July 28th 1914 lester longworth haselden to louis hampson
Bolton, Lancashire to wigan, lancashire
11 miles
the message
"Peel Mills, Bolton July 28 1914
Dear Sir
Referring to your letter of the 20th instant to Mr Oddy. In the matter of the 864 shares in Knowles Ld held by the executors of the late F. A. Hampson. I should be glad to hear what you are asking for these at the present time. I made an offer for them about a year ago of 21/6 which you did not entertain, but I do not remember that you made an offer to sell at a price
Your truly
Lester Haselden
L Hampson Esq
Wigan"
THe sender
Lester Longworth Haselden (1874-1941) was born in Bolton and was a member of a prominent Bolton family. His parents were Thomas Haselden (1847-1888) and Emma Gerrard (1848-1929). Thomas was an architect. In the 1911 census Lester's occupation is given as Cotton Spinner (Master), but this is qualified to say that he is an employer. He is the head of the household which includes his widowed mother, and his three sisters (two music teachers and one medical gymnast) and a housemaid and a cook.
In 1911 Lester married Eliza Hesketh Tillotson (1877-1967), the daughter of William Frederick Tillotson (1844-1889) and Mary Jaques (1844-1918). William was a member of the family who founded and published The Bolton Evening News newspaper.
the recipient
Louis Hampson (1867-1947) was the son of William Hampson (1832-?) and Mary (1829-?). William worked as a cashier at a solicitor's in Wigan. Louis was a solicitors clerk in Wigan. In 1892 Louis married Cecilia Mary Smith (1873-1952).
Among Louis' siblings was Francis Aloysius Hampson (1856-1912) who was married to Mary Winnard (1867-1919). Francis was a bank manager in Wigan.
the places
Wigan, Lancashire
Bolton, Lancashire
what the letter says to us
The letter is written on headed notepaper. The heading is Peel Mills, Bolton. In 1914 Peel Mills, a collection of 4 cotton mills, were owned by Knowles Ltd which had been formed in 1904 through the amalgamation of a number of cotton firms owned by the Knowles family and it continued to trade into the 1950s.
In 1914, when this letter was written, Lester Longworth Haselden was a director of Knowles Ltd.
The letter refers to the death of Francis Aloysius Hampson in 1912. He apparently had shares in Knowles Ltd and Lester Haselden wanted to buy them from his estate. He had tried in 1913 for 21 shillings and 6 old pennies. That translates into £1 and 7.5p which today would be worth about £105. It doesn't seem a great deal of money.
The phrasing in the letter is a curious mix of formality and colloquialism. One would expect Lester Haselden to be well educated, but he doesn't come across in that way. "I should be glad to hear what you are asking".
There remain of course a number of unanswered questions. Was this a shrewd investment on the part of the bank manager Francis Hampson? How important were the shares to the control of Knowles Ltd? Was 21/6 a fair price? Did the estate sell?