70
Hindley’s
Bad Boy? by Nicola Gray
This month, Local Life goes all the way back to the 1850’s to chronicle the colourful world of Hindley’s original romantic rogue, Richard Pennington. This story of wealth, love, adultery and his ultimate heartbreak created a backdrop worthy of an episode of Downton Abbey, and shocked both his family and the local community to the core.
Hindley Lodge, Market Street from inside grounds, 1900 - courtesy of Wigan & Leigh Archives
Richard Pennington was born into a wealthy Wigan family who made their fortune employing handloom weavers and later went on to build cotton mills. Richard grew up to work in the family business and eventually became the sole owner of both the Hindley Twist Company at Lowe Mill and Worthington Mill in Hindley. Richard’s road to the head of the family company was a bumpy ride to say the least and much of his early life was steeped in scandal. Richard had a promising future of his own to look forward to, when in 1853 he qualified as a magistrate for the county. However, in 1857 he was ordered by his family to find a suitable residence away from his hometown. Richard was advised to move away to set up home after he started a relationship with Elizabeth Cash, a young mill girl he had fallen in love with. The couple already had a child they moved to Rainford later in the same year, and their second child was born at School Brow in January 1858. To accommodate their growing family, Richard and Elizabeth bought a farmhouse known locally as Mount Pleasant in October 1859, and their third child was born shortly after. The
Muncaster Hall & Pennington Family - courtesy of St Helens Archives
story goes that Richard’s mother disapproved of the relationship and so the couple had to wait four years until her death before getting married in Liverpool in 1861. Throughout this time Richard continued the management of the family cotton mills in Hindley and during the next five years he bought several farms and houses in Rainford and entertained his wealthy friends with shooting parties on his land. In a bid to keep up appearances, Richard started to build a grand stone mansion house on the site of Mount Pleasant and used his neighbouring land to set out the gardens, lake and parkland surrounding it. The work on the hall was completed in 1866 and Muncaster Hall came into existence. Muncaster Hall lived up to the Victorian stereotype in its styling and architecture, including flowery wallpaper, carpets, wellmade furniture, a lake and extensive gardens. Although he now lived in Rainford, Richard always maintained his strong links with Hindley and throughout his lifetime, he worked tirelessly on behalf of the community and was generous with both his time and his money. He was instrumental in the creation of Hindley Local Board, serving as Chairman for 20 years. The town saw significant progress during his time in office, acquiring its own gas facilities, water supply, a library and public park. Richard was also Chairman of Hindley Board of
