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Brentford Councillors - Thomas Grant

Introduction

Thomas Grant (1867 - 1943)

He was a fishmonger at 5, Albany Road at the time and the Middlesex Independent reported that he had put himself forward as ‘a businessman for a business Council’. He was apparently well known in the district and took ‘a deep interest in the town’s institutions’ and supported local causes generously. ‘He wants to see a strenuous effort made to bring back to the town something of its old prosperity and would work hard towards that end’ it continued. It seems that he was a subscribing member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Ratepayers Association although their nominees were Messrs Commins, Davidge, Foster and Griggs. (Mr Commins was their only nominee to be elected). Mr Grant was also ‘one of the most prominent and earnest supporters of the Philanthropic Society which has done so much for Brentford’.
Reporting the results the newspaper said ‘Mr Grant comes in with flying colours, second on the poll and seeing that it was the first occasion on which he came in to the arena he has achieved a great triumph’.

All Councillors were on the General Purposes Committee and in 1923/4 Mr Grant was on the Market, Maternity and Child Welfare Committees and the St George’s School Manager. His name appears on the dedication stone at Boston Manor House when it was opened by Lady Cooper in 1924.
1924/5 he was on the Market, Library and Museum, Metropolitan Water Board Joint (No 4) Committees and was the Roman Catholic Schools manager.
In 1925/6 he was on the Baths, Library and Museums, Maternity and Child Welfare, Water Board and Pensions Committees and was the School manager for St John’s School.

In March 1925 it was reported that he had attended 60 out of a possible 62 meetings.
In 1926/7 he was on the Market, Baths, Library and Museum, Maternity and Child Welfare, Water Board and Pensions Committees and still the Manager for St John’s school.
He is on the photograph at the last Council meeting before the amalgamation with Chiswick and in 1928 one of the 12 Brentford Ward Councillors in the Urban District Council of Brentford and Chiswick. He is listed as a member attending the AGM in April 1928 and a member 1928/9 but appears to have resigned or not been re-elected in 1929.

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There is a family tree for the Payne/Sheridan family on the ancestry website with a child Thomas born 4.11.1866 and died 1867. His parents were William (b 1838) and mother Martha (1841 – 1911) a copy of the baptism register for St George’s Church on ancestry which shows William as a fish hawker.
A later entry has Thomas Benjamin Grant baptised at St George’s on December 15th 1867. Oddly no parents are shown but father’s employment is given as ‘fish hawker’ but I think this must be the boy who became the Councillor.

I can’t find the family in the 1871 census but in 1881 think he must be the Thomas Grant living in Back Lane, Brentford.
The household was Martha Grant widow aged 38 (General Dealer), son, William (20) a basket maker, James 17, Thomas (13), William (7)* Robert (6). (* This seems rather odd to call 2 sons William but may be in memory of their father). All the family had been born in Brentford.

Ancestry has the entry from the marriage register at St Paul’s Church for December 23rd 1889. Thomas Grant (20) Fish Hawker of Albany Road Father William (hawker) married Sarah Ann West of Albany Road. Father, Richard West, (stoker). Witnesses, Richard West and Charlotte Bates.

In the 1891 census they were living at 8, The Barracks (one of the alleys off Albany Road) and Thomas was described as a costermonger and Sarah, a Garden Woman ( at this time there were still a lot of market gardens in the area).

In 1901 he was a Fishmonger working on his own account and the address was given as 3, Rose Cottage (also in Albany Road).
Their children Thomas (9), Louisa (6) and Sarah (4) had all been born in Brentford.

The electoral register shows his addresses as 1887 – Garden Cottages, Albany Road, 1894 Chapel Cottages, Back Lane, 1899, - 3, Albany Road and 1915 5, Albany Road.
The trade directories show him as a fishmonger at 5, Albany Road from 1913 to 1936.
In the 1915 Rate Book it was described as House Shop and Premises owned by Sanders Executors and rated at £19.
This address would have been on the south side of Albany Road with small alleys of houses between the road and the High Street. From 1937 the address doesn’t exist (possibly derelict or demolished) and Thomas Grant was living at 8, Phoenix Cottages, Brook Lane North (these cottages were next to the railway and were damaged during bombing in 1944).

I think the most likely record of his death is aged 77 and registered December 1943 3a 252.

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Page published April 2013