Annals and stories of Colne and neighbourhood
1fff)tK^tttixiOl^ffU>»t»i-J,r»Ui*MS»tUMi>Uif(>n ^^%?;:' :y^<i?%';%-Mv%%? W^W^^ 1 B 1 ' '■ 4 \ \ \ : \ t ; \ • :. - ^^:J -.iiSAV:sw.-<;;:?s:^" < Kr- i ^ J v^«. ■nmmiMii^a qC3 T C:, f THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES fy^^pn^ — ^ — — , ^e^vu^i: k Digitized by tlie Internet Arcliive in ^007 witli funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation littp://www.arcli ive.org/details/annalsstoriesofcOOcarriala ANNALS AND STOEIES COLNE NEIGHBOURHOOD. : JAMES ^ARR, A MEMBER Ot THE ilECORD. SOCIETY, LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE. NEW AND RBVJSSD EDITION. Printed by John Hetwood, Manchester, for Thomas Duerden, Bookseller, The Arcade, Colne ; Henry Hackenley, Bookseller, Market Street, Colne; and Mark Hartley, Bookseller, Church Street, Colne. 1878. QA TO THE REVEREND JOHN HENDERSON, EX-RECTOR OF COLNE, AS ONE WHO HAS PLATED NO UNIMPORTANT PART IN SHAPINQ THE DESTINIES AND PROMOTING THE WBLPARB OF THE INHAEITANT8 OF THE ANCIENT TOWN OP COLNE, THIS LITTLE WORK IS, BY PERMISSION, RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. PRINTER'S ERRORS. Page 35.— For "the hand-loom weavers" read "the prospects of hand-loom weavers." Page 115.— For " occcasioned " read "occasioned." Page 132.— For "Pasley" read "Paslew." Page 156.— For " Whitechurch" read "Whitchurch." Page 169.— "Leap" not "leep." Page 192.— For "Gardale" read "Gordale." PREFACE. This is, I believe, the first published History of Colne, a town on which, considering its antiquity, it has always occurred to me that Whitaker and Baines might, with justice, have said more. Written for the working classes, to the vast majority of whom, if they ever see them, the ponderous History of Whalley and the somewhat costly Baines must be mere works of reference, I have felt it incumbent on me to employ homely language, and in other respects to endeavour to make this a readable book. The scheme of the work is this : It opens with a chapter seeking to show that Colne is a town of Roman origin. Chapters II. and III. deal with its mediajval and modern history, and contain a large amount of information, hitherto unpublished. Chapter IV. relates to the old church, a building on whose history antiquaries rightly love to linger. Chapter V. is devoted to the Colne incumbents, men who in their time have played an important part in local history. Myself a Church- man, I have not hesitated to point out the faults and frailties of some of them. Chapter VI. gives the history of some of our best-known buildings, and contains a short account of good Archbishop Tillotson, whose name is inseparably associated with our Grammar School. Chapter VII. contains the poetry of the neighbourhood. Poetry appeals to some minds with a force and power of which its more sober sister Prose is incapable. Chapter VIII. is the children's chapter — its object being to show the advantages of education, which has done much to Till PREFACE. dispel the belief in ghosts. I do not ask that credence be given to all the stories it contains, but merely to my statement that they were once believed by our forefathers. Inasmuch as witches still abound in Colne, Chapter IX. ought to have its interest. Chapters X. and XI. contain an account of scenes which are happily rare among the peace-loving inhabitants of Colne, and unlikely to recur. Having thus given an idea of the plan of the work, it merely remains for me to solicit indulgence for any errors which may be discovered, on the ground that I am a mere amateur, writing for no profit, and actuated only by a love of the subject, and a desire that this, my native town, should have a history of its own. J. C. Lanffroyd, Colne. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. — Origin and Early History of Colne 11 II. — Mediaeval and Modem History 22 III. — Local Annals 65 IV.— The Old Church 103 V. — The Colne Incumbents 147 VI.— Familiar Spots 175 VII.— Our Poets and Poetry 185 VIIL — Local Traditions, Sayings, and Customs 194 IX.— The Colne Witches 209 X. — Peace and War 224 XI.— Guilty, or Not Guilty ? 