John and William Biggs
Left: Monument to John Biggs Right: Monument to William Biggs
John Biggs 1801-71
John Biggs was a hosier who run his own business in the town. He was a kind and benevolent
boss who was well regarded by his workers. After the slump of 1838, for instance, his was
the first factory in Leicester to raise wages. His was also the first
firm in Leicester to abolish frame rents whereby the framework knitter had to pay
his master a rent for the frame upon which he worked.
In the 1840s there was much agitation for the abolition of these rents as they were deemed an
unfair burden on the knitter - other factories did not make a charge for
the use of their machines so why should the hosiers?
In politics John was a Reformer and in 1830 founded the Leicester Political Union. In 1835
he was elected a Liberal councillor, serving the town in the office of Mayor on three occasions
- 1840, 1847, and 1855. In 1838 he founnded the Leicester Anti-Corn Law League whose aim it
was to achieve freer imports and exports and by so doing bring down the price of bread.
In 1856 he was elected one of the town's two MPs, a post he held until 1862 when,
on the collapse of his hosiery business, he applied for the Chilton Hundreds.
A generous man whose kindness and benevolence gained for him the respect
of all who knew him. John Biggs' memory is honoured in Leicester
with a statue in Welford Place.
William Biggs 1805-1881
William Biggs, who served the town as Mayor in 1842, 1848 and 1859, was one the main
advocates of Welford Road Cemetery. He also went into the family business in the course of which
he
travelled extensively in Europe and the USA. William was also involved in politics and on his
brother's founding of the Leicester Political Union became the organisation's secretary. He was
also secretary of the local Liberal Association and led his party in gaining the town's two seats
from the Tories in 1838. This was the first time that the Liberals had won seats in Leicester
and the two new
Members were chaired through the town in a procession of about 20,000 people.
In 1852 he was elected MP for Newport, Isle of Wight, a seat he held until 1857.
He was a
strong opponent of England's involvement in the Crimean War and wrote
a pamphlet entitled Never Go To War For Turkey. During the American Civil War
he often spoke out in support of the Union. He was also a believer in compulsory
national education - an ideal not achieved
in England until 1889.
