Townships: Pendleton

PENDLETON

Peniltune, Dom. Bk.; Penilton, 1241; Penelton, 1246; Penhulton, 1311; Standen, 1258.

This township occupies part of the south-western slope of Pendle Hill, the altitudes varying from 1,500 ft. above sea level on the east to 200 ft. on the west. The township is peculiar in including the two districts of Pendleton Hall on the north side and Standen and Standen Hey on the west, formerly extra-parochial. About the centre of the township at a height of 700 ft. is the hamlet of Wymondhouses, lower down, to the north-west, is the hamlet of Pendleton. On the south-east border stands part of Sabden. The area of Pendleton is 1,923 acres, that of Pendleton Hall 234½, and that of Standen and Standen Hey 668½—2,826 in all. (fn. 1) In 1901 there was a population of 1,063.

The principal road is that southward from Clitheroe to Whalley, which passes through Standen; another road south-east from Clitheroe to Burnley passes Pendleton Hall; they are connected by a cross-road through Pendleton hamlet. The Blackburn and Hellifield branch of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway goes north through Standen.

The township is governed by a parish council. A school board was formed about 1897. A considerable part of Pendleton was taken into the new township of Sabden in 1904.

The land is chiefly in pasture; the soil is clay and light loam, with a rocky subsoil. There are print works on Sabden Brook.

Manors

In 1066 King Edward held half a hide, or three plough-lands, in Pendleton. (fn. 2) Afterwards this manor was included in the Clitheroe fee and has been retained to the present as one of the demesne manors, though portions have been granted out from time to time. In 1241 it was found that (Great) Pendleton had rendered £3 7s. 10d. to John de Lacy. (fn. 3) The compotus of 1295 shows a return of £6 4s. 2d. for the farm of Pendleton and Wymondhouses, 1d. from Henry de Blackburn for 80 acres and 4s. 6d. as perquisites of the halmote. (fn. 4) Similar returns were made in subsequent accounts. (fn. 5) From the inquest of 1311 it appears that there were 16 oxgangs of land there held in bondage (fn. 6); the halmote was held in common for Pendleton, Chatburn, Worston and Downham. (fn. 7) The rolls for 1323–4 (fn. 8) and 1377– 1567, (fn. 9) so far as extant, have been printed.

LITTLE PENDLETON, held in thegnage, was perhaps the remaining plough-land not accounted for in the inquest of 1311. It rendered 6s. to John de Lacy in 1241, (fn. 10) and appears to have been acquired by degrees by the Clitheroe family (fn. 11) and their successors. (fn. 12) Sibyl the daughter and heir of Robert de Clitheroe died in 1414, (fn. 13) and her daughter Joan, having no issue by her husband Sir Henry de Hoghton, endeavoured to divert the succession to his illegitimate son Richard. The attempt was defeated, but he was allowed to have Little Pendleton, (fn. 14) which his descendants (fn. 15) retained till the beginning of the 17th century. John Hoghton died in 1583 holding Pendleton Hall with various lands there of the queen as of her duchy in socage. His heirs were two daughters Mary and Katherine, then aged ten and six years respectively. (fn. 16) In 1601 they, as Mary Singleton widow and Katherine wife of Thomas Hoghton, obtained an award of all the lands as the result of an arbitration, but had to pay £450 to Henry Hoghton of Extwistle, the heir male. (fn. 17) Soon afterwards the estate was sold to Savill Radcliffe of Todmorden and Great Mearley. (fn. 18) It was sold by his descendants in 1701. (fn. 19) The purchaser was John Harrison, who also acquired Mearley. A few year, later Little Pendleton passed to Lonsdale and then by marriage to Atherton. From John Atherton in 1807 it was purchased by the Starkies of Huntroyde and has since descended with their estates. (fn. 20) No manor is now claimed.

The manor of the Blackburn family in Great Pendleton, named in 1295 and later, has left no distinct trace in the records. (fn. 21) Part may have been held by the Radcliffes of Winmarleigh. (fn. 22)

WYMONDHOUSES (fn. 23) was granted by Henry de Lacy to a certain John, who was to hold it by a rent of 6s. 8d. (fn. 24) His son William de Wymondhouses was recorded to hold it in 1302 as the fortieth part of a knight's fee. (fn. 25) It was afterwards held by Gartside, (fn. 26) Feilden (fn. 27) and Pudsey, (fn. 28) and in 1488–9 was sold by Rowland Pudsey to the first Earl of Derby. (fn. 29) The third earl in 1563 sold it to the Watsons, (fn. 30) who seem to have transferred it in 1590 to John Halliday. (fn. 31) In the next century part at least became about 1668–75 the property of Thomas Jollie, the famous Nonconformist minister, who built a chapel there, as will be seen below. There are accounts of this Thomas Jollie (1629–1703) and his grandson and namesake (d. 1764) in the Dictionary of National Biography. (fn. 32) This estate also now belongs to Mr. Starkie of Huntroyde, part having been purchased from Thomas Carr in 1809 and the rest in 1811 from James Bury. (fn. 33)

