 The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica describes Pemberton as being part of Wigan (which then formed 5082 acres).In 1920, the Pemberton parish was abolished and its former area was used to enlarge the Wigan parish, making the area of the parish and county borough identical.Pemberton today is considered part of Wigan for purposes of the Office for National Statistics, and in most reputable contemporary publications.