Century-old picture shows what Wigan's first female councillor was up against

And as this 100-year-old photograph shows, Wigan’s first female councillor Martha Hogg, had a lot to contend with.

The image is of the Wigan Mayoral Banquet of James Martland Ainscough JP in November 1922.

And it shows a 50-year-old Martha in the very bottom right: the only woman in a roomful of (mostly old) men.

Born into poverty in 1872, Martha was the third of six children to John and Margaret. She left school aged 13 and worked in a cotton mill, but on her marriage to William Hogg in 1891, was forced to leave her job, as was the custom.

The couple lived in Greenough Street, and had four children.

Martha became a midwife in 1912 and delivered thousands of babies across Wigan, working in the poverty-stricken communities of industrial Wigan, which were later immortalised in George Orwell’s book The Road To Wigan Pier.

She was shocked by what she saw and joined the Labour party. She first stood for election, unsuccessfully, in 1919, narrowly missing victory by less than 100 votes. Undeterred, she ran again the following year, this time winning with a majority of 119 votes.

In doing so, she became one of only a handful of women councillors in Britain and the first in Wigan.

Local historian Tom Walsh said: “It is a fascinating picture and one which only heightens my admiration further for Martha Hogg. How she held her own in such a male-dominated environment is wonderful.”

The picture was donated by Anne Hurst to Wigan Local History and Heritage Society and subsequently Archives Wigan and Leigh.