Mr J Claridge

The residents of Rushden and the District heard with deep sorrow of the death which occurred on Tuesday at 1.30 a.m. of Mr. John Claridge, J.P., C.C., aged 70, at his residence, Wellingborough-road, Rushden. Much sympathy has been felt and expressed with the deceased in his illness, which has been the deep concern of his family for many months. Mr. Claridge recently went to a nursing home near Northampton, and was under the constant attention of Dr. Milligan, but all that medical skill and nursing care could do were given but were in vain, and Mr. Claridge was brought home last Friday.

Mr. John Claridge was the eldest son of the late Mr. William Claridge, founder of the firm of boot manufacturers, Messrs. Wm. Claridge and Sons, Ltd.

Photos: The Rushden Argus, 17th June 1921

Above: Leaving the Church after a funeral service - below: In the Cemetery

The Local Board

Mr. Claridge has continuously been a member of the local governing body for Rushden ever since such has been in existence. Before the year 1891, when the old Local Board was formed, there was no executive authority in Rushden. A “Parish Committee,” which used to make recommendations to Wellingborough Rural Sanitary Authority was in being, and Mr. Claridge was one of its members. The first meeting of the Rushden Local Board was held on May 15th, 1891, and the members who had been elected to that body were: Messrs. Thos. Wilmott, now deceased, George Denton, John Claridge, William Clark, Geo. Hy. Skinner, W. H. Wilkins, Samuel Knight, junr., Albert Franklin, and Paul Cave. Mr. Wilkins was chairman of the Board throughout the whole period of its existence.

Urban powers being conferred on the town in 1895, the first election results were as follows: Messrs. John Claridge 663, George Denton 617, Thos. Wilmott 603, Fred Knight 493, W. H. Wilkins 475, Paul Cave 403, J. S. Clipson 373, Thomas Bromage 372, G. H. Skinner 352, John Spencer 329, Wm. H. Brawn 326, Arthur Cave 320. Mr. Wilkins was the first chairman, and Mr. Claridge the vice-chairman. On April 29th, 1897, Mr. Claridge was appointed chairman of the Urban Council. Four members retiring in 1898, Mr. Claridge headed the poll on April 5th, with a majority of 119 over the next candidate, and filled the chair again in 1903. Retiring automatically in 1904, he was again top of the poll. The whole Council, according to a new rule, retired in a body every three years from 1907. At the election in March of that year, Mr. Claridge gained 1,226 votes, the next candidate getting 946. In the 1910 election he was top with 1,108, a majority of 94 over the next elected member. He was chairman during 1911. The following (1913) was the only Urban Council election at which Mr. Claridge did not obtain more votes than any other candidate, Mr. C. Bates (1037) and Mr. W. Bazeley (1025) coming first and second, and Mr. Claridge third with 966. At the last election of the Rushden Urban Council, in 1919, the electors again placed full confidence in Mr. Claridge by putting him at the top with 1,622 votes; Mr. J. Spencer coming next with 1,546. The largely increased electorate noticeable in the latter case was the result of more votes being included (under the Representation of the People Act).

Mr. Claridge was made a magistrate for Northamptonshire in 1904.

He has also long been an Overseer.

Of the Higham Ferrers and Rushden Water Board, inaugurated in 1901, Mr. Claridge has been a member continuously, having been vice-chairman since 1907 up to last year, when, on the resignation of Mr. (then Ald.) Owen Parker, he was elected chairman, and held the office until the annual meeting in May, 1921.

On the formation of the Rushden and Higham Ferrers Gas Co., Mr. Claridge was appointed to the directorate, and was a director for the rest of his life. He was also a trustee of the Parochial Charities, and a trustee of the old Rushden Town Cricket Ground since it was handed over to the town.

The County Council

Mr. George Denton was the representative for the whole of Rushden on the Northants County Council for several years from the formation of that body under the Local Government Act of 1888. When Rushden was divided in 1898 into two “wards” or “divisions,” Mr. Paul Cave and Mr. John Claridge contested for the Southern Division, and the latter won the seat and held it to the time of his death. At the election of 1913 he was returned unopposed. In 1916 no election was held, owing to the war, and in 1919 Mr. Claridge was returned by 907 votes to 367 polled for Mr. H. H. Hobbs, the total electorate for the division being 3,302.

