Penwortham - Black Bull Inn

Name: The Black Bull Inn

Address: Pope Lane, Penwortham

The Black Bull Inn started off life as a beer house and dates back to the early 1800s. A revolution for pubs was brought about by the Beerhouse Act of 1830, which liberalised the regulations enabling anyone to brew and sell beer on payment of a licence costing two guineas. The intention was to increase competition between brewers, and it resulted in the opening of 56,000 beer houses across the country by 1836; the rapidly expanding industrial centres of the North of England saw their fair share. It was also hoped that by increasing competition in the brewing and sale of beer, and thus lowering its price, the population might be weaned off their favourite tipple, gin…current trends seem to indicate we are going full circle!

The Black Bull is very much alive and kicking still and a great deal of their history has already been researched and can be viewed on their excellent website.

Black Bull Website Pub History

Listed landlords at the beer house were Nicholas Knowles (1841-66), John Wrennall (1871-73), John Ashcroft (1873-77), James Sutton (1877-), William Ashton (1881-91), William Carr (1896), James Holt (1896-97), Thomas Riley (1901), Henry Livesey (1905), Thomas Doyle (1911-), Philip James Joseph Clifton (1921-40), Thomas Loxham (1949), John Edward Gornall (-1969), Colin Haggar (1969-91), Duncan West (1991-96), Peter Whitaker (2003-05), Graham Skeoch (2005-08), Anne-Marie Isles (2008-11) and Ian Robinson (2011-).

1841 Census - Nicholas Knowles

The first listed landlord, Nicholas Knowles was originally from Hutton and the early census records show his main occupation as a shopkeeper, with the 1851 census giving "beer seller" as his second occupation. This was not unusual at that time, residents selling beer to supplement their income in order to support the family.

1842 Map

Both the Black Bull and adjacent Plough Inn brewed their own beer at this time, supported by the nearby Malt Kiln from where they almost certainly sourced the malted barley for brewing; this can be seen on the 1842 map above. The area has seen significant development over the last century particularly in terms of residential properties and on that site is now an estate called, "The Maltings".

1851 Census - Nicholas Knowles

A George Cross postcard of The Bull Inn on Cop Lane Penwortham - Credit to the Charnley Family Collection

1861 Census - Nicholas Knowles

Courtesy of WhatPub

Nicholas Knowles was landlord at the Inn until the late 1860s and died in sad circumstances in 1869, as the pub's website records in the Coroner's report at the time.

1866 Marriage John Wrennall and Jane Knowles

Beerhouses were very much family affairs at this time until the larger breweries started to step in and the Black Bull was no exception. The above marriage record confirms that Nicholas' daughter Jane Knowles married a local farmer from Much Hoole called John Wrennall in 1866 and I suspect that within a short period of time, Nicholas, who was in his 60s by this stage handed the business down to be run by Jane and John.

1871 Census - John Wrennall

Records show that John died in 1880 in the West Derby area of Liverpool. Following his death he was buried in nearby St Andrew's, Leyland.

Burial: 27 Apr 1880 St Andrew, Leyland, Lancashire, England

John Wrennall - Age: 37 years

Abode: Liverpool

    Buried by: H. J. Hutchinson Curate

    Register: Burials 1878 - 1903, Page 31, Entry 248

    Source: LDS Film 93956

By 1873 John Ashcroft took over the Black Bull. John was a Blacksmith by trade and had run the Smithy adjacent to the Black Bull for many years beforehand and knew the Knowles family well.  He was to stay for only a few years before he moved the family to Chorley where they lived and worked at the Yarrow Bridge Smithy, a blacksmith shop adjacent to the Standish Arms Hotel,a popular coaching Inn on the main thoroughfare.

Standish Arms

1878 Marriage of William Ashton Jnr and Ann Wilson

William Ashton took over from John Ashcroft shortly after marrying Ann Wilson in 1878 and the two of them were to run the business, as well as William working the farm for almost the next 20 years.

1881 Census - William Ashton

1891 Census - William Ashton

1892 Map

LIVE STOCK

Two Sows 14 weeks old - Apply, William Carr, Black Bull Inn, Penwortham. 

17 June 1896 - Lancashire Evening Post - Preston, Lancashire, England

1901 Census - Thomas Riley

The below census confirms William and Ann Ashton were living in Bamber Bridge by the time of the 1891 census and back working as farmers.

1901 Census - William Ashton New Lemon House, Bamber Bridge

Thomas Riley's stay at the pub was to be short-lived as it was advertised to let later in 1901.

TO BE LET

BLACK BULL INN, Penwortham with brewhouse, outbuildings, and about

six acres of land; early possession can arranged.—Apply, by letter, T. Sharples 

29 October 1901 - Lancashire Evening Post - Preston, Lancashire, England

TO BE LET

BLACK BULL INN, Penwortham - early particulars can be had -

Apply by letter to T. Sharples, Brewery House, Longton.

15 April 1905 - Lancashire Evening Post - Preston, Lancashire, England

Thomas Wilkins was the manager of the Longton based brewery W & R Wilkins at that time. Further information on the brewery can be found on the following link.

W & R Wilkins

1905 Kelly's Directory - Henry Livesey

1909 Map

1911 Census 

1911 Census - Thomas Doyle

 CHARGES AGAINST WIFE & THREE MEN DISMISSED

At Leyland today, Philip J. J. Clifton, licensee the Black Bull Inn, Penwortham

was charged with selling, supplying and permitting consumption of

intoxicating liquor during prohibited hours.

14 March 1921 - Lancashire Evening Post - Preston, Lancashire, England

1924 Kelly's Directory - Philip J Clifton

1938 Map

1939 Register - Philip J J Clifton

1940 Probate Philip Clifton

Blackpool Grand

 The air was tinged by the acrid smell of burnt wood. One of the largest bonfires in the district was held outside the Black Bull inn, Penwortham, where 200 children were given

combined Victory and Guy Fawkes party. Mounted on the pile were two realistic Guys.

06 November 1945 - Lancashire Evening Post - Preston, Lancashire, England

In the post-war period a Thomas Loxham was the landlord for a period of time and whilst I have no direct proof of this I suspect he was related to the Loxham family who ran the Pear Tree Inn at Middleforth Green during the early 1900s.

Pear Tree Inn