Pennington, Greater Manchester
Encyclopedia
Pennington, a suburb of Leigh
, Greater Manchester
is one of three ancient township
s, Pennington, Westleigh
and Bedford
that merged in 1875 to form the town of Leigh. The township extended to cover most of Leigh's town centre.
by Margery de Pennington in the early 13th century. Adam Pennington who took his name from the township was Lord of the manor
at the end of the 13th century. In 1312 the Bradshaws became the chief landowners and held the manor until 1703 residing at Pennington Hall. In 1579 there is a record of a water corn mill attached to the manor house, it was destroyed in a fire in 1829.
Pennington Hall was rebuilt in 1748 by Samuel Hilton and sold to the Gaskells of Thornes, Wakefield
in 1807.
which developed as a cottage industry.
, a judicial division of southwest Lancashire. It was one of six townships or vills that made up the ancient Ecclesiastical parish of Leigh. The townships existed before the parish. Under the terms of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 the townships formed part of the Leigh Poor Law Union
which was established on 26 January 1837 comprising an area covering the whole of the ancient parish of Leigh and part of Winwick. The workhouse
s in Pennington, Culcheth, Tyldesley, and Lowton, but they were replaced by Leigh Union workhouse
at Atherleigh in the 1850s. The Local Government Act, 1858, was adopted by the township in 1863 and Pennington Local Board of Health was established. In 1875 it became part of that of Leigh Local Board of Health. By a Local Government
Order in 1894 the civil parish of Pennington merged with Westleigh
, Bedford
and part of Atherton
to form Leigh Urban District
The geology consists entirely of the pebble beds of the bunter series of the new red sandstone
, with an area of alluvium
in the low ground by the Pennington Brook.
passed through Pennington.
The Bridgewater Canal
crosses the township for a short distance on the south side of Leigh town centre.
A station, formerly called Bradshaw Leach Station and later renamed Pennington Station
, was built on the Bolton, Leigh and Kenyon
branch of the London and North Western Railway
at the junction with the Tyldesley Loopline
of the same railway.
Leigh, Greater Manchester
Leigh is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Wigan, and west of Manchester. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss....
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
is one of three ancient township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
s, Pennington, Westleigh
Westleigh, Greater Manchester
Westleigh, a suburb of Leigh, Greater Manchester is one of three ancient townships, Westleigh, Bedford, Greater Manchester and Pennington, that merged in 1875 to form the town of Leigh.-Toponymy:...
and Bedford
Bedford, Greater Manchester
Bedford, a suburb of Leigh, Greater Manchester is one of three ancient townships, Bedford, Pennington and Westleigh, that merged in 1875 to form the town of Leigh.-Toponymy:...
that merged in 1875 to form the town of Leigh. The township extended to cover most of Leigh's town centre.
Toponymy
Pennington derives either from the Old English meaning "a farmstead or small holding paying a penny rent" or a "settlement associated with a man named Pinna". Pennington has been variously recorded as Pininton in 1246, Pynynton in 1360, Penynton in 1305, Pynyngton in 1351 and 1442, and Penyngton in 1443.Manor
Historically Pennington comprised one manor surrounded by a small settlement. Land in Pennington was gifted to Cockersand AbbeyCockersand Abbey
Cockersand Abbey is a former abbey near Cockerham in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. It was founded before 1184 as the Hospital of St Mary on the marsh belonging to Leicester Abbey. It was refounded as a Premonstratensian priory and subsequently elevated to an abbey in 1192...
by Margery de Pennington in the early 13th century. Adam Pennington who took his name from the township was Lord of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
at the end of the 13th century. In 1312 the Bradshaws became the chief landowners and held the manor until 1703 residing at Pennington Hall. In 1579 there is a record of a water corn mill attached to the manor house, it was destroyed in a fire in 1829.
Pennington Hall was rebuilt in 1748 by Samuel Hilton and sold to the Gaskells of Thornes, Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
in 1807.
Industrial revolution
After 1800 the township of was dominated by the textile industry which developed from handloom weavingWeaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
which developed as a cottage industry.
Governance
Historically, Pennington formed part of the Hundred of West DerbyWest Derby (hundred)
The hundred of West Derby was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in northern England. It was sometimes known as West Derbyshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of West Derby .It covered the southwest of Lancashire, containing the ancient...
, a judicial division of southwest Lancashire. It was one of six townships or vills that made up the ancient Ecclesiastical parish of Leigh. The townships existed before the parish. Under the terms of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 the townships formed part of the Leigh Poor Law Union
Poor Law Union
A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...
which was established on 26 January 1837 comprising an area covering the whole of the ancient parish of Leigh and part of Winwick. The workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
s in Pennington, Culcheth, Tyldesley, and Lowton, but they were replaced by Leigh Union workhouse
Leigh Union workhouse
Leigh Union workhouse, also known as the Leigh workhouse and after 1930, Atherleigh Hospital, was a workhouse built in 1850 by the Leigh Poor Law Union on Leigh Road, Atherton in the historic county of Lancashire.-Background:...
at Atherleigh in the 1850s. The Local Government Act, 1858, was adopted by the township in 1863 and Pennington Local Board of Health was established. In 1875 it became part of that of Leigh Local Board of Health. By a Local Government
Order in 1894 the civil parish of Pennington merged with Westleigh
Westleigh, Greater Manchester
Westleigh, a suburb of Leigh, Greater Manchester is one of three ancient townships, Westleigh, Bedford, Greater Manchester and Pennington, that merged in 1875 to form the town of Leigh.-Toponymy:...
, Bedford
Bedford, Greater Manchester
Bedford, a suburb of Leigh, Greater Manchester is one of three ancient townships, Bedford, Pennington and Westleigh, that merged in 1875 to form the town of Leigh.-Toponymy:...
and part of Atherton
Atherton, Greater Manchester
Atherton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire. It is east of Wigan, north-northeast of Leigh, and northwest of Manchester...
to form Leigh Urban District
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
Geography
The township of Pennington covered an area of 1,482 acres, much of it below 75 feet above mean sea level, but slightly higher to the north of Pennington Brook, which crosses the township from west to east, The highest point is a little over 100 ft. in the south-west near Aspull Common. The township extended into what is now Leigh town centre where the ancient parish church was on the boundary with Westleigh.The geology consists entirely of the pebble beds of the bunter series of the new red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, with an area of alluvium
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
in the low ground by the Pennington Brook.
Transport
The turnpike road from Bolton to St HelensSt Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
passed through Pennington.
The Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
crosses the township for a short distance on the south side of Leigh town centre.
A station, formerly called Bradshaw Leach Station and later renamed Pennington Station
Pennington railway station
Pennington Station was a railway station at Pennington, Leigh, Greater Manchester, England on the Bolton and Leigh Railway. It was situated within the historic county of Lancashire....
, was built on the Bolton, Leigh and Kenyon
Kenyon, Warrington
Kenyon is a village in the civil parish of Croft in the borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England.-History:Kenyon was recorded as Kenien in 1212...
branch of the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
at the junction with the Tyldesley Loopline
Tyldesley Loopline
The Tyldesley Loopline was the London and North Western Railway's Manchester and Wigan Railway line from Eccles to the junction west of Tyldesley station and its continuance south west via Bedford Leigh to Kenyon Junction on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The line opened on September 1st 1864...
of the same railway.