Bygone Bury Author:John Lord Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: BYGONE BURY. " 'Tis opportune to look back upon old times and contemplate our forefathers."—Sir Thomas Browne. From the Bury Times, April 3rd, 1897. ... more »CHAPTER I. THERE was another Bury, different from that described in the preceding sketches by " N," which will give readers food for thought. I do not wish unkindly to reflect upon the two papers, but I feel disappointed after perusal of both. Goldsmith's line at the head of the first paper does not express my feelings towards the Bury so described. For one reason, the quotations from other writers, intended to more suitably express the present historian's feelings than he does himself, somewhat annoy my sense of fitness. Then again, as describing the founder of the Wrigley family fortunes, " dynasty " does not beseem the person referred to as "laid up in lavender," or his descendants. They would be the first to disclaim all title to be " a race of kings," and " Owd Jimmy," as I recall him going about the homestead farm at Ash Meadows, was certainly not a type of man I could imagine would be contented to be " laid up in lavender." I may be wrong, but I will hazard the statement that " Bridge Hall" scarcely conveys an accurate description of the scene ofthe Wrigleys' early endeavours. Bridge Hall proper was a portion of Grundy's works for worsted spinning and wool-dyeing. " Bridge Hall Paper Mills " would lead an old Bury native in idea to " Broad Oak," a good piece of a mile beyond Bridge Hall. My earliest recollections go back to my working days at the waste-picking and white-willowing, about 1843, under the management of Tom Wilson. He was a genial, kindly-spoken person, liked by young and old. I can yet recall the troubled state of mind when the Soho took fire in the middle of the day. It seemed terrible, the des...« less