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Parsonage Retail Park - Parsonage Colliery memorial

In November 1915 lists of occupations were scheduled as vitally important for war work including coal mining so lots of local men were exempt from conscription. That didn’t stop them from enlisting voluntarily. Wigan Coal and Iron Company employed 1,657 men at their Sovereign, Priestner’s and Parsonage Pits. 688 went to fight out of which 81 were killed and 118 wounded. Parsonage Pits lost eight men. Its two shafts were the deepest in Lancashire reaching 905 metres. The sinking of the shafts began in 1913 but was halted for two years in early 1914 because of the war. But the Wigan Coal and Iron Company ensured that every enlisted employee, on his return, was found work again.

When Mayor Ashworth was asked to unveil the memorials he said that he hoped that when the workers of each pit went past their particular memorial tablet they would be ‘reminded of something for which those men laid down their lives, and they would strive to do their best to make England a brighter, a better, and a happier place.’

Each tablet was made of solid, imperishable bronze and the Managing Director of the Company, Mr. Hewlett said that he hoped that as long the pits existed the memorials would remain. Coal winding ceased in 1976 at Parsonage and both pits were fully closed in 1992 but the war memorial was rescued before demolition and re-sited in Leigh Library. We will now proceed to St Peter’s War Memorial down Firs Lane.

Image of Parsonage Pit, Leigh on the 9 November 1929.

Click here for a map for this part of the tour.