Mayoress who danced with Prince Phillip and met the Queen dies aged 90

Margaret Brennan, from Eccleston, died on June 16 at the age of 90, leaving behind four children, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Margaret acted as Mayoress for her dad Thomas Hignett, pictured here with her four older brothers and Thomas (Image: Marina Cottam)

Margaret is the daughter of Thomas Hignett, a former Mayor in St Helens from 1954 to 1955, and she acted as his Mayoress as her mum had died a few years earlier.

Thomas was a councillor for what was then known as Central Ward for 30 years and named as an Alderman for the town.

Margaret with three of her children, some of her grandchildren and her great granddaughter (Image: Marina Cottam)

So when he took up his post as a widower, Margaret stood in to assist him as Mayoress aged just 21.

Her proud daughter Marina Cottam, from Eccleston, said: “At the time she was working as a secretary for a South Lancashire group of engineers but her hobby of public speaking stood her in good stead for the many and varied functions that she undertook and attended during her time in office.

“Her plethora of memories and experiences over the 12 months were very close to her heart and none more than when she met and entertained Queen Elizabeth II  and Prince Philip at the Town Hall during their visit to St Helens in October 1954 and she had the great honour and pleasure of dancing with Prince Philip on several occasions.

“Apparently when Prince Phillip was looking at pictures of all the past Mayors as they were then he noted that they all had long beards and said to my mum ‘they were a pretty rum bunch weren’t they?’ a story she often recalled even in her later years when she sadly was diagnosed with dementia.”

Margaret at her 90th birthday celebrations with family (Image: Marina Cottam)

Margaret later briefly moved to Northern Ireland and returned to St Helens as a single mum to four children where she worked as a PA.

She was even awarded a gold brooch in 1966 inscribed with the words ‘Past Mayoress County Borough of St Helens’ by Sir Harry Pilkington and Lady Pilkington in recognition of the public service, work and duties she had undertaken.

She received this alongside the other 14 ladies who had held the role over previous years.

In recent years Margaret visited many dementia groups in St Helens and during some of those visits came into contact with previous Mayor Cllr Sue Murphy, who on one occasion gave her a flower as a sign of respect ad invited her to the mayor's parlour.

Marina, 55, recalls: “That visit was wonderful, it brings a tear to my eye actually as it led to a most wonderful moment filled with happiness and grief when mum spotted the photo of her dad on the wall of past and present Mayors of the borough and reached up and touched it.

Margaret last year when she visited the Mayors parlour and saw a picture of her dad on the wall (Image: Marina Cottam)

“We got a picture of the moment and it was so emotional.”

Margaret grew up in Kirkland Street and following a short spell in Northern Ireland where she owned a hotel alongside her husband, she returned to Eccleston where she settled with her family.

She continued with her skills as a PA, within the probation service, until she retired.

Previous Mayor Sue Murphy with Margaret (Image: Marina Cottam)

Her family would like to thank the four community dementia groups (The Loving Arms, John Smith’s helping Hands, Forget Me Not Group and Musical memories) which became an integral part of Margaret's life offering friendship, happiness, laughter and fun when it mattered the most.