Pilkington family of Lancashire
A Lancashire landed family recorded from the medieval period, with principal branches associated with Pilkington, Bury, and Rivington.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Pilkington family of Lancashire was a medieval and early modern English landed family whose name derived from the manor and township of Pilkington in the historic county of Lancashire. The family belonged to the regional gentry and, at different times, held manorial rights and landed interests in Pilkington, Rivington, Bury, Prestwich, Alkrington, Cheetham, Salford, Bolton, and other parts of Lancashire and the north of England. It is distinct from the later industrial glass-manufacturing company that also used the Pilkington name. The family’s early history is documented through land transactions, legal disputes, feudal obligations, marriage settlements, and military service. Alexander de Pilkington and his descendants appear in records concerning holdings at Rivington and Worsthorne during the thirteenth century. At the Great Inquest of 1212, a member of the family held land under the barony of Manchester and also possessed land at Rivington in the king’s thanage. The family’s position developed through inheritance, purchases, marriages, and service to regional and royal lords. By the late thirteenth century, the Pilkingtons held the manor of Pilkington and had acquired or controlled additional property in the surrounding region. The family divided into several branches. A junior branch became associated with Rivington after Sir Alexander de Pilkington transferred his Rivington lands to his son Richard around 1290, reportedly in connection with Richard’s marriage to Ellen de Anderton. The Rivington branch retained the manor for centuries and was associated with Rivington Hall, local religious foundations, and education. Another principal line was connected with Bury, where the family constructed a moated residence later known as Bury Castle. A separate Stand branch occupied Stand Old Hall after about 1405. These estates expressed the family’s status as landholders and local officials rather than as a commercial enterprise. Several members served in military campaigns and public office. Sir Roger Pilkington served in campaigns connected with the Hundred Years’ War and attended John of Gaunt. He also represented Lancashire in Parliament on several occasions. Sir John Pilkington held regional custodial and administrative offices and participated in the French wars. Members of the wider family served as High Sheriffs of Lancashire, while Sir Charles Pilkington held the shrievalty of Nottingham and Derby in the late fifteenth century. The family was involved in the Wars of the Roses. Sir Thomas Pilkington supported Richard III and fought for him at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Following the Lancastrian victory, Thomas was attainted and his Lancashire estates were confiscated and transferred to the newly created Earl of Derby. This dispossession marked a major decline in the senior Lancashire line, although Thomas later received a royal pardon in 1508. The loss of the principal estates helps explain why Stand Hall replaced rather than continued the earlier family seat, while Stand Old Hall ultimately became a farm building and later disappeared. The Rivington branch survived longer. Its manor interest continued until Robert Pilkington’s death in 1605, after which part of the estate was sold in 1611 to relatives, with arrangements made for Katherine Pilkington and her heirs. The most prominent later figure associated with this branch was James Pilkington, the first Protestant Bishop of Durham. Born around 1518 at Rivington, he founded Rivington Grammar School under a charter granted during the reign of Elizabeth I. The family’s legacy therefore extended beyond landholding into ecclesiastical service, education, heraldry, and local institutional history. The family arms and crest remain represented in local civic symbolism, including the crest of Horwich.
