A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



PILKINGTON 



Pilkiton, Pilkinton, Pulkinton, 1200; Pilketon, 

 1 22 1 ; Pilkinton, Pynkelton, Pynkilnton, 1277 ; Pil- 

 kington, 1282. The forms with and without the g 

 are common from this time. 



This township is bounded on two sides, the south- 

 west and north, by the River Irwell, which makes an 

 acute bend at the western corner, and its tributary the 

 Roch ; on the north-east the Whittle Brook, running 

 into the latter stream, cuts it off from Pilsworth and 

 Heap. The southern boundary is formed by the high 

 land towards Heaton, and the clough towards Prest- 

 wich. The highest ground is near the centre, a ridge 

 about a mile from east to west reaching the 400-6. level. 

 The township measures about 4 miles by 2, and has an 

 area of 5,469 acres. 1 The population in 1901 was 

 15,578, including 324 in the area added to Unsworth. 



For a long time there were three recognized divi- 

 sions, or hamlets, in the township Unsworth * in the 

 east, Whitefield in the centre, and Outwood in the 

 west. Unsworth village lay in the centre of its divi- 

 sion on the higher ground between two brooks run- 

 ning north to Whittle Brook and to the Roch. The 

 hamlets of Rollins and Blackford Bridge are near the 

 Roch. Whitefield, also centrally placed, has grown 

 into a town, stretching along the high road from 

 Besses o' th' Barn 3 on the south to the Irwell. To 

 the north-west is a suburb of Radcliffe, at the bridge 

 over the Irwell. To the south of these, on the highest 

 ground, is the hamlet of Stand, with Pilkington and 

 Stand Halls. Outwood still has the park on the 

 border of Prestwich and a number of wooded cloughs. 

 At the west end are Cinder Hill, part of Ringley the 

 other part being across the river, in Kearsley and 

 Prestolee. 4 



The principal road is that from Manchester to 

 Bury. Two branches of it unite at the southern 

 border, and go north through Thatchleach, Besses o' 

 th' Barn, Four Lane Ends, and Whitefield. Here 

 the road divides again ; one branch goes north to 

 Bury, crossing the Irk at Wackford Bridge, and another 

 goes north-west to Radcliffe Bridge. From Whitefield 

 also roads branch off north-east to Unsworth,south-west 

 to the Irwell, and west to Stand and Ringley, where 

 there are bridges over the Irwell. The Lancashire 

 and Yorkshire Company's Manchester, Radcliffe, and 

 Bury Railway passes north and north-west through 

 the centre, with a station at Whitefield, opened in 

 1 879.* The same company's branch from Clifton to 

 Radcliffe and Bury winds west and north through 

 Outwood, with stations called Molyneux Brow and 



Ringley Road. The Manchester and Bolton Canal 

 also passes through Outwood, crossing the Irwell 

 from Clifton, keeping close to the river most of the 

 way, and crossing it again near Prestolee. 



A dragon story is told of Unsworth. 6 



Pilkington has since 1894 ceased to exist as a town- 

 ship. Whitefield, the central portion, which ob- 

 tained a local board in l866, 7 has been in part added 

 to Radcliffe ; a new township has been made on the 

 south-west called Outwood, while Unsworth has given 

 its name to a township on the other side, made up of 

 the old Unsworth and Pilsworth, with the detached 

 part of Heap which adjoined it. 8 The new townships 

 are governed by parish councils. 



In 1666 there were as many as 245 hearths liable 

 to be taxed. The three hamlets showed the follow- 

 ing : Outwood, 70 hearths, no house having six 

 hearths; Whitefield 135, Margaret Sergeant's house 

 having eight ; and Unsworth 40, no house having six 

 hearth?.' 



