Exploring Preston’s Historic Public Washing Ground

A collection of history articles by William Pilkington about Preston between 1841 and 1911 includes one that has information about the public washing ground on Preston Moor around 1840 that I have never come across before.

This is what he wrote:

‘The public washing ground was situated at the top of Meadow-street. There was at that time no East-view, Deepdale-road, or Longridge Railway. The land looking north and east of Meadow-street was called the Moor. The houses were not supplied with water. Some of the people had long distances to carry it or pay for delivery, so they brought their clothes to the washing ground and made round fireplaces of bricks, on which they put their pans, and obtained water from the surrounding pits, drying their clothes on the grass. The open-air washhouse was a scene of great activity. Sometimes upwards of thirty women might be seen at work. Every day was a washing day except Sunday.’

There are several references to washing pools in the Preston court leet records. The first occurs in May 1655: ‘If Mr. Maior and Counsell shall see cause and think fitt, to order the Baliffes to ellecte [erect] and cause a cukstoole [to be] sett upon the wall of the washinge pool, else to pay 3s. 4d.’

The cuckstool, in which offenders, nearly always women, were strapped and ducked, was located between the present Meadow Street and Deepdale Road. It is remembered on Lang’s 1774 plan of the town by the three fields named Cuckstool (see picture).

There were outdoor laundry facilities in other parts of the town, as again shown in the court leet records: ‘Ye Balives for not repaireing the washing Sykes or Troughes at the Spittle Moss & do amerce then in 13s. 4d a peice in case they are not repaired on or before the first of May next.’ Fylde Road now runs through the site of Spittle Moss.

A large number of pits on the moor for the women mentioned by Pilkington to get their water from can be seen on Lang’s plan. Those pits, 17 in total, were probably dug illegally to get clay for making bricks. There are several cases brought before the court leet, as for example in 1653 when Roger Woodroffe had dug enough clay to make several thousand bricks:

‘Wee find and pr’sent Roger Woodroffe hath broken upp the Townes wast, without the privitie of Mr. Maior or his officers, and made Breek and sould five thousand forth of the liberties of this Towne, Contrary to the 8th Order of Mr. Preston’s Guild, and a thousand to a stranger, carryed away in a Boate, and hath therefore by the said Order forfeited iijl. – To pay for this offence 5s., and to enter bond not to commit the like in paine of 40s. And wee further pr’te the said Roger Woodroffe before this Jurie – saith hee wode not pay any money to this Towne but of Curtesie, And therefore we ffind that hee shall observe the said order in all p’ticulars, and forebeare to breake any soyle or digge any pitt for makinge of bricks without the speciall lycense and appointment of Mr. Maior or his officers, upon paine to forfeit for every offense xxs.   ‘

The moor where the 17 pits had been dug was known as Peel Moor. It is not known if these are the ones the corporation ordered to be filled in 1654 because of the danger they presented:

‘The highway on the Peele moore is verie dangerous for both man and beast, by reason of digginge Clay pitts for Bricks and other service of the Towne, And in regard itt is A greate annoyance, and beinge often heretofore presented and noe redress, Wee desire all the old clay pitts may be filled upp and made eaven by people from everie house within this Towne, at the appointment of Mr. Maior and his brethren, as they in theire discretion shall thinke meete, when the weather may be convenient for the same.’

Possibly, the earlier pits were filled in and the 17 on Lang’s 1774 plan were the result of subsequent digging. By that date, a large field next to those pits was named Brick Kiln Croft (see plan), which suggests there was by then a substantial brick making enterprise there.