A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



a wide landicape towards PenJle Hill m^y be seen 

 over the deep gorge of the River Calder, which lorms 

 the northern boundary. Elsewhere the land slopes 

 gently to the Hyndburn, a tributary of the Calder, 

 on the eastern and south-eastern boundary, and to 

 Norden Brooic on the south. On the north-west the 

 boundary runs almost in a straight line along the 

 ridge of Billington Moor, terminating in the Calder 

 half a mile above Whalley Bridge. On the south- 

 eastern slope stands the town of Great Harwood, and 

 here the subsoil consists of the Coal ^Measures, but 

 elsewhere of the Millstone Grit. The soil varies from 

 gravel to clay. The area is 2,863 acres and in 1 90 1 

 the population numbered 12,015 persons.^ The 

 land consists of meadow and pasture ; but on the 

 high ground the herbage is principally bent grass. 

 There is a considerable area of woodland in scattered 

 plantations.^ The high road from Clitheroe to 

 Accrington passes to the west of the town, with a 

 branch road leading through it to Rishton and Black- 

 burn. The old and almost disused road from 

 Clitheroe to Blackburn crosses the extreme western 

 angle of the township at Dean Head. The Great 

 Harwood loop of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Co.'s 

 line from Blackburn passes through the south side of 

 the town, where there is a station, and continuing 

 passes through Padiham 10 re oin the main line at 

 Rose Grove. 



The township \v.i3 formed into 

 the ancient parish of Blackburn in 

 Government Act, 1858, was adopted in 1863,' but 

 under the Local Government Act, l 894, the town is 

 now governed by an urban district council. A town 

 hall was erected in 1900. The council purchased 

 the weekly market from the ladies of the manor 

 about 1896. The town is well paved and supplied 

 with gas and water by the Accrington District Gas 

 and Water Board, whose extensive reservoir is at 

 Dean Head in the township. The principal industry 

 is cotton spinning and weaving,* and there are also 

 collieries, an iron foundry and quarries of good stone. 

 A fair is held annually in the second or third week of 

 August. An agricultural society formed in 1857 

 holds a show yearly. 



The area of the township corresponds with that of 

 the civil parish and urban district. 



The demesne of Martholme, an ancient seat of 

 the Heskeths, occupies the low ground on the left 

 bank of the Calder. The mill and its weir are in 



a chapelry out of 

 1X37. The Local 



ruins, but the weir >\as in working order till about 

 1S85. The sewage works of the Great Harwood 

 and Clayton-le-Moors Joint Sewerage Board are at 

 Martholme. ClifFe is a suburb of Great Harwood, 

 near All Springs. At Cock Bridge, where the road 

 to Whalley crosses the Calder, there are a few houses. 



There is a cemetery with mortuary chapel on the 

 road to Rishton, near Lidgett. 



John Mercer, calico printer and chemist, inventor 

 of the ' mercerising process,' was born at Dean in 

 Great Harwood in 1 79 1, and died in 1866. He 

 was a Wesleyan in religion.' The clock tower in 

 Towngate was erected in 1903 as a memorial to him. 

 GREAT HARWOOD, rated as two 

 MANOR plough-lands, probably formed part of the 

 hundredal demesne after the Conquest, 

 though some part may have been held in thegnage by 

 the family which afterwards bore the local name. 

 By Henry de Lacy (1146-77) it was granted to 

 Richard Fiton to hold by knight's service and con- 

 firmed to him about 1 1 80 by Robert de Lacy to 

 hold for the fourth part of a Icnight's fee.^ Richard 

 Fiton died about 1 190, for whilst John Count of 

 Mortain held the honor of Lancaster, Richard 

 Fiton, son and heir of the last-named Richard, re- 

 covered possession of the wood of Harwoods Holme 

 in the count's court by writ of mort tPancesior. He 

 lost possession wlien John was deprived of the honor 

 in 1 1 94, but paid a fine to John when king in 1200 

 and again recovered the wood.^ His brother John 

 Fiton obtained lands here before 1200 and probably 

 resided in the township. Before 1220 he exchanged 

 certain lands adjoining the Milne Brook, Hindburn 

 and Gamelsgate * with Henry son of Hugh de 

 Elvetham for 2 oxgangs of land here which Henry 

 held of him. He frequently attested charters whilst 

 Gilbert de Notton and Geoffrey de Dutton were 

 seneschals of Blackburnshire.' 



