Local Life - Wigan - October 2021

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.
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
Hindley Lodge, Market Street from
inside grounds, 1900 - courtesy of
Wigan & Leigh 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