Great man left Padiham park ‘gift’

The park is essentially a product of a bequest made in 1915 at the height of the atrocities of the Great War in the will of Thomas Clayton of Burnley.

Thomas was born in Sabden Fold in 1825, where his parents were farmers and also ran a small grocer’s shop, supplying local handloom weavers with their basic foodstuff of oatmeal.

At the age of 26, Thomas Clayton married Ann Speak, at St Nicholas Church in Sabden.

Ann was the daughter of Hill and Peggy Speak who worked nearby Dean Farm. The farm still exists today and is one of the oldest houses in the area bearing a date of 1574.

Thomas and Ann went to work at Copthurst Farm near Higham and afterwards at Northwood, off Fir Trees Lane as a tenant farmer of Colonel Starkie of Huntroyde, for 30 years.

Although Thomas bred cattle, his greater love was horses and he became a regular face at both the cattle and horse fairs between Clitheroe, Skipton and beyond.

After the death of his wife 28 years later, Thomas lived at ‘Sunny Hurst’ in Manchester Road, Burnley and one of his greatest joys was to walk in Scott Park before his death at the age of 90.

His funeral took place at St Paul’s Church which used to stand in Saunderbank across from Burnley town hall before he was buried at St John’s Church at Higham.

His will published soon after stated that the income from several properties to be expended towards purchasing land in Padiham for a public park.

His trustees were his niece Sarah Jane Smith and two friends, Joseph Pickles, secretary of Burnley Borough Land and Building Society, and George Clayton, town missionary.

A group of Padiham gentlemen advanced the capital required for the new park on behalf of the Council, and in 1921 land was eventually acquired at Knight Hill along with the house of that name, the former home of Edward Drew, a member of the Drew family, the calico printers of Lowerhouse.

The park was officially opened in June 1921 to a design by Thomas Mawson, an influential landscape designer.