Places: Penwortham

PENWORTHAM

The parish comprised Farington, Howick, Hutton, Longton and Penwortham. It is situated on the south bank of the Ribble, opposite Preston. It was a largely agricultural area, with mixed arable, grass and woodland and the main industries were cotton manufacture at Farington and breweries at Longton. With the rapid industrialisation and growth of Preston in the nineteenth century Penwortham developed as a residential area.

There is a medieval motte castle there on a natural mound known as Castle Hill overlooking a ford across the River Ribble. The castle was occupied from the early medieval period until the middle of the thirteenth Century.

Prior to the Dissolution, the church of Penwortham with its tithes and much of the land in the parish belonged to the priory of Penwortham. This was a cell of the abbey of Evesham which remained the legal owner of all this property. In 1539 the manor and rectory were leased to John Fleetwood of London who subsequently bought them from the king following the surrender of Evesham later that year.

The Fleetwood family retained the advowson and retained the tithes as lay rectors, appointing a stipendiary minister. This arrangement continued until the eighteenth century.

Although there was probably a church on the site from the fourteenth century, it has been rebuilt several times. The chancel dates from the fourteenth century and the west tower from the fifteenth. The nave was rebuilt in 1855, and the tower restored in 1884. The font is dated 1667.

Sources: 

‘The parish of Penwortham’, in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6, ed. William Farrer, J Brownbill( London, 1911), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol6/pp52-56 [accessed 9 January 2025]

‘Houses of Benedictine monks: The priory of Penwortham’, in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 2, ed. William Farrer, J Brownbill( London, 1908), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol2/pp104-106 [accessed 9 January 2025]

Historic England
Church of St Mary, Church Avenue (1073058)
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1073058  National Heritage List for England
Castle Hill Motte (1011868)
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1011868 National Heritage List for England