Born: 1 June 1874, Rastrick
Died: 24 November 1956, Halifax Infirmary (aged 82)
John Jagger was the builder and contractor responsible for creating the Carr Lane parade of shops in 1925. He was the third of seven children, born to William and Mary Jagger.
Family & Early Life
He married Annie Marshall of Brighouse on 1 June 1898, when he was 24. At that time, John was working as a Cabinet Maker, while both his father (William) and Annie’s father (Solomon) were Stone Masons. The couple had:
- Beatrice Annie (1899–1905)
- Ethel Margaret (1902–1985), who never married and lived with her parents
- Twin sons: Arnold William & Gilbert Solomon (born 7 June 1908)
Slaithwaite to Brighouse and Back Again – Career & Business
Between 1905–1908, John moved his family to Mona Street on Hill Top, Slaithwaite, to build houses in the area. The family soon moved to Crimble Bank where the twins were born.
By 1911, the family had moved back to Brighouse and John’s occupation was listed as Joiner and Builder.
From 1915 to 1919 he served as a Conservative member of Brighouse Town Council.
The 1921 electoral register records him as a Builder and Contractor, employer Jagger Ibbitson & Bailiffe Bridge, with no fixed place of work.
The Carr Lane Development
- On 13 November 1924, Mr Jagger approached Slaithwaite Urban District Council to buy land and buildings on Carr Lane
- He purchased them on 26 March 1925 for £2450
- The shops were designed by Sharp and Waller, architects
- They were sold over the next few years to local traders (details of sales can be found on the shop timeline).
Later Years
In 1936, John, Annie and Ethel travelled on the Queen Mary from New York to Southampton. The 1939 national register listed John as retired.
Annie died in 1941, aged 67.
A family business, Jagger and Sons, was founded in 1947.
The Huddersfield and Holmfirth Examiner published John Jagger’s obituary on 1st December 1956. It stated that Mr Jagger had been a Freemason and a member of Lightcliffe Lodge. John died in 1956, he left his estate to his twin sons, Arnold and Gilbert. His daughter Ethel, who had lived with her mother and father all her life, survived him.