History
The Pilkington name originated in the manor of Pilkington in Lancashire. Medieval records place members of the family among the landholders connected with the barony of Manchester and the royal thanage at Rivington. Alexander de Pilkington and his descendants were involved in thirteenth-century conveyances, quitclaims, inheritance claims, and litigation concerning land in Rivington, Worsthorne, Saddleworth, Sholver, and nearby districts. These records show a family consolidating a regional estate through both feudal tenure and private acquisition. Roger de Pilkington, who died around 1270, is recorded as a knight in possession of the manor of Pilkington. His successor, Alexander de Pilkington, expanded the family’s landholding at Rivington by acquiring smaller interests. Around 1290, Alexander transferred the Rivington estate to his second son Richard, apparently as part of the arrangements surrounding Richard’s marriage. This created the basis for the junior line later known as the Pilkingtons of Rivington, while the senior line retained the principal association with Pilkington and other Lancashire manors. Roger Pilkington, who died in 1322, inherited the family’s knighthood and manor. His marriages brought additional property and interests, including a share of Barton, the manor of Otteby, land at Great Lever, and part of a mill at Reddish. In 1291 he received free-warren rights over several Lancashire locations. He also made settlements designed to regulate succession between his sons. Roger took part in the Scottish campaign that culminated in Bannockburn and was captured after the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322. His son Roger secured a pardon through overseas military service. The next Sir Roger Pilkington served in campaigns under Henry of Grosmont and John of Gaunt, including expeditions in France. He represented Lancashire in six Parliaments between 1363 and 1384 and died in 1407. His son Sir John inherited the family position and was involved in the French wars, represented Lancashire in Parliament, and held the office of escheator in Ireland. Through his marriage to Margaret, heir of John Verdon, the family acquired or settled interests in estates in Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, and Norfolk. These alliances strengthened the family’s status beyond Lancashire. The family developed substantial architectural and institutional associations. A moated house at Bury was built between approximately 1359 and 1400 and was later known as Bury Castle. Sir Thomas Pilkington received a licence to crenellate the residence in 1469 and was made a Knight of the Order of the Bath in 1475. The family seat at Stand Old Hall was established after about 1405 on higher ground overlooking the medieval deer park at Pilkington. It may have received permission for defensive crenellation in 1470. Stand Old Hall was later superseded by Stand Hall, built farther south in 1515 after the family had lost possession of the estate; the earlier building became agricultural premises and was demolished in the twentieth century. The fifteenth century brought both prominence and political danger. Pilkington knights supported factions during the Wars of the Roses, and three members of the broader family served as High Sheriffs of Lancashire. Sir Thomas Pilkington backed Richard III and fought at Bosworth in 1485. Henry VII’s victory resulted in Thomas’s attainder and the confiscation of his Lancashire manors. The estates were granted to the Earl of Derby. Although Thomas obtained a royal pardon in 1508, the senior branch’s political and territorial position had been fundamentally weakened. The Rivington branch remained active into the seventeenth century. Its members held the Rivington manor, maintained Rivington Hall, and participated in local religious and educational life. Robert Pilkington’s death in 1605 was followed by the sale of part of the family’s manor interest in 1611, while other property was reserved for Katherine Pilkington and her heirs. James Pilkington, born at Rivington around 1518, became the first Protestant Bishop of Durham. He used his position and family connection to establish Rivington Grammar School in 1566 under an Elizabethan charter. The Pilkington arms and crest, including the emblem of a mower with a scythe, continued to influence local heraldic traditions and civic imagery.
- 1611
Part of Rivington estate sold
[1]A share of the Rivington manor was sold to relatives Robert Lever and Thomas Breres, with provisions for Katherine Pilkington and her heirs.
- 1605
End of the main Rivington manor holding
[1]Robert Pilkington died, marking the end of the family’s direct holding of the Rivington manor before its subsequent partial sale.
- 1566
Rivington Grammar School founded
[1]James Pilkington founded Rivington Grammar School under a charter granted by Elizabeth I.
- 1508
Royal pardon for Sir Thomas Pilkington
[1]Thomas Pilkington later received a royal pardon, although the earlier confiscation had permanently altered the family’s estate position.
- 1485
Defeat at Bosworth and attainder
[1]Sir Thomas Pilkington fought for Richard III at Bosworth; after Henry VII’s victory, Thomas was attainted and his Lancashire estates were confiscated.
- 1475
Thomas Pilkington receives Bath knighthood
[1]Sir Thomas Pilkington was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Bath.
- 1469
Licence to crenellate Bury Castle
[1]Sir Thomas Pilkington received permission to fortify the family’s moated Bury residence.
- 1405
Stand Old Hall becomes the family seat
[1]The family’s principal seat is associated with Stand Old Hall, built on elevated ground overlooking the Pilkington deer park.
Early recorded land transactions at Rivington
[1]Alexander, William, and Alice de Pilkington appear in a legal settlement concerning land at Rivington and Worsthorne.
Recorded as regional landholders
[1]A Pilkington is listed among the knights holding land under the barony of Manchester and in the king’s thanage at Rivington.
Products and positioning
Historic Lancashire landed family and regional gentry house, known for manorial estates, military and parliamentary service, heraldic identity, and later ecclesiastical and educational patronage.
Sources1 sources
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