Withnell/Brinscall - Brown Cow Inn

Name: The Brown Cow Inn

Address: Blackburn Road, Withnell

The Brown Cow Inn is one of the oldest pubs in Withnell, situated just on the border between Higher Wheelton and Withnell in a property known as "Roundabout Cottage".  

1848 Map

1909 Map

Whilst it has been closed for business since the mid-1880's the importance of the Brown Cow should not be under-estimated, as it was the closest pub to nearby Withnell Fold: -

Withnell Fold, a model village and paper mill were built on a green-field site in 1843. The owner and builder was Thomas Blinkhorn Park(e) (1823-1885), the son of Robert Park, a local cotton mill owner. The houses in Withnell Fold had gardens and outside toilets.
The mill was started in 1843 and opened and began production on 15 January 1844, with one machine.Three years later a second machine was installed and the business was so successful that a third machine was installed in 1855. The machines were known as "74", "66" and "60", the widths of the paper produced. The quality and variety of the paper improved and in 1849 tissue paper was made, followed in 1856 by coloured tissue.

Writing papers were introduced in 1863 and had a reputation for being of the finest quality. Cartridge paper came in 1878. The mill supplied newsprint for Preston, Bolton and Liverpool newspapers.

Wikipedia

The omission of any Inn within the plans for the village was no accident I suspect although as we see later, the owners did utilise the Brown Cow for occasional social events for their workers.

The first listed landlord was a Ralph Whitehead and the first record I can find of Ralph was his marriage in 1812.

Marriage: 30 Jul 1812 St James, Brindle, Lancashire, England

Ralph Whitehead - Widower, Brindle

Sarah Wadsworth - Spinster, Hoghton

    Witness: James Hill; George Abbott

    Married by Licence by: James Stanley, minister

    Register: Marriages 1809 - 1812, Page 9, Entry 25

    Source: LDS Film 1849648

Whilst there is no occupation listed on the marriage record, when he and Sarah had their daughter baptised in 1820 he was already working in the trade.

Baptism: 17 Sep 1820 St James, Brindle, Lancashire, England

Ralph Whitehead - Son of Ralph Whitehead & Sarah

    Abode: Withnell

    Occupation: Inn Keeper

    Baptised by: J. Stanley

    Register: Baptisms 1813 - 1844, Page 62, Entry 493

    Source: LDS Film 1849648

He was subsequently officially listed on the 1824 Directory of the Leyland Hundred below as a muslin manufacturer and victualler (half way down the far right column).

Ralph was 20 years his wife's senior and died in 1836 at the age of 64 years, leaving Sarah to run the Brown Cow alone. He was buried at St James' in nearby Brindle.

Burial: 24 Mar 1836 St James, Brindle, Lancashire, England

Ralph Whitehead - 

    Age: 64

    Abode: Withnell

    Buried by: N Merriman Curate

    Register: Burials 1813 - 1862, Page 113, Entry 899

    Source: LDS Film 93659

Listed landlords at the Brown Cow Inn were therefore Ralph Whitehead (1820-1836), Sarah Whitehead (1836-61), William Wilding (1861-74), Elizabeth Wilding (1874-81) and Thomas Emmett (1881).  All census records after this time show roundabout cottage being used as a dwelling.

1841 Census

Preston Chronicle 09 January 1847

1851 Census

(Photo reproduced with the consent of the current owner)

The photo of the wall inside the cottage above shows the gap behind the radiator where the bar used to be. The dark wooden lintel is original but the door & panel below are later infill. 

1861 Census

Western Gazette 02 May 1863

Sarah's family, the Wadsworths it would appear had beer running through their blood, as her sister Judith Wadsworth was the landlady at the Cricketer's Arms in Brinscall from 1841 to 1872 and brother William ran the Cross Keys in Brindle in the 1840's. The 1861 census for the Cricketer's also shows Sarah's children living and working there.

1871 Census

This clay pipe was found in the roof space of Roundabout Cottage and may have belonged to one of the previous landlords (photo reproduced with the consent of the current owner)

Chorley Guardian 03 January 1874

Chorley Guardian 05 December 1874

1876 Brandwood Fold Estate Map (with thanks to Boyd Harris)

The 1876 estate plan is for the sale of the Brandwood Fold part of the land owned by Thomas Blinkhorne Park(e). It is interesting because it refers to the Brown Cow Inn by name while the O.S. maps of 1848 and 1910 called the area Roundabout. The original line of the road passed to the north of the Inn until the ‘bypass’ was constructed to the south around 1850. The 1848 map shows the original line. To the north of the Brown Cow can be seen a small building, this was the original brew-house. The site is now a much larger private house (Boyd Harris c.2020).

1881 Census

1891 Census

For a short period after the Inn closed it retained the name, Brown Cow Cottage as shown below but thereafter it has reverted to Roundabout Cottage. 

Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser 01 January 1892

1901 Census

Reference is made to the Inn by Mr. Chorley George Birtill in his book, "Over the Five Barred Gate" which brings together stories and some history of the area around Whittle-le-Woods and surrounding South Ribble areas through the late 1960's. 

If you take the road to Blackburn out of Higher Wheelton, you are bound to notice a side road which runs into a hollow, almost parallel with the main road. This is in fact a part of the old turnpike road of the Finnington and Chorley Trust. One of the old toll houses still stands at the junction with the Preston-Blackburn Road, at Finnington. The hollow is now a cul-de-sac as a result of the road line being changed to get rid of a dangerous bend. This has left in comparative seclusion, an interesting stone building, which has buttressed walls strong enough for a castle. 

It was however, a pub known as the "Roundabout". It is also the first building in Withnell along this road. The boundary actually runs through the front garden.

George Birtill c.1966.

1911 Census

Roundabout Cottage c.2016