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HeritageLEIGH has a great musical and literary heritage. Great operatic tenor Tom Burke was born in Mather Lane in 1890 and started his working life in a local silk mill. A burning desire to be a singer led him to the top, starring at Convent Garden and opera houses throughout the world. He became known as the 'Lancashire Caruso'.Oscar nominee and BAFTA winner Dame Judi Dench (Queen Victoria in the film 'Mrs Brown'), daughter of a Tyldesley GP, lived in the area for a short time. Georgie Fame was born plain Clive Powell in Leigh in 1943. After a spell as a pop star in the 1960's, he is now widely acclaimed as one of Britain's leading jazz singers. The author James Hilton was born in Wilkinson Street, Leigh in 1900. He is famous for three enduringly popular novels - Goodbye Mr Chips, Lost Horizons and Shangri La - which became even more successful films. One of Britain's best known newspaper columnist, Lynda Lee Potter (Daily Mail) was born and grew up in Leigh. England Test cricketer Angus Fraser lived in the area shortly after his birth. Another link with Leigh involves the celebrated 19th century religious poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, who spent three months living at St Joseph's, Bedford, in 1879. A Golborne man who achieved lasting fame is the boxer Peter Kane, who was world flyweight champion from 1938-43. He died in 1991 but will always be remembered as a fighter who won 127 of his 137 professional fights. A Lowton family which became famous in the annals of American history was that of Mather. In 1596 Richard Mather was born to Thomas and Margaret. Educated at Winwick Grammar, at the age of 15 he became the schoolmaster in Toxteth, and was ordained in 1620. Being a Puritan and a Presbyterian in his leanings, he was suspended from preaching in the Church of England. Richard followed in the wake of the Pilgrim Fathers and emigrated to Massachusetts Bay in 1635. His son Increase Mather became the President of Harvard University. Increase's son, Cotton Mather, was a great scholar, publishing nearly 500 books and articles on scientific subjects, and was the first American to be elected a member of the Royal Society.
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