Kirkless Hall

Kirkless Hall was located in the parish of Aspull and the estate extended beyond the border of Aspull into Ince and Wigan. In the early 18th. Century the estate was owned by Richard Houghton. Probably due to the deaths of Richard Houghton and his son, Richard Houghton’s wife sold the estate to Thomas Kendrick and in turn the estate passed to John Kendrick. John Kendrick began to sink pits in order to work the cannel and took several others into partnership. A pumping engine was erected in 1773, the cylinder being cast and bored by John Wilkinson of Bersham. Due to the bankruptcies of some of the partners the concern became principally owned by John Hodson.

Whilst the pits worked during this time were quite successful it was not until John Lancaster obtained a lease from the trustees of Hodson in 1845 that rapid expansion commenced. Two new shafts were sunk at Kirkless, one to the Arley and one to the Haigh Yard mines. John Lancaster had several partners and the partnership styled themselves as the Kirkless Hall Coal & Cannel Company.

Arley and Haigh Yard coal slack proved to be suitable for making metallurgical coke and in order to use this otherwise unsaleable slack, the Kirkless ironworks was established in 1858. Henceforth the concern became known as the Kirkless Hall Coal & Iron Company. Merger into the Wigan Coal & Iron Co. Ltd took place in 1865 and Kirkless became the centre of operations of the new organisation. For some years John Lancaster continued to play a leading role but severed his connection in 1870. The Earl of Crawford and members of the Lindsay family purchased most of Lancaster’s shares resulting in the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres having a controlling interest in the Wigan Coal & Iron Co. Ltd.

During the period of the Kirkless Hall companies a large number of leases were obtained in Aspull, Ince, Hindley, Westhoughton and West Leigh. Many landlords were involved including Warrington Blue Coat School, Lord Lilford, the Countess of Ellesmere and the trustees of the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, and perhaps strangely, the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres. From 1865 the Wigan Coal & Iron Co. Ltd developed and intensively worked in the leases.