233 ANNALS AND STORIES OF COLNE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. CHAPTER I. THE EAKLY HISTORY OF COLNE. "Cohwsio," on, the Seal of the Colne and Martden Local Board. COLNE is a market and manufacturing town situate on an eminence between the hills cf Boulsworth and Pendle, and on the verge of the high moorland tracts which divide the valleys of Lancashire from those of Yorkshire. Ecclesias- tically, it is in the parish of Whalley, rural deanery of Burnley, archdeaconry of Blackburn, and diocese of Man- chester, whilst, civilly, it lies in the hundred of Blackburn, and county of Lancaster. It is a place of great antiquity, arising with Warrington, Lancaster, Manchester, and other towns, in the autumn of a.d. 79, in which year Agricola subdued the county of Lancaster. The name Colne, the orthography of which in successive ages has been Calna, Canne, and Coin, is not peculiar to this town, for there are other Colnes in Huntingdonshire, Essex, 12 ANNALS AND STORIES OP and Gloucestershire — all, nevertheless, of smaller size than Colne in Lancashire — as well as rivers of the same name. ^ Opinion differs as to whether this place derives its name from the ancient British word '■^Col-aun" signifying "the station by the narrow river," the Saxon word " Culme,^* meaning " coal," in allusion to the mines with which the neighbourhood formerly abounded,'^ or the Latin *^ Colonia" a settlement ; but the preponderance of opinion would seem at the present time to be greatly in favour of the last-named derivation, on the ground that Colne was a Roman settle- ment. This naturally leads us to inquire into the grounds on which such an assertion is based, and whether that assertion can be substantiated or not. The erection of the towns before mentioned is sufficiently attested by an Itinerary which was composed about a.d. 139, and the identity of Colne with Colunio, one of them, is generally admitted, Baines, indeed, says : ** There is no doubt that Colne was the Colunio of the Romans," though, he adds, " it may have derived its name from the old British word, Col-aun." But, as the question was once warmly dis- cussed amongst antiquaries, it may be convenient here to state that the claims of Colne rest on the five following grounds : — 1. Its British Name. — " The British name of the town," says the Rev. John Whitaker, the historian of Manchester, " could have resulted only from the British name of the station, and accordingly we find the anonymous chorography placing such a station amongst these hills, next to one which was certainly amongst them — the Cambodimum of > Coin-Rogers, Coin St. Aldwin, and Coin St Denis, in Gloucestershire. Coin, a small river of Gloucestershire. Colne, a pariah in the hundred of Hurstingstone, in the county of Huntingdon. Colne, a river which rises near Hatfield, in the county of Herts, and dis- charges itself in the Thames near Staines. Colne, a river which rises in the county of Essex, and discharges itself in the North Sea at Mercea Island. Earl's Colne, or Great Colne, Colne Engaine, or Colne Parva, Wake Colne, and White Colne, all parishes situate in the hundred of Lexden, in the county of Eesex. Note also Lincoln, Cb2chester, Cologne, and Kulonia in Palestine. ' Dr. Leigh, in his " History of Cheshire, Lancashire," &c., thinks that this ia the most feasilile derivation. OOLNE AND NBIGHBOURHOOD. 13 Antoninus — and giving it in different MSS. the different names of Calunium and Colanea. This name of the station must have been derived from the same name of the river upon which it is erecteil, and which is now denominated Colne Water." If Colne, then, be derived from Col-aun, we have here the narrow river necessary to answer the etymological requirements of the name ; and if from Colunio, it will shortly be seen that there is also in this neighbourhood clear proof of the presence of the Romans. But, further than this, Colne was assuredly the terminus of the Roman road, which, starting from Cambodunum (Slack, near Hudders- field), stretches over Stainland Moor, and passing through the townships of Barkisland and Rishworth, in Yorkshire, crosses the Devil's Causeway and the Roman road from Manchester. Therefore, there would necessarily be strong fortifications here, especially in such a northern situation, where the Romans would require to be constantly on their guard against the incvirsions of their northern enemies, the Picts and Scots. 2. The Appellation of Caster^ to a Cliff about a mile South of, and Overlooking, the Town. — Caster is clearly derived from the Latin " Castra," signifying a camp, and has probably no reference to Castor, the fabled Roman deity, who, with his twin brother Pollux, charged the Latins at the head of the victorious Roman cavalry at the battle of Lake Regillus. Therefore, we have to inquire whether there is anything about this cliflF indicative of a Roman camp, and this naturally leads us to consider — 3. Its Past and Present Appearance. — " Castor Cliff," writes Mr. Stonehouse, of Liverpool, " is one of the most important of the Roman stations hereabouts. Its name is full of Roman life. This fortress stands at the top of a hill, com- manding a view of the whole country round. In the fields towards the north stood the ancient city of Colunio. On its site innumerable relics have from time to time been recovered in arms, ornaments, and utensils. By the steep path that leads ■ Caster is the ancieut, perhaps the more correct, orthography — Castor, the moderu. 