A few years before his death, which occurred in 

 I 246, Richard Fiton gave the manor to his son Hugh 

 with the service of his nephew Richard son of his 

 brother John Fiton. Hugh is named in the inquest 

 of the Gascon scutage taken in January 1243 as hold- 

 ing of Edmund de Lacy the fourth part of a knight's 

 fee in this place. i" In 1 246 Hugh Fiton recovered 

 common of pasture in the wood and moor of Harwood 

 against Richard son of John Fiton, but shortly after 

 he released to his cousin land called Fulache which 

 he had wrongfully withheld from him.^' Hugh 



1 Survey of 1895 gives 2,868 acres, of 

 which 68 arc inland water ; Census Rep. 

 1901. 



^ The agricultural returns for 1905 

 give arable land J acre, permanent grass 

 2,187 acres, woods and plantations 164 

 acres, ^ Lond. Gaz. 4650. 



* The manufacture of rough linen 

 cloths, checks or plaids was conducted in 

 the houses here 250 years ago. Early in 

 the T9th century many people were em- 

 ployed in their homes in weaving hand- 

 loom-made calico and in printing works 

 at Oakenshaw, in Clayton-le-Moors, 

 half a mile from the present town of 

 Great Harivood. The first cotton mill 

 was erected by Mr. Lawrence Catterall 

 about the year 184.6; Abram, Hist, of 

 Blackburn, 529-3:. 



' Diet. Nat. Big. The-: ivere several 

 Mercer families in the townsHip ; Ab.-am, 

 op. cit 543-4. 



"Close, 25 Eliz. pt. v; Harl. MS. 

 2074, fol. 55. The boundaries of the 

 * Land of Much Harewude ' are specified 

 in the confirmation as follows : — * Begin- 

 ning at the head of the Redbrok (Dean 

 Brook) eastward to the Denecrage (near 

 Dean Head), thence upwards towards the 

 thorn brake on the west to the Stonerake 

 in the common highway and along the 

 same to the foot of the Risshequam (i.e. 

 ru^hy swamp) on the north side of the 

 highway, thence to the Lawc beneath 

 Sirdiffe (Shawcliffe), to the Nabbenoke 

 (near Whalley Nab), down to and along 

 the little brook beneath the Fallingstone 

 (in Nab Wood) to the water of Caldre, 

 ascending the water (of Calder) to the 

 foot of Hindeburne Water, up the same to 

 the foot of Northdene (Norden), ascend- 

 ing that water weitward to a stream 

 lunning across Dungecarrc (Dunscar, in 

 Rishton), folio-wing that stream beneath 



the Taggetstonc (near Height Houae) 

 whilst it continues and then straight to 

 the head of the Redbrokc.' 



From thia it will be seen that a portion 

 of Rishton lying to the west of Tottlc- 

 worth — once the property of the chief 

 lord of Great Harwood — at this time 

 formed part of the * land of M jch Har- 

 wood,' 



' Farrer, Lanc%. Pipe R. 115. 



® Gamelsgate is the highway between 

 Whalley and Accrington. 



» Hesketh D. in Towneley MS. DD, 

 no. 1735-7 ; Whalley Couch, (a.d. 1200- 

 14), pp. 836, 1069-73. 



"Towneley MS. DD, no. 1723; 

 Lanes. In-j. (Rec. Soc xlviii), 151. 



^Assize R, (Rec. Soc. rlvii), 38; 

 Towneley MS, DD, ao. 1705. To hii 

 cousin William dc Harwood ni released 

 land in the tenure of John aon of Clibard j 

 ibid. no. 1-0?. 



