A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



esquire, who maintaineth a stipendiary minister there.' ' 

 Even in 1650 there was only one, Longton Chapel 

 being vacant. After the latter chapel in 1719 obtained 

 a grant from Queen Anne's Bounty, there was probabl)' 

 an additional minister usually resident in the parish. 

 The incumbents of Penwortham, however, were often 

 beneficed elsewhere. 



A school was founded at Longton about 1527 and 

 refounded in 1552; though now situated in Hutton 

 it is known as Penwortham Grammar School.^ 



Apart from the school endow- 

 CHARITIES ments, there are three benefactions 

 for the poor. The Penwortham Dole, 

 with an income of over £6^, the result of a number 

 of ancient gifts,' is spent partly in apprenticing boys 

 from Penwortham and partly in gifts to people re- 

 siding in Penwortham and Howick. ' The number 

 of recipients in 1898 was 176, of whom some three 

 or four were in receipt of poor law relief, but most 

 were ratepayers and in receipt of good wages, and 

 very few were really poor persons. In defence of this 

 system it was stated that it had the sanction of an- 

 tiquity, and that the householders who have hitherto 

 received a dole expect and claim one.' * For Longton, 

 the poor's land, now represented by consols, produces 

 an income of ^^38 \i. zd., which is distributed once 

 a year in money doles varying from 5/. to 3 ;j.' A 

 stock for Hutton, founded by the gifts of several 

 benefactors, has now an income of [S I/. \ii. ; of 

 this j^2 is spent on beef, and the rest is given in 

 small money doles, the distribution being made about 

 Christmas time.^ 



PENWORTHAM 



Peneverdant, Dom. Bk. ; Pendrecham, 1 200 ; 

 Penwrtham, 1204; Penuertham, 1212; Penwor- 

 tham, 1260; Penewrtham, 1292. 



This township occupies a plateau from 70 ft. to 

 100 ft. above the ordnance datum, and, as the surface 

 falls sharply on the north and north-east to the level 

 ground by the Ribble, the straggling village, with the 

 church at the extreme northern end, seems to be 

 perched up on a bluff. The castle stood near the 

 church, the name of Castle Hill alone remaining.' 

 The low ground by the Ribble, on the north-east, 

 is called The Holme ; it is common to the parishes 

 of Penwortham and Preston. The area is 2,230! 

 acres^ and the population in 1901 was 2,523. 



To the south-east of The Holme is the bridge over 

 the Ribble to Preston.' One road to it comes north- 

 ward from Wigan ; another, from Ormskirk and 

 Liverpool, mainly going north-east, after nearing 

 the river turns south-east to reach the bridge. 

 Several lines of railway pass through the town- 

 ship, but there is no station in it ; the West Lanca- 

 shire portion of the Lancashire and Yorkshire line, 

 coming from Southport, crosses the Ribble near the 

 bridge named, and also turns eastward to join the 

 Blackburn line and reach the passenger station in 

 Preston by its bridge ; and the London and North 

 Western Company's main line to the north passes 

 through the eastern end of the township, crossing the 

 Ribble by a large bridge. The latter line is joined 

 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's Liver- 

 pool to Preston line. 



The soil is various — marsh, marl and red loam. 

 The land is chiefly used for pasture.'" 



Water is supplied by Preston Corporation. 



In 1666 there were eighty-two hearths taxed in 

 the township, but the only house of any size was that 

 of Edward Fleetwood, \vlth seventeen hearths.^' 



The pedestal of a cross may still be seen in the 

 avenue from the high road to the church. St. Mary's 

 well lies to the south of the high road. The stocks 



132. Thqr included a Bible and a 

 Communion book. 



^ Hut. AiSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 

 1 1. There were monthly communioni in 

 1619 ; Villi. P. at Chester. 



' See Ducky Plead, (Rec. Sr.c. 

 Lanes, and Chcs.), iii, 189 ; Local Glean, 

 Lanes, and Cheu il, 116; and EndoiL-ed 

 Char. Rep. for Penwortham. 



There were disputes as to its endow- 

 ment in 1560; Ducatui Lane. (Rec 

 Com.), ii, 225. 



