Tag: Mayor of Swindon

Alfred and Amy Haynes

Alfred William Haynes served as Mayor of Swindon 1917-18. It must have been a particularly difficult time to be a local politician as the Great War drew to a slow and painful conclusion.

Alfred William Haynes was born on October 13, 1862 and was baptised on December 7 at St. Leonard’s Church, Eynsham. Eynsham is an ancient village about 5 miles north west of Oxford. He spent his early childhood at Crown Crescent, (the site of a serious outbreak of typhoid in 1875) Acre End Street, with his parents John, a sawyer, his mother Ann (d 1874) and his four younger siblings, George, Florence, Arthur (d. 1874) and Frederick.

In 1880 Alfred married Rosa Major at St. Mark’s, Old Street, Shoreditch where he stated his age as 21 when in fact he was only 18. The newly married couple returned to Wantage where they lived with Rosa’s parents Frederick and Amy Major. Sadly, Rosa died on January 30, 1885 and was buried in Chain Hill Cemetery, Wantage.

At the time of the 1891 census Alfred was boarding with James White at 20 Regent Street and was employed in the Works as an Engine Fitter.

Alfred married for a second time on April 18, 1892 at St. Friedswide, New Osney, Oxford. His bride was Amy Whiting who worked as a domestic servant at the time of their marriage.

Alfred served as a councillor for the Kings Ward from around 1911 and was appointed an Alderman in 1915. He was appointed Mayor in 1917. In 1924 he was awarded the OBE in King George V’s Birthday Honours list for his work as Chairman of the Swindon, Chippenham & District War Pensions Committee.

He died on July 31, 1935 and was buried in grave plot C1820 where Amy joined him 10 years later.

The area in Section C where Alfred and Amy are buried.

Thomas Charles Newman – Mayor of Swindon

This pristine art deco gravestone proudly boasts the achievements of Thomas Charles Newman, Alderman and Mayor of Swindon in 1923.

Mr Newman served on the council for 32 years and during his Mayoral year welcomed King George V and Queen Mary on their first visit to Swindon.

Other less glamorous duties he performed that same year including opening the sewage works at Rodbourne and the hard tennis courts at Town Gardens.

Thomas Charles Newman was born in Swindon in 1878 and was educated at Sanford Street Schools.

He began his career in the printing trade as a printer’s devil (an apprentice who runs errands in a printing office) and went on to become a master printer and proprietor of the Borough Press Ltd.

He was chairman of the committee in charge of the new Civic Offices built close to his old home in Euclid Street and he had many interests outside of politics. He was involved with Swindon Town Football Club and the Wiltshire Football Association along with many other local organisations. He enjoyed gardening, singing and various sports, in particular angling.

Thomas Charles Newman died on October 14, 1941 and an obituary published in the Advertiser described him as an extremely popular and generous man who assisted in every way the town’s many causes, and took a special interest in housing and unemployment questions.

His funeral took place at Sanford Street Congregational Church on Saturday, October 18. A prominent freemason, Masonic honours were accorded at his funeral and 60 Freemasons headed the funeral cortege from Sanford Street up here to Radnor Street Cemetery.

Thomas was buried with his daughter Sybil who had died ten years previously aged 15. They were later joined by his wife Frederica who died in 1963, their son Leslie who died in 1989 and his wife Doris who died in 1983. The last member of the family to be buried here was grandson John Charles Newman who died in 2005.