Campbells
Campbells, and its offices at 16 Library Street, Wigan and 10 Cross Street, Hindley joined the Widdows family in 2001.
Campbell Pasquill & Bullough
Campbells was founded by Joseph Campbell in 1902, who practised originally from his home at 10 Cross Street, Hindley and subsequently took a lease on the upper floors of the newly-constructed Prudential Buildings in Library Street, Wigan (Library Street itself having only been laid out in 1899) in 1905. The firm was then called "Campbell & Co".
In the 1920's, Joseph Campbell took into partnership Joseph Pasquill, and subsequently F.O. Bullough. Norman Fleming, who had started with the firm as an office boy, qualified and later became a partner. The firm was then known as "Campbell Pasquill & Bullough".
Following the retirement and subsequent death of Mr Campbell, the firm maintained a presence at 10 Cross Street for many years on a part-time basis. Only in about 1980 were the premises purchased from the descendants of Joseph Campbell.
Following the decision of Prudential Insurance Company to vacate the ground floor premises for new offices, the then partners in Campbell Pasquill & Bullough purchased the building and the ground floor was completely refurbished. In the same year, a merger took place with the firm of Taylors Bridge.
Taylors Bridge
Taylors Bridge Baron & Sykes was an extremely long-established firm and was believed to have been in existence since 1793. For most if not all of its history, the firm practised from Old King's Head Chambers at 17 Market Place, Wigan. The offices were situated on the upper floors of the building, above what was originally a public house.
By the middle of the 19th century the firm was known as "Taylor & Sons", from which it is assumed that the founder of the firm had been a Mr Taylor. In about 1910, Mr Bridge joined the firm, followed by Stanley Baron and then Cyril Sykes. The firm was then known as "Taylor Sons & Smith", the Smith being Arthur Smith who left between the wars to become Clerk to the Justices and subsequently started the firm of Arthur Smith & Broadie-Griffith. Gerard McHugh joined the firm as a Clerk after war service and later qualified as a solicitor. When he unexpectedly died in 1977, Malcolm Capstick joined the firm to assist Hubert Bryan Taylor who had himself become a partner with Gerard McHugh in 1964.
The firm of Taylors Bridge had the distinction of being solicitors to two Local Authorities up to Local Government re-organisation in 1974. These were Ashton in Makerfield, where Mr Sykes and Mr Bridge were resident, and Standish, where Stanley Baron resided at Prospect House.
Following the merger, the firm became known simply as "Campbells", and following the merger with Widdows Mason, "Widdows Campbell" for a short period.