BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



WHALLEY 



rent ; his son and heir Robert CunlifFe was eleven 

 years old." Administration of his estate was granted 

 in 1672 to Elizabeth Cunlifte, his widow. He left 

 sisters and co-heirs. Afterwards it was held by 

 Turnley (1697) and Brooksbank.'* Ne.irer Sparth, or 

 Old Sparth, was acquired in 1669 by a family named 

 Whalley, afterwards of Clerk Hill.^^ Both Sparths 

 are now included in the Clayton Hall estate. Oaken- 

 shaw, another ancient freehold estate, was a century 

 ago the property of Fort, Taylor & Co., calico 

 printers *° ; it now belongs to the trustees of the late 

 Joseph Barnes. 



Nicholas Duxbury in 1628 held a messuage in 

 Clayton-le-Moors of the king as of his m.inor of 

 East Greenwich.^' 



For the hearth tax of 1666 there were seventy- 

 three hearths liable, Richard Walmesley's house 

 having thirty-one and Richard Grimshaw's nine.*^ 

 The land tax of 1789 shows the principal owners to 

 have been Lord Petre, James Lomax and John 

 Brooksbank.*' 



An inclosure award was made in 1797, an Act 

 having been passed in 1794. 



In connexion with the Church of England, All 

 Saints' was erected in 1840, a district being assigned 

 to it at the same time. The patronage is vested in 

 three trustees. There are mission rooms called 

 St. James's and St. Michael's. 



The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel at Oaken- 

 shaw in 1830 ; the present church was built in 

 1862 and that of the Primitive Methodists in 1858 ; 

 the former has also a mission room. The Baptists 

 have had a place of worship since 1849 — the present 

 one was erected in 1888 ** ; and the Swedenborgians 

 have one called New Jerusalem, existing in 1870. 

 Thomas JoUie of Wymondhouses had a meeting- 

 place at Sparth in Clayton in 1689, but it does not 

 seem to have been permanent. ^^ 



The Roman Catholic church of St. Mary, built in 

 1 8 19, represents the 17th-century mission of Dunken- 

 halgh,^^ and has its registers, which begin in 1764. 

 The mission at Clayton was first opened in 18 10. 

 Mass is said to have been celebrated at Sparth. Over 

 the altar is a painting of the Presentation by one of 

 the Caracci. 



OLD ACCRINGTON, NEW 

 ACCRINGTON 



Acrinton, 1277 ; Akeringtone, 1296 ; Akryngton, 

 1311. 



The two townships of Accrington, united since 

 1878, have the following areas : Old, 792 acres ; 

 New, 2,633 acres.^ Old Accrington forms the 



northern edge of the whole, but has two detached 

 portions^ within New Accrington, while the modern 

 town spreads over both portions. The population 

 in 1901 numbered 43,122. 



The town lies at the foot of Hameldon Hill to 

 the east and the Haslingden hills to the south, and 

 from these hills three brooks descend westward, 

 north-west and north to join near the old church, 

 and as one stream flow west to the Hyndburn. The 

 town grew up along the road from Clitheroe to 

 Haslingden and the south, here called Whalley Road, 

 Abbey Street and Manchester Road in succession. 

 It passes close to the brooks named near their 

 junctions, and is joined by the Blackburn Road from 

 the west, while the Burnley Road goes off from it to 

 the north-east. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Rail- 

 way Company's line from Clifton to Colne passes 

 through the centre of the town, the station (1848) 

 being in Old Accrington ; at that point the line is 

 joined by one from Blackburn. 



On the north side of the town are the districts of 

 Milnshaw, Meadow Top and Lane Side. On the 

 west side the town is continuous with Church ; 

 Antley, Dunnyshope and Scaitcliffe being to the 

 south-west. On the south side are Woodnook and 

 Hollins, and on the south-east border, on the road to 

 Haslingden, is the modern village of Baxenden. On 

 the east of the town are High Riley and Warmden 

 Clough. 



The hearth tax return of 1666 shows that thirty- 

 eight hearths were liable in Old Accrington, only one 

 house there having as many as four ; but ninety- 

 three were liable in New Accrington, where John 

 Cunliffe had the largest house, six hearths, and there 

 were others with five and four hearths.' 



A century ago Accrington was only a \ considerable 

 village,' but by 1830 it had become a centre of 

 calico printing and cotton spinning. These trades 

 continue to be the principal ones, but there have 

 also grown up extensive works for supplying the 

 machinery used in those factories, and some minor 

 industries. Collieries and quarries are worked, and 

 there is a brewery. A mine of ironstone is 

 mentioned in 1462.^ The agricultural land is 

 almost entirely devoted to pasture, there being no 

 arable land, 1,987^ acres in permanent grass and 26 

 used for woods and plantations.^^ The soil is a heavy 

 clay. Near Accrington is a good deal of bog soil, 

 out of which oak trees have been dug.^ 



At a point in the east of the township, where the 

 boundaries of Hapton and Huncoat join, was a well 

 formerly called Mare or Mere Hole Well, at which a 

 popular festival was formerly held on the first Sunday 

 in May." 



" Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rcc. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), ii, 24. Christopher's will 

 mentions his five younger children — 

 John, Thomas, Anne, Mary and Alice. 



'^ The Brooksbanks, who came from 

 Cartmel, were in possession early in the 

 1 8th century. Charles Brooksbanic sold 

 part of the Sparth estate in 1804-7 to 

 R. G. Lomax, and in 1809 bequeathed 

 the remainder to James Lomax ; infor- 

 mation of Mr. R. Trappes- Lomax. 



™ Whitaker, Whalley, ii, 18 ; Abram, 

 Blackhuni, ^a^-y. Sparth was sold to 

 R. G. Lomax in 1830. 



" See the account of Read. 



®^ Duchyof Lanc.Inq.p.m.xxvi,no. 26; 

 Towneley MS. C 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 343. 



s^ Lay Subs. Lanes, bdle. 250, no. 9. 

 Another house had five hearths ; the rest 

 were smaller. 



^ Returns at Preston. 



^ There was an earlier Baptist assembly 

 at Oakenshaw, from which sprang that at 

 Accrington, but it died out ; Parry, 

 Cloughfold Bapt. Ch. 193. 



85 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 

 231. 



^ The first record of it is in 1701, 

 when it was served by George Lovell, a 

 Jesuit ; Foley, Rec. S. J. v, 321, 325. 



' The Census Rep. I 90 1 gives a total of 

 3,427 acres, including 42 of inland water. 



2 Called Ferngore and Icornliurst. 



^ Lay Subs. Lanes, bdle. 250, no. 9, 



* Whitakcr, PThalleyy i, 322. 



In 1584 commissioners for inquiring 

 into * concealed lands ' reported that there 

 were mines of coal, cannel and lead at 

 Accrington not yielding any rent. 'As 

 the countries near adjoining are already 

 well provided with sufficient store of fire 

 and fuel ' it was recommended that these 

 mines should be let for 51. a year ; Duchy 

 of Lane. Special Com, 353. 



^* Statistics from Bd. of Agric. (1905), 

 ^ Baines, Lanes, (cd. 1836), iii, 287. 



* N.andQ. (ser. 9), iv, 396 ; also a long 

 summary, ibid, vi, 151. The festival 

 was stopped before 1870 on account of 

 the damage done to fences, &c., and the 

 well was covered up. 