14 ANNALS AND STORIES OP from Castor Cliff to Colne, there are evidences of some out- works, which have been used in defence of the place. I am quite certain that a thorough examination of this fortress would prove of great value, and be fraught with high interest." "The iutrenchments on Castor Cliff," says Mr. Wilkinson, F.R.A.S. (in a most interesting paper, entitled " The Battle of Brunanburgh"), "form a parallelogram measuring about 550ft, by 520ft. broad ; but the walls appear to have enclosed an area of about 380ft. in length by 340ft. in breadth. The camp has been protected on the south-west front by a deep gully, and also by a double vallum and fosse, ^ which are still entire about the whole crest of the mound. We were informed that many hundreds of tons of stones have been carted away from the walls within the last 30 or 40 years, all of which appear to have been subjected to intense heat. Large quantities still remain half-buried in the soil, many of them completely vitrified, and others presenting a singularly mottled appear- ance, from having been only half burnt through. The burnt sandstone and lime form excellent manure, and at the time of our visit a luxuriant crop of com and cabbages had just been gathered from the broad ditches of the Roman camp. A less elevated plateau of considerable extent bounds the north-eastern slope, which is again protected by a steep cliff down to the Calder, near Waterside. This would afford a convenient space for the exercise of large bodies of troops, or for the protection of the cattle belonging to the garrison, and it has probably been used for such purposes by the respective masters of the fortifications. Being almost inaccessible on all sides except the east, where they are skirted by the Roman road, these defences when complete, must have constituted one of the strongholds of the north, since they overlook the whole of the Forest of Trawden, Emmott Moor, a great portion of Craven, with the valley of the Calder, and terminate the eastern limit of the ridge on which Saiifield is situated. Castor Cliff has evidently been the key di this portion of Lancashire in the hands of the > A vallum, ia a rampart ; a fotu ia a ditch or moat COLNE AND NBIQHBOURHOOD. 15 Romans, and its importance would undoubtedly not be over- looked by the Saxons and Danes." These, then, are the opinions of the most modem writers on the subject, but it may perhaps be well to add the testimony of the Rev. John Whitaker and Dr. Whitaker, the learned historian of Whalley, written many years ago, so far as it relates to the appearance of Castor Cliff. The former remarks : " There appears the evident skeleton of a Roman station at present ; a regular vallum, encircled by a regular fosse," And the latter writes : " I have lately inspected this camp more accurately, and have procured a sketch of it. The area within the trenches amounts to four acres thirty perches, statute measure, and appears to have been levelled with great exactness. It has a double wall and fosse. The larger stones of the wall have from time to time been removed ; but the smaller ones which remain universally bear marks of fire. The north and east sides are recti- linear, but those on the south and west have followed the line of two very precipitous banks, which have greatly added to the strength of the place. 5. The Voice of Tradition says that Colne was a Roman, Station. — To a knowledge of this tradition may, I think, be attributed the fact that John Wesley, in noting in his journal his visit to Colne in 1759, after making the very natural observation that it was situate on the top of a high round hill, added these words, ^^ formerly, I suppose, a Roman colony." This remark is the more interesting, inasmuch as at this time Colne's claim was not clearly established. Again, the Rev. John Whitaker was aware of this tradition, for he wrote : "The late Bishop of Carlisle^ and myself were both 1 Dr. Edmund Law, formerly Archdeacon, and afterwards Biabop of Carlisle, 1769-87. 