The multi-talented Hezekiah CLOSE 13.1.1885 – 20.6.1950
I'm grateful to Ian Johnson for the following account of his grandfather (and my 2nd cousin once removed), and look forward with interest to the day when Ian publishes the full biography.
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| Hezekiah Close 1885-1950 |
Hezekiah was born in the mining & cotton mill town of
Leigh in South Lancashire, a town in previous agricultural times noted for its
excellent Leigh `Toaster` Cheese. He was
the fourth child and only surviving son of coal miner Melchizedeck Close and
cotton weaver Jennet Jamesey Porteous. His CLOSE family origins go back from
Leigh via Westhoughton, Pemberton, Orrell and the Shevington areas of
Lancashire then back in the 1790`s to the Grinton area of Swaledale in Yorkshire
where Hezekiah`s 2x Great Grandparents James CLOSE and Ann (Nanny) Harker
married just prior to them `emigrating` to the Wigan area of Lancashire. The reason for the move is not known but more
than likely could have been the running down of the lead mining industry in the
Swaledale area with the increase in the coal mining industry in Lancashire
offering a more secure future.
As a young child Hezekiah attended the local Methodist
School and showed an aptitude early on for music as well as demonstrating an
interest in all things mechanical, both of which would serve him well in his
future working life. He was also a keen footballer, playing for two local sides
in Leigh. Two team photographs have survived showing him as a teenager
representing Bedford White Star FC in the 1899/1900 season and Leigh Villa FC
in 1900/1901 season.
He was the first of his known CLOSE family male line to
deviate from being a miner (either lead or coal) but whether this was
influenced by the death of his grandfather William CLOSE at Albert Colliery,
Westhoughton in a fall down the pit shaft in 1854 can only be speculated upon.
On leaving school at age 12 he was apprenticed in 1897 to a local foundry which
specialised in the manufacture of farming implements and he eventually learned
his trade as a mechanic. He combined the work of a mechanic in the foundry during
the day with that of a musician playing in local theatres and brass bands
during the evening and weekends. He was certainly strongly endowed with the work ethic.
In 1905 he was playing in the orchestra of the Leigh Theatre
and was part of the Glazebury Prize Band that played at the civic opening of Leigh`s
new Town Hall in 1907, also performing
in the orchestra at the new Leigh Grand Theatre and Hippodrome which opened in 1908.
He became proficient enough both as a mechanic and a
musician to acquire sufficient capital to set up in his own business in the first
decade of the 20th century with a shop and workshop in premises on
Railway Road, Leigh. Marriage followed in 1908 to Louisa Shuttleworth at
Hezekiah`s Methodist church in Leigh with a second ceremony being performed a
year later at Louisa`s RC church in Bedford, Leigh. Louisa was to play a full part
in Hezekiah`s business whilst bringing up their three children. The business of
servicing farming implements and vehicles, motorcars and motorcycles as well as
selling motor cycles prospered until the onset of WW1 when Hezekiah was
seconded in a reserved occupation to the war effort as a mechanic in civilian war
work being based in London, only returning home on a monthly basis.
After the end of WW1 he re-joined his business which had
been kept going in a reduced capacity by Louisa and one employee. Hezekiah was
an avid motor cycle enthusiast having a motor cycle and sidecar in 1910 which
enabled him to take his young family out on regular Sunday trips. The business
continued to prosper and in 1922 Hezekiah designed his own marque of motor cycle
named the HCL (Hezekiah Close of Leigh). Again fortune has looked down as far
as family history research goes in that a sales leaflet for the HCL survives from
1922 which includes a photograph of the motor cycle that bears his initials
complete with a full technical specification as well as blueprints.
Unfortunately only six of the HCL motorcycles were
manufactured by Hezekiah before a local company whose fleet of vans he had
contracted to service went bankrupt, owing him the then princely sum of over
£800. He was unable to recover from this financial blow and had to close down
his business, but in a couple of years he had worked hard enough as a
professional musician to pay off any creditors and start again as a publican in
a mining area of Leigh in a public house called the Spring View Inn (which he
kept until his death in 1950). By now he
and his wife Louisa had a family of three girls Ena, Ivy & Louie – the
latter being my mother.
As a musician he had a varied career which took him abroad
for the first time in 1929 to Spain where he performed at the “International
Exhibition of Barcelona” and on one occasion performed before King Ferdinand of
Spain, again fortunately a photograph survives of this event. A second journey
abroad came in 1931 with a trip touring Canada performing with the World Champion
Brass Band, St. Hilda`s, culminating with the band performing at the Vancouver
Exhibition. His commemorative medal for partaking in the exhibition has
survived.
A feature of the St. Hilda’s concerts included Hezekiah`s soloist
performances on the xylophone and the glockenspiel with his speciality piece
called “The Two Imps”. In addition to his Brass Band career he played in orchestras
in various theatres around Britain including summer seasons at Colwyn Bay,
Blackpool, Bournemouth, Nottingham, Derby, Dundee, London, Wigan and Liverpool
to name a few.
He also combined seasonal theatre work with spells touring
in theatre company revues (musicals of their day) and the traditional
pantomimes at venues around Britain as well as abroad. Perhaps the most notable
of the revues performed by the musical companies he was involved with was the
revue “No No Nannette”. Many photographs
and documents (contracts etc.) relating to his musical work have survived which
serve to add a great deal of depth and colour to his life story.
From the early 1930`s he had owned a car which was a rarity in the
area he lived in although it was necessary for him to be able to attend the
theatre and return home long after public transport had ceased for the night. His
last position in the theatre was with the orchestra of The Royal Court Theatre
in Warrington where he played from 1935 until the evening before his death in July
1950. A stark contrast could be seen in the public house as he prepared to
leave home for work and chatted to black faced miners in their working attire
whilst he was dressed in an evening suit complete with silk scarf, silk top
hat, expensive Crombie overcoat, silver topped cane and grey spats covering his
black patent leather shoes - his sartorial elegance standing out as he made his
way out amongst the regular public house clientele.
It was not only the difference in clothes that set Hezekiah
aside from his public house customers as his working life had been far more
interesting, varied and exciting than theirs and that of his CLOSE ancestors.
Despite his many friendships with the stars of the stage, who often stayed as
guests at the public house, he remained a working engineer at heart as well as
a humble drummer.
He was the last male of my CLOSE ancestors with his middle
daughter Ivy, my aunt, being the last of the line to die in 2009 in Port
Elizabeth, South Africa at the age of 95. Although I was only eight and a half
years old when he died, due to my living with him at the public house I retain
many happy memories of a talented and loving grandfather and soon hope to do
justice to his life by completing a biography of him.
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