Forest of Rossendale. 253 



became a mere nonentity in politics. Mr. Munn undoubtedly 

 felt his altered position acutely at times, for, to salve over his 

 political conscience, he was often in the habit of asserting, and 

 even laboured to prove to his intimate friends, that it was not his 

 opinions that had undergone a change, but those of the able men 

 with whom he had been wont to associate. Mr. Munn was a 

 bitter and persistent opponent of the Ten Hours Factory Bill, and 

 he never was reconciled to the loss, as he declared it to be, of the 

 " two golden hours " of the working day. 



In his religious views he was unobtrusive and widely tolerant, 

 and, although he attended the Established Church, in matters of 

 faith he inclined to the opinions of Emanuel Swedenborg. 



Mr. Munn married Miss Howorth, sister of Mr. John Howorth, 

 of Bacup, and had a family of two sons and five daughters. His 

 wife died in 1873. The melancholy death of his eldest son, 

 James, a gentleman of considerable promise, and possessed of a 

 genial and kindly temperament, who was drowned by the upsetting 

 of a yacht at Lytham, affected him more severely than to a 

 superficial observer might appear, and helped to cloud his latter 

 years. At the time of his death, on Saturday, the 19th April, 

 1879, he was in his 8oth year. 



John Aitken was born at Kidderminster in the year 1820, but 

 came early to Rossendale, where he spent the greater part of his 

 life. For many years, he, with his brothers, and latterly on his own 

 account, carried on the business of cotton spinning and manu- 

 facturing at Bacup. He was appointed a County Justice in 1862, 

 and became an active and useful member of the bench. Mr Aitken 

 took a prominent part in the Volunteer movement at its inception, 

 and was eventually gazetted as Captain of the Rossendale Corps. 

 In politics he was an ardent Liberal, and for many years was a 

 leader of the Party in Bacup and the district. He succeeded Mr. 

 Lawrence Heyworth as President of the Bacup Mechanics' 

 Institution, and in that capacity delivered many interesting and 

 thoughtful addresses. His literary and scientific attainments were 