16 ANNALS AND STORIES OF at Colne very nearly at the same time, and both failed of success in our searches, tho' the name, the remains, the tradition, are all so striking." These, then, are the grounds on which Colne's claim rests ; but it is only right to state that Dr. Leigh, Bishop Gibson, and Mr. Gough, antiquaries of former days, entertain doubts as to Colne having been a Roman station ; but these doubts rest on a slender foundation, and are suggested mainly by the remains (as distinguished from coins) then found here not being very numerous. It is pleasing, however, to notice that as far back as 1696, love for his native town induced the Rev. Mr. Hargreave, the "learned" Rector of Brandsburton, to come forward, and, in a letter addressed to Dr. Leigh, assert that old Colne's claim of being once allied to the " Mistress of the World " was not a fictitious one. The material portion of his letter is as follows : — *I have often, from the name Coin, conjectured that the place was of more ancient Original than the Tradition current among the Inhabitants made it ; and I was the further confirmed in this by the great number of Roman Coins, which have been frequently dug up nigh it, as in Wheatley Lane, which are generally copper; and those Silver Ones cast up by a Plough, three or four years agoe, nigh Emmet, inclosed in a great Silver Cup, some of which I have seen; one of Qordianus [a.d. 236-8], was very legible, and another not so. I have seen parts of others, whose remains shew they were one of the Antonines. But that which most confirmed my conjecture of this Town's being a Roman Station, was a conversation I was honoured with the last summer by our Reverend Dean of York, Dr. Gale, who was pleased to show me a Book, written about the Seventh Century, by a nameless Author of Ravenna, which is, so far as I know of it, nothing but an Itinerary wherein many ancient names of Towns through the Roman Empire are remembered, which others have omitted, especially in Britain. That Author comes from Camolodunium to Colunium, and thence to Gallunium, which, by the usual transmutation of the Roman tt into our W, that learned person concludes to be Walley [Whalley] and thence, I think, I may safely, from the distance of Coin from Almondbury, and its lying in the Road between that and Whalley, conclude that Coin was a Roman Station. The respect I bear to the place of my Birth, has perchance tempted me to decide too peremptorily in favour of it, which I wholly submit to your very judicious censure ; and if what I have written so hastily be in any way serviceable to your Chapter of Antiquities, I shall be extremely proud to have been in the least measure. Your humble Servant.' COLNB AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 17 Dr. Leigh, in his " History of Cheshire and Lancashire," thought fit to deny its conclusions in the following terms : — With all deference to that learned gentleman [Mr. Hargreave] it is my opinion Coin was not a Roman Station, and that for these following reasons : First, because where the Roman Stations were there are usually fosses and fortifications, of which this Learned Gentleman gives no account, and, tho' the Coins found there might induce him to think so, yel that Instance is not convincing, since they are frequently foimd in several other parts which in probability were never Roman Stations, as at Bury and Standish, in Lancashire. Besides, it is frequently observed that, where the Roman Stations were, there are usually found Roman Altars, dedicated to the Genius of the Place, Paterae, and Fibulae.^ It is likely, therefore, that where those Coins are found, and not the other Antiquities, they were only buried there by the Romans in their marches when they quitted their stations, who rather chose to hide them in the Earth than let them fall into their Enemies' hands. Writing some few years ago in the Preston Guardian, an able writer comments thus on Dr. Leigh's remarks : — ' In reply to Leigh's objection two things may be urged. First, that it is absurd to assume that no ancient remains " exist " at a given spot, because, at a given time, none have been discovered. And, secondly, that it is an error to imagine that all the Roman Stations in Britain were equally important, equally populous, equally imposing, and equally permanent. In respect of the former consideration, fresh traces of Roman occupation have been met with here since Leigh's days, and others yet may be forthcoming in process of time. And, as to the latter suggestion, it is quite possible that Colne was a minor station, held by a small garrison at intervals during periods of disturbance, and abandoned on account of its remoteness from the sea and from the great military roads in time of tranquillity. Leigh urges that altars and similar structures are commonly found at the Roman Stations, and that no such relics have been heard of at Colne. The objection would apply Goblets and brass rings. 