Irchester’s Loss - Prominent Resident Dies Suddenly
A Busy Public Man

News of the death of Mr. Edward Parsons, J.P., The Cottage Irchester, has come with startling suddenness, and has occasioned much sorrow. He was out as usual on Friday, but passed away on Sunday evening at eight o’clock, heart disease being the cause of his death. He was 76 years of age. Educated in early life at Irchester, he afterwards went to a school kept by Mr. Sanderson at Higham Ferrers and finished his course at the Wesleyan School at Biggleswade, under Mr. John Conquest.

He was one of the busiest of public men and always seemed hale and hearty, though of later years he had been subject to an affection of the heart. He was a man with a keen wit, could always enter into a little banter with anyone, and was never at a loss to give a smart reply.

He was a farmer and also head of the business which has made pork pies famous over a wide area.

He was a son of the late Mr. Thomas Parsons, of Irchester, who, in addition to the general business was also a farmer.

For forty years Mr. Parsons had taken an active part in the public life of Irchester and district. He had been a member of the Wellingborough Board of Guardians for between thirty and forty years, served on the old Rural Sanitary Authority and the Highway Board. He had been a member of the Parish Council and was for many years chairman of the body. He was also chairman of the local School Managers.

He was a keen educationist. The education arrangements of Irchester up to a few years ago were of a somewhat peculiar character, being fraught with possibilities of friction and it was mainly due to Mr. Parsons’ tact that matters went o smoothly. In a parish where among residents there has always existed a preponderance of feeling in favour of unsectarian education it has been a difficult thing to work a parochial school system without trouble arising. There were only two Non-conformists on the managing body – of which for many years Mr. Parsons was correspondent – but with the aid of splendid schoolmasters the highest grants were earned and the calls upon the voluntary subscribers were kept as low as possible. After the passing of the Education Act, however, difficulties quickly arose and Mr. Parsons could see that there would be no satisfactory solution till Council schools were established. To the accomplishment of this object, therefore, Mr. Parsons set his hand, and the parish was equipped with thoroughly up-to-date new schools, the whole being under the control of the County Council. At the opening of the new schools by Mr. Stopford Sackville, Mr. Parsons entertained a large body of educationalists.

Mr. Parsons was also the prime mover in securing a free library for Irchester. Communications with Mr. Andrew Carnegie induced the multi-millionaire to promise £1,000 for a building. Lady Wantage gave the site and now a building has been erected thereon which is the envy of less fortunate parishes.

As a Guardian he has rendered good service as chairman of the Farm Committee and a member of the Assessment Committee. He was also a Land Tax and Income Tax Commissioner and a member of the district Old Age Pensions Committee. Mr. Parsons was a Liberal and a Non-Conformist, being a staunch adherent to the Wesleyan cause in the village and having been choirmaster for many years. He married a daughter of the late Mr. John Radcliffe, farmer, of Wilby, who survives him. He had two sons Mr. Frank Parsons, the present head of the business and one of the Rural Councillors for Irchester and Mr. Thomas Parsons, who is in the sugar plantations in the Malay States. He had four daughters, Mrs. Baker (of Rushden), Miss Elsie, Miss Mary Parsons (of Irchester) and Miss May Parsons, who is in the nursing profession.