Penwortham in South Australia was the birthplace of my grandfather and his brothers. My grandfather named his farm in Western Australia Penwortham, and the farm remained in the family through four generations, only sold in recent years to Rhodes Pastoral. Our stud, based in Bridgetown, continues the link with its name.
John Ainsworth Horrocks (1818-1846), pastoralist
and explorer, was born on 22 March 1818 at Penwortham Lodge, near Preston, Lancashire, England. He arrived in South Australia
in 1839.
On the advice of Edward John Eyre, John Horrocks explored land near the Hutt River north of Adelaide, and established Penwortham village. Other pastoralists followed him into the area. In 1841, Horrocks gained title to only some of the fertile land he had been occupying. He built up a flock of 9,000 sheep and is believed to have established the first vineyard in the Clare district.
Where did the name of the town Penwortham in Lancaster originate? The distinctive town name is derived from
Celtic and Anglo Saxon origins, it is a hybrid of the Welsh pen, meaning hill and the Old English word worphamm, meaning enclosed
homestead, with earlier names of Peneverdant and Pendrecham (1200); Penwrtham (1204); Penuertham (1212); Penwortham (1260) and Penewrthamn
(1292). From Wikipedia. The Place Names of Lancashire (page 135) has a more detailed analysis.
