Historian Arthur R Nicholls reveals the story of Kendal character Jimmy Wiggins

Over the centuries Kendal has had its share of local characters, from the legendary Dickie Doodle in the time of Richard I to the present day.

One of the most notable of the 19th century was Jimmy Wiggins, a weaver who lived all his life, except for a term in prison, in Wildman Street, the middle of ‘Doodleshire’.

You couldn’t mistake Jimmy for anyone else. He was quite grotesque, being deformed on one side, and he was the cause for much laughter and ribald comments from passers-by.

He always carried a stick to support himself, a mountaineer’s alpenstock decorated with blue ribbons. Both Doodleshire and the blue ribbons were important to him.

Jimmy was an inveterate ballad-monger, who frequented the old Pump Inn, where he sang his ballads, holding forth about his hero, the Liberal Henry Brougham of the Blue Party, and deriding his opponents of the Tory Yellow Party.

His ballads were hardly of the best quality verse but they had punch and hit home hard. To be put into one of Jimmy’s songs was a fate too awful to be taken lightly.

On one occasion the Mayor of Kendal struck out at James Carradus, the town’s police officer. Jimmy wrote the following piece of doggerel: “His worship the Mayor got drunk one day and struck at Carradas, Jimmy. A better man there’s not in town, I’ll wager half a guinea. For he and all his family they are honest, they are true. The only fault his worship has ‘t was because was a Blue!”

Jimmy was a staunch supporter of the Liberal Party. He was no fool and in a political crowd once, the speaker asked him who he thought he was to have the effrontery of asking a question. Jimmy replied: “I’m a note of interrogation and that means a little crooked thing that asks questions.”

In 1829 he became Mayor of Doodleshire and, holding his staff of office, topped with a blue ribbon of course, he rode on horseback the liberties of Doodleshire. On the way he drank well and had to be put to bed to sleep off the drink.

The sports became a farce. The prizes were lost and the programme became muddled as the master of ceremonies too got drunk. Jimmy then recovered and joined in the fun.

Jimmy was well liked by everyone in the town. His ballads were accepted in good grace; he showed no malice to anyone despite his poking fun at them. He would not have a word said about Brougham.

An opponent once spoke against him and Jimmy said, “Houd thy tongue, thou great goose. Has ta got neither sense nor manners. Houd thy tongue or I’ll meck a song about thee and send thee down to the end of the world, just like what thou is”.

He died in the Workhouse in 1838 praising his hero Henry Brougham.