 Thomas Barlow Tong 1906–1908 2 b.1850 – d.1917. Uncle of Walter Wharton Tong, Mayor of Bolton 1940–41. 12 William Henry Brown 1908–1909 1 b.1850 – d.1931. 13 Joseph Tyas Cooper 1909–1911 2 b.1852 – d.1929. 14 James Young 1911–1913 2 b.1861 – d.1917. 15 John Turner Brooks 1913–1914 1 b.1836 – d.1918. 16 James Seddon 1914–1916 2 b.1856 – d.1923. 17 Sir Knowles Edge 1916–1918 2 b.1854 – d.1931. Knighted on the 12 August 1919. Father of Sir William Edge, Liberal MP for Bolton 1916–23. 18 William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme 1918–1919 1 b.1851 – d.1925. Created Baron Leverhulme in 1917, and Viscount Leverhulme in 1922.. URL accessed 15 May 2008. He is the only Mayor who was not a Councillor. 19 Robert Parkinson 1919–1921 2 b.1862 – d.1936. 20 William Russell 1921–1922 1 b.1859 – d.1937. Conservative MP for Bolton 1922–23. 21 Alfred Potts 1922–1923 1 b.1867 – d.1945. 22 Edmund Aspinall 1923–1924 1 b.1858 – d.1940. 23 John Fletcher Steele 1924–1925 1 b.1867 – d.1941. 24 Percy Knott 1925–1926 1 b.1865 – d.1943. 25 Sir Thomas Evans Flitcroft 1926–1928 2 b.1861 – d.1938. Knighted in the King's Birthday Honours list 1913. 26 Frank Cheadle 1928–1929 1 b.1885 – d.1940. 27 Robert Edwards Roberts 1929–1930 1 b.1876 – d.1944. 28 Henry Warburton 1930–1931 1 b.1865 – d.1936. Nephew of Thomas Warburton, founder of Warburtons the bakers. 29 George Sykes 1931–1932 1 b.c.1874 – d.1958. 30 Samuel Lomax 1932–1933 1 b.1871 – d.1944. 31 Dr Ernest Monks 1933–1934 1 b.1871 – d.1941. Father of Dr John Richard Monks, Mayor of Bolton 1970–71. 32 John Percy Taylor 1934–1935 1 b.1868 – d.1945. Appointed High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1926. 33 Benjamin Kirkman 1935–1936 1 b.c.1864 – d.1953. 34 James Alfred Russell 1936–1937 1 b.1873 – d.1948. 35 Thomas Halstead 1937–1938 1 36 James Entwistle 1938–1939 1 37 Charles Harold Beswick 1939–1940 1 b.1874 – d.1945. 38 Walter Wharton Tong 1940–1941 1 b.1890 – d.1978. Nephew of Thomas Barlow Tong, Mayor of Bolton 1906–08. Knighted on the 11 February 1955. 39 Alfred Booth 1941–1942 1 b.1893 – d.1965. Labour MP for Bolton East 1950–1951. 40 James Bleakley 1942–1943 1 b.1893 – d.1993. 41 Fred Bentley 1943–1944 1 42 Walter Bradley 1944–1945 1 43 Robert Demaine 1945–1946 1 b.1874 – d.1948. 44 Dr Horace Wilfred Taylor 1946–1947 1 45 John Henry Hampson 1947–1949 2 46 Thomas Glaister 1949–1950 1 b.1886 – d.1974. Grandson of Thomas Glaister, Mayor of Bolton 1881–82, and brother-in-law of William Wharton Tong, Mayor of Bolton 1940–41. 47 Helen Wright 1950–1951 1 b.1892 – d.1970. The first female Mayor of Bolton. 48 Thomas Parry Dunning 1951–1952 1 b.1893 – d.1973. 49 James Vickers 1952–1953 1 b.1895 – d.1972. 50 James Parkes, 1953–1954 1 b.1893 – d.1980. 51 Peter Flanagan 1954–1955 1 b.1887 – d.1964. 52 Stanley Entwistle 1955–1956 1 died 1978. 53 Peter Lowe 1956–1957 1 b.1904 – d.1986. 54 Frank Young 1957–1958 1 b.1904 – d.1977. 55 Elizabeth Ann Ashmore 1958–1959 1 b.1895 – d.1972. 56 Edwin Taylor 1959–1960 1 b.1905 – d.1973. Conservative MP for Bolton East 1960–64. 57 James Gradwell 1960–1961 1 b.1891 – d.1972. 58 William Harold Bateson 1961–1962 1 b.1897 – d.1967. 59 John Arthur Childs 1962–1963 1 b.1899 – d.1965. 60 Thomas Connor 1963–1964 1 61 Harry Wood 1964–1965 1 62 Charles Henry Lucas 1965–1966 1 Awarded a CBE in 1970. 63 Nora Vickers 1966–1967 1 64 Clarence Leat 1967–1968 1 b.1892 – d.1973. 65 Ethel Maisie Ryley 1968–1969 1 66 Herbert Glynn 1969–1970 1 b.1908 – d.1995. 67 Dr John Richard Monks 1970–1971 1 b.1911 – d.1985. Son of Dr Ernest Monks, Mayor of Bolton 1933–34. 68 Arnold Townend 1971–1972 1 69 Alan Ellis Clarke 1972–1973 1 b.1931. Triplet brother of Donald Stewart Clarke, Mayor of Bolton 1977–78. 70 Henry Devenish 1973–1974 1 b.1926 – d.2010.

Transitional Mayor No. Mayor Party Tenure Terms Notes 1 John Collins Hanscomb 1973–1974 1 Councillor for Deane cum Heaton Ward. Chairman (1973–1974) and Transitional Mayor (1974) during the dissolution of the County Borough and the foundation of the Metropolitan Borough.

Metropolitan Borough Mayors