STANDEN was in 1258 occupied by a grange belonging to the lord of Clitheroe. (fn. 34) The various accounts which have been printed show the profits derived from it (fn. 35); it was in 1342 let at a rent of £5 6s. 8d. (fn. 36) In 1360 the Duke of Lancaster granted it to Whalley Abbey for the endowment of a recluse there, (fn. 37) and after the suppression of the abbey it was sold in 1553 to Assheton and Braddyll. (fn. 38) The tenants in 1537 were William Farron and Giles Colthurst. (fn. 39) The last-named, who had Lower Standen, died in 1553 holding of the queen in chief by the tenth part of a knight's fee and a rent of 9s. 4d. (fn. 40) His estate descended to his son Henry and grandson Giles, which Giles died in 1592, leaving a son and heir Henry, aged fifteen. (fn. 41) An Edmund Colthurst also had land in Pendleton, for in 1569 he sold it to John Goodshaw, (fn. 42) who died in 1590 holding of the queen by the hundredth part of a knight's fee and 2s. 2d. rent (fn. 43); his son Edward and Susan his wife in 1592 sold it to Robert Walmesley of Coldcoats. (fn. 44) It included Hulcroft. (fn. 45)

Over Standen was in the 16th century held by the Aspinall family. (fn. 46) John Aspinall died 19 June 1641 holding it of the king as of his duchy in socage by 2s. rent; he also had an estate in Clitheroe. His heir was his brother Alexander, aged fifty, but he had bequeathed Over Standen to John the son of another brother William, (fn. 47) and John Aspinall was there in 1655. (fn. 48) The present owner of Standen Hall, Col. Ralph John Aspinall, is descended from James Aspinall, described as 'of Standen,' whose connexion with the older owners is not ascertained. (fn. 49) He is lord of the adjacent manor of Little Mitton.

Standen Hall was originally an H-shaped house of two stories facing south, said to have been erected in the 15th century. It was, however, rebuilt in 1757 more or less on the old plan, and incorporating some portions of the ancient building, but the principal front was changed to the east side, where a handsome classic elevation of three stories was erected with engaged columns and pediment. The middle and west wings remain of two stories. The west wing was rebuilt about 1858, the roof being raised above that of the middle part of the house, but except for the east front the elevations are quite plain in character. A single-story billiardroom wing was added in 1876 at the north-east end of the east wing. (fn. 50)

A division of the land called Standen Heys was ordered about 1618. (fn. 51) The place afforded a surname to a family of whom there are scattered notices. (fn. 52)

Of the other ancient estates in Pendleton some particulars may be obtained from the records, particularly the Court Rolls. (fn. 53) From the Wolton family, of long continuance here, (fn. 54) probably sprang Dr. John Wolton, who has been noticed among the wardens of Manchester; an exile for Protestantism in Mary's time he was promoted by Elizabeth to the bishopric of Exeter and died in possession of it in 1594. (fn. 55)

Rights in Pendleton Wood were included in the grant of Mearley to Ralph le Rous by Ilbert de Lacy about 1140. (fn. 56) A decree concerning the boundary between Wiswell and Pendleton was made about 1608 (fn. 57) and a map has been preserved. (fn. 58) Some other disputes occurred. (fn. 59) An allotment of the wastes was made in 1638. (fn. 60)

The Subsidy Roll of 1524 shows the following landowners: John Hoghton, James Aspinall, Robert Marsden and Nicholas Westby; that of 1543 gives Giles Colthurst, James Aspinall, the widow of John Hoghton and the widow of Roger Hoghton; that of 1564 Alexander Hoghton, John Aspinall and Henry Colthurst; that of 1600 James 'Asmall,' Henry Colthurst and Agnes Hoghton; that of 1624 Thomas Hoghton and James Aspinall. (fn. 61) The hearth tax return of 1666 records fifty-one hearths at Pendleton; Mr. Radcliffe's house had seven, another had five and another four. (fn. 62) The chief contributors to the land tax in 1788 were Thomas Lister, John Atherton, John Ellill and the executors of John Aspinall. (fn. 63)

For the Church of England All Saints' was built in 1847 and consecrated in 1872 (fn. 64); it has since been enlarged. The patronage is vested in three trustees.

After Thomas Jollie was ejected from Altham Chapel in 1662 he appears to have wandered about the district ministering to the Nonconformists. (fn. 65) In 1667 he purchased Wymondhouses and there he had a meeting-place licensed in 1672, (fn. 66) continuing to minister there in the persecutions which followed down to the time of James II. In May 1688 he built a chapel there and had it certified in 1689. (fn. 67) It was a centre for the Nonconformists for many miles around. He died in 1702, but his work was continued for more than a century and a-half afterwards. (fn. 68) After 1831 Wiswell became the chief centre and Wymondhouses disappeared from the records about 1869, though a Jollie memorial sermon was preached annually in its ruined walls for some time afterwards. The last remains were cleared away about 1890.

On the border of the township, at Sabden, are Wesleyan Methodist and Baptist chapels. The latter was founded in 1797, a congregation of more than a hundred being soon gathered from the workmen at the adjacent print works. (fn. 69)