The view from Stand Hall was thus described in 

 1 806 : ' The large town of Manchester spreads along 

 the valley in front of the house at some miles distance, 

 and the less one of Bury is seen distinctly to the left, 

 surrounded by villages, with simple cottages dispersed 

 along the plain. The hills of Lancashire, Derbyshire, 

 Cheshire, and Yorkshire rising in succession, spread in 

 a vast amphitheatre, till lost in the immensity of 

 space ; while the rugged tops of the Welsh moun- 

 tains, which I gazed upon as old friends, hide their 

 heads in the clouds, of which they seem to form a 

 part. . . . The neighbourhood abounds with families 

 of immense wealth, and reminds me of what Clapham 

 Common is to London. The villas of the gentry are 

 handsome, and their pleasure grounds are tastefully 

 laid out. The rich woods and green park of Heaton 

 House, the seat of the Earl of Wilton, appear from 

 the terrace of Stand Hall to much advantage ; but the 

 most prominent feature in this landscape is the pretty 

 church of Prestwich.' I0 



Stand Hall, a large timber and plaster house, was 

 taken down in 1835, and a new house built. 11 A large 

 wooden barn belonging to the old house has been the 

 subject of much attention because of an absurd theory 

 that it was built of the timbers of a wooden prede- 

 cessor of the present Cathedral church of Manchester. 

 The manor of PILKINGTON was 

 M4NOR held of the lords of Manchester by the 

 fourth part of a knight's fee, 11 by a 

 family which took the local name, and its dependence 

 on Manchester continued, at least in name, till the 

 1 8th century. 13 The first of the local family known 



1 Including Outwood, 1,939 ; White- 

 field, 2,058$; and Unsworth, 1,471!. 

 The census report of 1901 gives : Out- 

 wood, 1,938 acres, including 80 of inland 

 water ; Whitefield, 1,406, including 9 ; 

 the part taken into Radcliffe, 625, in- 

 cluding 23 ; Unsworth (enlarged), 3,067, 

 including 27. 



2 Hundeswrth, 1292. 



8 The name is said to have originated 

 from the innkeeper about 1750 5 Manch. 

 Guard. Local N. and Q. no. 448. 



* Perhaps Prestall Lee, from Prestall 

 on the other side of the Irwell in Farn- 

 worth and Kearsley. 



5 Electric tramways connect Whitefield 

 with Manchester and Bury. 



6 Harland and Wilkinson, Traditions of 

 Lanes. 63. 



7 Land. Gax, 19 Jan. 1866. 



8 Local Govt. Bd. Order, 30905 ; a 

 slight alteration in Whitefield boundary 

 was made in 1896 ; ibid. 33855. 



9 Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes. 



10 Pal. Note Bk. ii, 55, quoting E. I. 

 Spence's Summer Excursions, i, 123. 



11 A description of the remaining part of 

 Stand Old Hall by E. W. Cox, with 

 several views, is given in Col. J. Pilking- 

 ton' s Pilkington Family. 



12 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 55. In addition to 

 the knight's service the lord of Pilkington 

 had to find ' one judge for the king, of 

 ancient tenure.' The manor had there- 

 fore probably been held by the same family 

 all through the I2th century. 



In 1282 the vill of Pilkington was 



held of Robert Grelley by the fourth part 

 of a fee, and was worth 10 a year clear; 

 ibid. 250. In 1322 the lord of Pilking- 

 ton was one of those who owed suit to 

 the three-weeks court at Manchester, of 

 ancient custom, being called a judge of 

 the court; Mamecestre (Chet. Soc.), ii, 375. 



An oxgang in Pilkington ' was in 

 1311 stated to be held by a rent of i zd. of 

 the manor of Rochdale ; De Lacy Inq. 

 (Chet. Soc.), 20. Nothing further is 

 known of it, and the name given is prob- 

 ably an error of transcription. 



18 As late as 1733 the jury of Man- 

 chester court leet amerced the constable 

 of Pilkington (among others) for not 

 appearing, though owing suit and ser- 

 vice to the court ; Manch. Ct. Leet Rec. 

 vii, 25. 