At an inquiry' made in 1624 it was 

 found that the school, then in Longton, 

 had been discontinued for some time, and 

 order was taken for revival; Harl. MS. 

 21-6, fol. 5 5, 37A. 



' An inquiry into the charities of the 

 parish was made in 1899, and the report, 

 issued in 1901, contains a reprint of that 

 of 1826. 



The only charity recorded by Bishop 

 Gastrell about 1717 was a gift of j^i25 

 by Robert Wearden, cook, in 164.9; 

 Notitia Cestr, ii, 388. 



In 1-69 the charity stock amounted 

 to j^igS, invested in the purchase of 

 Lancaster field in Preston, but the only 

 benefactor whose name was remembered 

 wai Edward Fleetwood, who had given 

 ;{, 25. In 1826 the income was divided 

 into thirteen parts, of which two were 

 applied to apprenticing, two to the poor 

 of Howck, and the rest to those of Pen- 

 wortham and Middlcforth. 



OrdLf the Act of 1894 the parish 

 connaJl of Penwortham and Howick 



appoint two trustees each, who act with 

 the vicar and churchwardens. 



* End. Char. Rep. 34. 



John Charnley in 1737 charged his 

 lands in Penwortham (Crabby Nook) 

 with 201. « year for the benefit of poor 

 housekeepers in the place. After a sale 

 of the land charged in 1879 the rent was 

 refused by the purchaser, and the vendors 

 made no satisfaction, so that the charity 

 has lapsed. 



^ The poor's stock seems to have 

 amounted to £\oa in 1 751, when land 

 called KJIlheys in Longton was pur- 

 chased lor the advantage of the poor of 

 the township. Afterwards a workhouse 

 was built and the land employed for the 

 use of the paupers, thus relieving the 

 rates ; but on the Commissioners of 1825 

 pointing out the error of this course it 

 was amended and a rent charged for a 

 distribution to the poor. Afterwards the 

 workhouse was disused and turned into 

 cottages, the rents of which were applied 

 to the relief of the rates, no acknowledge- 

 ment being made to the trustees of the 

 poor's land ; this was remedied in 1854-7. 

 The land was sold in 1881 and i885, 

 and the money received invested in 

 consols, ^1,359 in all, held by the official 

 trustees. 



Some charities had been lost before 

 1826. 



« Edward Fleetwood in 1704 gave ^45, 

 George Merry loft £jo, and Thomas 

 Marton £^0 for the poor, while — 

 Forest left £20 for beef. Another sum 



56 



°f d° (now lost) was given for the 

 minister of Longton Chapel. The capital 

 is Czio 14J. 6d. consols, held by the 

 official trustees. The management is 

 mainly in the hands of the churchwardens 

 of Longton. 



' For investigations on the Caitle Hill 

 in 1856 see Tram. Hist. Soc. ix, 61-76. 

 'Land called the Castle Hill in Pen- 

 wortham' is named in a deed of 1579 ; 

 Piccope MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xiv, 61. 



A list of copyhold lands belonging to 

 Henry Fleetwood about 1720 mentions 

 the Prison house, Blashey (adjoining 

 Howick), Castle Hill and the Court- 

 house (north of the churchyard), the 

 windmill and Aspley Greaves. Paper 

 in possession of W. Farrer. 



* '>975 acres, including an acre of 

 inland water; Census Rep. 1901 ; to 

 this should be added 36 acres for The 

 Holme. There are also 8 acres of tidal 

 water and 4 of foreshore. A small part 

 of Penwortham was added to Preston in 

 1894; Loc. Govt. Bd. Order 31607. 

 This part contains the Albert Edward 

 Dock, to make which the course of the 

 Ribble was altered. 



' N'j bridge was built there till 1756 ; 

 the first was badly constructed and fell in 

 1759, being rebuilt by commissioners. 

 The earlier crossing was by means of 

 fords and a ferry boat. 



" Adam the Goldsmith of Penwortham 

 is named in deeds of 1 349 ; HarU MS. 

 2042, fol. 103. 



" Subs. R. 250, no. 9. 



