Pemberton, Greater Manchester

Pemberton is a mainly residential area of Wigan and an electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan,[1] in Greater Manchester, England.[2] It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Douglas,[3] which separates it from the town of Wigan,[4] and east of the M6 motorway. The area today serves as a predominantly residential suburb along with the adjoining area of Orrell and as a ward has a population of 13,638,[1] increasing to 13,982 at the 2011 Census.[5]

Pemberton

Pemberton Carnegie Library
Pemberton
Location within Greater Manchester
Population13,982 (2011 Census)
OS grid referenceSD555045
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWIGAN
Postcode districtWN5
Dialling code01942
PoliceGreater Manchester
FireGreater Manchester
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament

Historically a part of Lancashire, Pemberton was formerly a township and parish in the hundred of West Derby. Following the Industrial Revolution, Pemberton became a densely populated industrial district comprising a variety of coal mines, stone-quarries, brick manufactories, and cotton mills.[3][6] Coal mining was the principal industry of what was described in 1911 as an "unpicturesque, bare and open" area.[3] The former Pemberton Urban District, along with Wigan Municipal Borough to form the County Borough of Wigan in 1904.[2][7]

History

The name Pemberton derives from Penn-bere-tūn, which is believed to be a combination of the Celtic penn meaning hill, the Old English bere meaning barley plus the Old English suffix of -ton meaning a farm or settlement.[8][9]

Unmentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, Pemberton does not appear in records until 1212, when it was documented to have been a thegnage estate, or manor, comprising "two plough-lands", with an annual rate of 20 shillings payable by the tenant, Alan de Windle, to King John.[3]

There were several collieries in the area, and sandstone was also quarried. At Newtown were cotton mills and iron works. A well at Lamberhead Green (Pingate) was noted for its excellent water quality. The area is served by Pemberton railway station.

Governance

Pemberton was formerly a township in Wigan ecclesiastical parish,[10] in the hundred of West Derby, and was recognised as a civil parish in 1866. From 1894 to 1904, the Pemberton parish constituted the Pemberton Urban District.[11] In 1904 the urban district was abolished with its territory transferred to the borough[2] and local government County Borough of Wigan.[2][7][12] The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica describes Pemberton as being part of Wigan (which then formed 5082 acres).[13] In 1920, the Pemberton parish was abolished and its former area was used to enlarge the Wigan parish, making the area of the parish and county borough identical.[14] Pemberton today is considered part of Wigan for purposes of the Office for National Statistics, and in most reputable contemporary publications.[15] This is also the approach taken also in several other modern online sources, which omit Pemberton as a standalone settlement.[16][17]

Electoral Ward

The electoral ward of Pemberton is represented by three elected councillors. The ward covers the following neighbourhoods:

Wigan Council Members for Pemberton
Name Party Offices
Cllr. Paul PrescottLabourChairman of Planning Committee
Chairman of the Regulation and Licensing Committee
Cllr. Jeanette PrescottLabour
"Office Vacant"
  • On 28 January 2013, Councillor Barbara Bourne, a representative of Pemberton since 1996, died in office following a long-term illness. She was responsible for a long campaign for a new medical centre, which was opened in the area of Kitt Green, in 2010.[18] The office for a third councillor currently remains vacant.

Geography

Described in 1911 as "unpicturesque, bare and open",[3] Pemberton is predominantly made up of privately owned homes and local authority maintained housing, including Newtown, Worsley Mesnes, Norley Hall, Worsley Green Marsh Green and Kitt Green. Pemberton and its adjoining district of Orrell form one continuous residential area.

The soil is clay and loam, over Coal Measures and stone.[3]

See also

References

Notes
  1. Pemberton, 2001 United Kingdom Census, neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. URLs accessed 11 November 2008.
  2. "Greater Manchester Gazetteer". Greater Manchester County Record Office. Places names - O to R. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
  3. Brownbill & Farrer 1911, pp. 78–83.
  4. .
  5. "Wigan ward population 2011". Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  6. Great Britain Historical GIS, Descriptive Gazetteer entry for Pemberton, visionofbritain.org.uk
  7. Vision of Britain - Pemberton CP
  8. Hanks 2003, p. 69.
  9. University of Nottingham's Institute for Name-Studies. "Pemberton". nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  10. Pemberton, Genuki - England and Ireland Genealogy - URL accessed 16 February 2007.
  11. Pemberton Urban District Council, nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2007.
  12. Ext.and appl.in pt.(mods.) - L.G.B. Provisional.Order.Confn.(No.13) 1904 (c.clxii), art.11 of Wigan (Extn.) O.
  13. Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, (1911)
  14. Vision of Britain Archived 2007-10-01 at the Wayback Machine - Wigan CP (historic map Archived 2007-10-01 at the Wayback Machine)
  15. Youngs, F. (1991), Local Administrative Units: Northern England, London: Royal Historical Society, p. 192
  16. Towns & Villages of Wigan, manchester2002-uk.com. Retrieved 4 April 2007.
  17. ROUND AND ABOUT WIGAN, spinningtheweb.org.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2007.
  18. http://manchestergazette.co.uk/archives/11573%5B%5D

Bibliography
  • Brownbill, J; Farrer, W (1911), A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, Victoria County History, ISBN 978-0-7129-1055-2
  • Hanks, Patrick (2003), Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-508137-4
  • Lewis, Samuel (1848), A Topographical Dictionary of England, Institute of Historical Research, ISBN 978-0-8063-1508-9
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