The committees of the County Council on which Mr. Claridge served of late were as follows: Road and Bridges, Public Health, Maternity and Child Welfare, Education, and the following sub-committees of the Education Committee: General Purposes, Elementary Education, Medical Inspection and Treatment, and the Boot and Shoe Instruction. He represented the County Council on the Chichele Educational Foundation at Higham Ferrers (the late Mr. Hirst Simpson being the only other representative of the County Council on that body).

Mr. Claridge was vice-chairman of the Rushden Education Sub-Committee, and Manager of the Rushden Council Schools, and had been a Manager of the National (Church of England) Schools for 30 years. He represented the County Council on the Higham Ferrers Education Sub-Committee, and was one of the Governors of the County High School at Wellingborough, representing the County Council. He had been a member of the now defunct School Board.

Mr. Claridge was the first hon. Secretary of the Rushden Men’s Adult School, a position which he occupied for very many years. On the formation of the Rushden Branch of the League of Nations Union he was appointed to the committee.

The Rushden Temperance society was started in 1840 by about 20 old Rushden residents, amongst whom was Mr. Wm. Claridge, Mr. John Claridge’s father. The original records, extremely interesting, show that the pioneers (the late Mr. John Cave being one) formed the Society on the pledge: “We voluntarily agree to abstain from all intoxicating liquors except for medical purposes and in religious ordinance.” This is dated December 9th, 1840, and on December 10th the first members were enrolled. Mr. John Claridge’s name first appears in the records for 1870, when he was appointed collector. The Band of Hope Union, which grew from the Temperance Society, was formed about the year 1870, Mr. J. Claridge being made secretary. He was appointed secretary of the Society in 1874, and filled the office with credit for 32 years. In 1906 he accepted the presidency of the Band of Hope Union. The members of the Rushden Temperance Society presented Mr. Claridge with an illuminated address and a portrait in oils of himself on the occasion of his resignation from the secretaryship. He has been a vice-president of the Temperance Society from that time.

One of the best-known institutions of Rushden, the Waverley Hotel, erected in 1881, was the outcome of pioneer work by the late Canon Barker, Mr. Geo. Denton, and Mr. John Claridge, each of whom has filled the chair on the Company’s Board of Directors. For over 30 years the hall at the back of the Hotel, in Coffee-Tavern Lane, was used and known as the Public Hall. During the past few years, under the chairmanship of Mr. Claridge, the directors had the Hall turned into a billiard hall. He was president and one of the trustees of the Rushden Temperance Band, and had done much to re-form the band from a nucleus of five members after the war.

In another branch of Temperance work, the Independent Order of Rechabites, Mr. Claridge was an active member. He was one of the “Charter” members of the “Morning Star” (Rushden) Tent of the Order, when the lodge opened in January, 1870. For many years he and Mr. J. T. Colson were auditors. Mr. Claridge attended the Jubilee celebrations at the Co-operative Hall, Rushden, in 1920.

Mr. Claridge was one of the founders of the Rushden Young Men’s Temperance Institute, and was one of the original trustees, being also appointed in a similar capacity when the trust was renewed recently on the purchase of the premises.

Considerable interest was always taken by Mr. Claridge in the Rushden Charity Football Cup, and he was re-elected a member of the committee on May 27th last.

The Hospital

The Rushden Hospital Week Committee, an organisation that has been an inestimable boon to Rushden for nearly half-a-century, has had the joint services as secretaries of Mr. Claridge and Mr. J. T. Colson, who resigned on January 7th of this year after more than 40 years of invaluable work for the Committee. Mr. Claridge has been chairman of the Rushden Nursing Association on several occasions, and vice-president for many years. He has also been chairman of the Rushden Distress Relief committee, inaugurated in December 1920.

The Rushden Free Library, valued by thousands of readers in the town, was the gift to Rushden of the late Mr. Andrew Carnegie, who, at the time he was presenting large sums of money to many towns in the country, was asked in letters sent – each unknown to the other – by Mr. C. Cross and Mr. John Claridge, to make a donation to Rushden for the purpose of instituting a library in the town. Mr. Claridge did much of the necessary organising work that led up to the erection and official opening of the magnificent building, the Rushden Free Library.

He was for 30 years a sidesman of St. Mary’s church, and, for many years until 1919, was a member of the old church Council, resigning when the new constitution was inaugurated.

There are left the widow, two sons, and two daughters, Mr. J. W. Claridge, Miss Effie Claridge, Miss Hilda Claridge, and Master Darnell Claridge.