La Mancha and Morris Family 1833-1871
Thomas Morris was born in Wigan in 1794. He trained and worked as a solicitor in the Wigan area.
He married Ann Robinson on 22nd January 1829 at All Saints Church, Wigan. She was the daughter of Henry Robinson of Henry Robinson and Co. of Wigan, brewers.
On 7th January 1830, their daughter, Ellen Ann Robinson Morris was born.
In 1833, Ann’s father, Henry Robinson died. After his death, Thomas Morris took over his father-in-law’s business as a brewer and wine & spirit merchant. He gave up his occupation as a solicitor. In the process, he gained 3 properties: La Mancha in Shirdley Hill, Halsall; Brunswick Villa, Manchester Road, Southport and Fairhurst Hall, Wrightington. In 1841, according to the Southport census, the family was living at Brunswick Villa.
In 1846 he was elected as a town councillor in the All Saints Ward, Wigan. He was chosen as the chief magistrate of the borough in November 1846. By 1847 he was the mayor of Wigan and when in 1848 his term of town councillor expired, he was re-elected and remained in the corporation for 3 more years.
In Mannex’s Directory of Mid-Lancashire 1854, he is listed in the Halsall Directory as living at La Mancha, Shirdley Hill.
In the 1861 census he was living at Fairhurst Hall, Wrightington with 4 servants while his wife and daughter were living at the family residence, Brunswick Villa, Manchester Road, Southport.
Ann Robinson Morris, Thomas’s wife of forty years, died in 1869.
In the 1871 census, which was taken on 2nd April, he was living at Fairhurst Hall with his daughter, Ellen.
Thomas Morris, who had been in ill health for many years, died on 20th May 1871 at Fairhurst Hall, Wrightington.
On the day of his funeral, 24th May 1871, a special train left Wigan at 9 O’clock in the morning, taking a number of his friends to Newburgh station. The body was carried from Fairhurst Hall to the station at Newburgh and brought by the special train to Wigan, arriving at 12 noon. Employees of Mr. Morris bore the body to the Parish Church of Wigan, All Saints. The interment took place in the family vault in the new graveyard.
Ellen Ann Robinson Morris was the daughter of Ann Robinson and Thomas Morris. She was born at Fairhurst Hall, Wrightington on 7th January 1830. She spent the first thirty years of her life between La Mancha in Shirdley Hill and Brunswick Villa in Southport, mostly with her mother. However, her mother died in 1869 when Ellen was 39 years old and at a time when her father was not in good health either.
In 1870, in memory of her mother, she offered to fund the building of a new church at Parbold in Lancashire. On 26th September 1870, a ceremony was held on the chosen site, for the laying of the foundation stone of what was to become Christ Church, Parbold. Speeches were made, hymns were sung and a presentation was made to Miss Morris of an engraved silver trowel from the churchwardens of the 14th-century Douglas chapel (which was being replaced) and the people of the local community. The Wigan Observer & District Advertiser reported on the event and stated that the cost of the church would be over £5000. The church was completed and consecrated in 1875.
Without her parents to look out for her, a court case arose and Ellen was officially declared a lunatic in the case of Morris v Morris, 1872.
In June 1875, just a couple of months before Christ Church at Parbold was completed, there was yet another court case. This time in the Probate Court which questioned the 2 codicils of Thomas Morris. It was stated by various family members (next of kin, after Ellen Ann Morris), that Thomas Morris was not of sound mind when left everything to his daughter. Attention was also drawn to the fact that his daughter was a lunatic.
However, Thomas Morris was, on the whole, spoken of very highly by friends, business acquaintances and servants. Mr. Walter Mayhew, solicitor for Thomas Morris for many years, said he believed that his client knew exactly what he was doing when reading and signing the codicils. Walter Mayhew also attended to the affairs of Miss Morris, which benefited him greatly in the future.
During the court case, reference was made to Thomas Morris’ time spent at La Mancha with his wife and daughter. He would also entertain friends including James Burrows, the mayor of Wigan who would be invited to go shooting at La Mancha. In addition, James Carr who had been the gamekeeper at La Mancha for the past 17 years spoke in favour of his employer. He had also supported Morris at the funeral of his wife, Ann Robinson Morris in 1869.
After 5 long days in court hearing evidence a decision was made in favour of Ellen Ann Robinson Morris.
Having built a church and won the Probate case, Ellen moved to Portobello House, West Norwood in Surrey for the rest of her life. She was cared for by her companion, Eliza Cross and various servants throughout the years. On the 1881 and 1891 census records, she was still referred to as being a ‘lunatic’.
James Carr, the gamekeeper at La Mancha for the Morris family, was living at Fairhurst Hall in 1881 with his wife and family. His occupation at this time was a farmer.
In 1894 Ellen’s company of Henry Robinson and Co. was offered for auction. This included the brewery, 86 public houses, an extensive wine and spirit store in Rodney Street, Wigan – in effect absolutely everything, even the horses, carriages and beer barrels.
The auction took place at the Public Hall, King Street, Wigan on 28th September 1894 and the successful bidders were Magee, Marshall & Co. They purchased the company for £150,000 which is approximately 14 million pounds in today’s money. This made Ellen Morris a very wealthy lady indeed.
She continued to live in Portobello House but also spent time at the property, Hendersyde which was an impressive villa overlooking Tor Bay in Torquay. Torquay was a popular retreat for wealthy Victorian families.
Ellen was there in 1911, with her companion Harriet Bainbridge and an entire household of staff including 2 mental health nurses, a butler, 2 cooks, a housemaid, footman, kitchen maid and coachman.
Ellen Ann Robinson Morris, born in Fairhurst Hall, resident of La Mancha and Brunswick Villa, died on 24th January 1915 at Portobello House, London. She was 85 years old.
Ellen was buried at Christ Church, Parbold. Her funeral took place on 29th January 1915 and a note was written in the burial records stating the fact she had built the church at Parbold in memory of her mother.
Probate was granted on 29th April 1915 to Walter Morris Mayhew, J.P. He was the solicitor who had worked for her and her parents all those years. However, the inclusion of ‘Morris’ in his name is a mystery as he was never baptised as such.
The effects of the marvellous Miss Morris totalled £545,727 19s. and 5d in 1915 – approximately 47 million pounds today!
