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Wrightington is a civil parish in West Lancashire, England, with an area of 3,915½ acres. The surface is hilly, rising to over 400 ft. at Harrock on the border of
Parbold Parbold is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England. Local government Parbold had a population of 2,582 at the 2011 Census. West Lancashire is divided into 19 parish councils, the first tier of local government. Parbold is borde ...
, and then falling to the north, northeast and southeast. On the southern border, the boundary at Appley Bridge touches the River Douglas. Wrightington Hall is to the north of this point. Tunley and Broadhurst lie to the north of the park, and Fairhurst, to the west of Harrock, reaches down to the River Douglas. At the 2001 census, Wrightington had a population of 4,055, falling to 2,886 at the 2011 Census.


History

Boar's Den Tumulus Boar's Den, thought to be a Bronze Age
round barrow A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...
, is relatively undisturbed and consists of an earth and stone mound 73 yards (66.5m) (E/W) by 68 yards (62m) (N/S) with a maximum height of 8 feet (2.5m) that suffered some plough damage in the past and is now used only as grazing land. If this round barrow were not marked on a map, despite being fairly extensive, it might be missed on the ground, mistaken as a natural lump in the middle of the field. In 1691, the first church in Wrightington was built. The curate, Jonathan Scholefield, ejected from Douglas Chapel,
Parbold Parbold is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England. Local government Parbold had a population of 2,582 at the 2011 Census. West Lancashire is divided into 19 parish councils, the first tier of local government. Parbold is borde ...
, in 1662 for his Puritan beliefs, found refuge at Tunley, where a group of Presbyterians started meeting regularly for worship at South Tunley Hall, the home of Thomas and Elizabeth Wilson. Twenty-two years after his death in 1667, the passing of the Toleration Act (1689) allowed
dissenter A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Usage in Christianity Dissent from the Anglican church In the social and religious history of England and Wales, and ...
s to worship openly. For the free exercise of their Divine worship, Thomas Wilson of "Tunley within Wrightington " erected a chapel for Protestants dissenting from the Church of England. About a century later the congregation became Unitarian before the building was given to the
Scottish Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
s. It now belongs to the
Presbyterian Church of England The Presbyterian Church of England was a late-19th century and 20th century Presbyterian denomination in England. The church's origins lay in the 1876 merger of the English congregations of the chiefly Scottish United Presbyterian Church with vario ...
. The original church building is believed to be the oldest building in England that was built as a Presbyterian church.
St. James the Great James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob (Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin '' ...
was built in 1857 by E. G. Paley for the services of the Church of England. In November 2000, to commemorate the millennium, a new stained glass window was added combining traditional imagery and contemporary elements. The church is set in lovely countryside, commanding views stretching from Southport to the
Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...
. The central theme, the Nativity of Jesus, is surrounded by finely drawn landscapes and well known buildings from the surrounding area: the famous
Wrightington Hospital Wrightington Hospital is a health facility in Wrightington, Lancashire, England. It is managed by the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust. History The facility was built as a private house known as Wrightington Hall, which was co ...
, the church and the 400-year-old Heskin School. Founded before 1893, the Carr House Lane
Primitive Methodist The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primiti ...
Church was an early 19th century (1807) secession from the Wesleyan Methodist church. It was particularly successful in evangelising agricultural and industrial communities at open meetings. In 1932, the
Primitive Methodist The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primiti ...
s joined with the Wesleyan Methodists and the United Methodists to form the Methodist Church of Great Britain. The chapel is now closed. Fairhurst Hall was at one time a place of worship for
Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
and a priest had been maintained at Wrightington Hall from the 1680s and a private chapel dedicated to St. Joseph was provided for the family, tenantry and employees until the building of St. Joseph's in 1892 by Charles Clifton Dicconson.


Parish council

Wrightington has a parish council which consists of two wards, Mossy Lea and Appley Bridge each represented by three councillors. Hilldale, formerly a ward of Wrightington, became a separate civil parish in 1999.


Wrightington Hall

For several centuries, Wrightington Hall was the home of the Wrightington family, who are said to have been descended from Fitz Orm, the son of Orm, a powerful noble in this part of Lancashire in the 12th century, credited with the founding of the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Ormskirk's parish church. When Sir Edward Wrightington died in 1658, his heir, Hugh Dicconson, erected a very fine tomb for Sir Edward in St Wilfred's Parish Church, Standish. Two of Hugh Dicconson's sons, William and Roger, became Roman Catholics and were implicated in a plot to overthrow the government of the day under
William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...
and
Mary II Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife ...
and bring back the exiled King James II. William, along with several other Catholic Lancastrians, was put on trial in Manchester for treason in 1694. They were acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence to convict them. However, immediately afterwards, William fled to France to join James II in exile, where he was appointed "governor" (tutor) to
Bonnie Prince Charlie Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...
, and his wife became "Maid of Honour" to the exiled Queen,
Mary of Modena Mary of Modena ( it, Maria Beatrice Eleonora Anna Margherita Isabella d'Este; ) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James II and VII. A devout Roman Catholic, Mary married the widower James, who was then the young ...
. William's brother, Roger, was living at Wrightington Hall and supported the
Old Pretender James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs, was the son of King James II and VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his second wife, Mary of Modena. He was Prince of Wales fro ...
in the abortive 1715 rebellion. Surprisingly, the estate did not suffer for his part in it. The ancient hall was then a typical Tudor manor house no longer survives: the present structure was constructed in 1748 and extended in 1860. In 1918 the hall was acquired by Lancashire County Council who converted it into a health facility now known as
Wrightington Hospital Wrightington Hospital is a health facility in Wrightington, Lancashire, England. It is managed by the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust. History The facility was built as a private house known as Wrightington Hall, which was co ...
.


Peter Lathom's charity

Peter Lathom of Bispham was a great grandson of Richard Lathom of Allerton Hall (1563-1602) Lancashire, England- whose family's lands and hereditaments were confiscated for treason in 1652 (fn. 20) and ordered to be sold by Parliament. His family now poor, Peter took to the roads and became a beggar, relying on the goodwill of the surrounding villagers for occasional jobs, food and shelter. In his will (1700), he left money for the children of these villages, including Wrightington: Peter Lathom’s life (1651–1701) was cast in very stormy times. He grew up during some of the most disturbed periods of English history. He saw the confiscation of the Parbold. Wrightington and Allerton estates; he witnessed the extremes of poverty into which this Confiscation had thrown the Lathom family; he saw some of them with not the value of 5/- (25p) either in goods or lands, and constantly harried by religious and civil strife; and seeing all these things it is hardly surprising that he leaves money for the benefit of the poor – among whom the Lathoms of Parbold were now to be numbered; that he remembers the St. John Roman Catholic Mission in which Christopher Lathom, the priest and a possible relative, is interested; that he bequeaths £40 to the children of another possible relative, Mistress Katherine Lethem; that he forbids any public officer to be employed in the distribution of his charity- an understandable family dislike of the officialdom which had oppressed the Lathoms of Parbold- and that he does not forget even the poor prisoners in Lancaster Castle, in which again he may have had some family interest. From his will, which he signed in his own handwriting and other legal sources we learn that he called himself Peter Lathom, yeoman, of Bispham; that the Will was dated 2 April 1700, with a codicil dated 19 February 1701 ; that the "Testator departed this life October, 1701," and finally that the will was proved in the Consistory Court of Chester on 11 February 1702. An English paper says: — "The trustees of the charity of Peter Lathom, once a beggar, of Mawdesley, near
Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...
, have just met. It was reported that the property, which originally cost a few hundreds, was now worth £570,000 - One block had recently been sold for £87,000, the fabulous advance in value being owing to the discovery of coal on the land. Lathom left the land for the benefit of the thirteen townships through which he begged, to keep and apprentice four lads, to further education, and other philanthropic uses." Today, the key objectives of the charity are to provide financial assistance for the education and training of persons under the ages of 25 years.


Amenities

There are five churches in Wrightington Parish. Wrightington has two primary schools, Mossy Lea Primary School and St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a hairdresser and two service stations. There are three pubs along the main road through the centre of the village and country pubs and restaurants in the outlying part of the village.


Agriculture and industry

Wrightington is a rural community of farms and equestrian establishments. Dairy, sheep and fish farming together with stables contribute to the agricultural economy. Established in 1976, Ainscough Crane Hire has since grown through expansion and acquisition to become the UK's largest crane hire operator.


Community

The parish council working in partnership with
Lancashire College Lancashire Adult Learning is an adult education college located in Lancashire, England . Courses offered by the college are aimed primarily at adult learners rather than recent school leavers, and include short courses, weekly courses, ESOL pro ...
now offers Mossy Lea Village Hall as a learning facility with computer courses, family learning courses, T'ai chi and Yoga classes. There is also a village hall at Appley Bridge.


Recreation and sport

There are two bowling greens. Sports facilities at the Wrightington Country Club include: a state of the art gymnasium, an eighteen-metre
swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...
, an aromatic fibre lit steam room, toning tables, a
solarium Solarium may refer to: * A sunroom, a room built largely of glass to afford exposure to the sun * A terrace (building) or flat housetop * The '' Solarium Augusti'', a monumental meridian line (or perhaps a sundial) erected in Rome by Emperor Augu ...
, a
jacuzzi Jacuzzi Brands LLC (; ), through its subsidiaries, is a global manufacturer and distributor of branded baths, hot tubs, pools, saunas and, formerly, aircraft. Founded in 1915 by the Italian family of the same name, Jacuzzi is a federally regist ...
, a dance studio and squash courts.


See also

*
Listed buildings in Wrightington Wrightington is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It contains 35 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, fou ...
*
Scheduled monuments in Lancashire __NOTOC__ This is a list of scheduled monuments in the English county of Lancashire. In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building that has been given protection against unauth ...


References


External links


A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6 William Farrer & J. Brownbill (editors)
* ttp://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/content/41/7/824.full Professor Sir John Charnley (1911–1982)br>Wrightington Parish Council
{{authority control Villages in Lancashire Geography of the Borough of West Lancashire Civil parishes in Lancashire