18 ANNALS AND STORIES OP with equal force to Walton, and many other places accepted by antiquaries as sites of stations in various parts of the country, where no altars, inscribed stones, or vestiges of Roman architecture have been exposed to view. Nor is it possible for Leigh to dispose thus summarily of the fact that the rampart and ditch of a large military eai-thwork, most apparently Roman, are still visible on the adjacent summit. This may have been the only fortification of the Romans at this spot, but it is more likely that it was but the " summer camp," and that another fortress, available for winter quarters, was nigh at hand in some less exposed situation.' In the next place, w*e have to consider the question as to where the station and town of Coluuio stood, supposing Castor Cliff was only the summer camp. Here again, un- fortunately, there is a difference of opinion, though all agree that they were not on the present site of Colne proper. The town would undoubtedly be near the fortifications, for the purposes of protection. But then comes the question, Was Castor Cliff the only fortification 1 The Rev. John Whitaker thinks that the station must have been there, but Dr. Whitaker dissents from this view, and is of opinion that Castor Clifi" was only the summer camp of the Romans, and that tjie station itself was on the banks of the river, where all traces of it have in process of time been effaced by cul- tivation and other causes. Others, again, have urged that the station was near Greenfield, where the waters of the river divide and re-unite. And they ass^ert, that, when, in 1825, workmen were laying the foundation of a mill there, they found a considerable number of Roman coins. But these are all conjectures, and it is probable that the real site is irrecoverably lost. One other point remains to be noticed. Referring to a house named Burwains, not far from Castor Cliff, Dr. Whitaker remarks : " The name of Burwains (Burghwains) naturally excites in the mind of an antiquary the expecta- tion of something Roman about it, as Burnswork and Burrens, the last a corruption of Burwains, as the former of Burrenswork,?LTe the modern appellations of the two celebrated camps near Middleby, in Scotland, the Blatum Bulgium of Antonine'sltinerai-y." And here the doctor ends, unmindful, perhaps, of the fact that a portion of Colne itself is built COLNB AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 19 upon Burwains or Burrance Meadow, and that a mile and a half beyond is Burwains in Foulridge. A glance at the Ordnance Map will suffice to show the richness of this neighbourhood in Roman, Danish, and Saxon remains — a richness which has caused Mr. Stonehouse to assert, that, between the towns of Burnley and Colne, there are more objects of antiquarian interest scattered about than may be found in any other part of England. These remains, in their proximity to Colne, stand thus : — 1. Castor Cliff. — On the Roman road between Colunio and Cambo- dunum, at its junction with the vicinal way from Eigodunum (Ribchester) to Alicana (Ilkley). 2. Shelfield. — A large circular encampment, considered by Mr. Wilkinson to be of Danish origin, of which some portion of the ditch is indicated by the undulations of the surface, and by a swampy part of the ground on the western slope. 8. Ring-Stones Hill. — Formerly a large circle of stones, erected, sa Mr. Stonehouse thinks, for a circular encampment or fort ; or, according to Mr. Wilkinson, for the purposes of burial, worship, or defence. 4. Broadbank. — Supposed to have been a circular enclosure or fortress, of which the vallum and fosse are still marked. 6. Bonfire Hill. — A circular entrenchment, 130 feet in diameter, surrounded by an earthwork or rampart. 6. Dklf Hill. — Tumulus. 7. Beacon Hill. — Tumuli. These remains all lie within the distance of an easy walk from Colne, and beyond are others of even greater interest, unvisited save by the antiquary, and known to a comparative few. Our hill-tops, too, justly challenge inquiry. On Boulsworth was a beacon, and one of the cairns on Pendle is supposed by some to be the ruins of speculee, or beacon towers, erected by Agricola after his conquest of the country. Likewise not a few of our local names. Warcock Hill recalls the raven of the Danish standard. And who shall say, but that the hill above Rough Lee, known as Hoofa, or Offa's Hill, derives its name from some forgotten incident in the life of that Mercian king who lived more than 1,000 years ago 1 The name of Winwall (Winewall^, meaning " the place of contention," indicates that there was an intrench- ment here, of which no traces aie left. But, as Mr. Wilkin- 20 ANNALS AND STORIES OF son remarks, the best proofs of Danish possession here are to be found in some of our local names of places, as Moor Laith, Earfty, Xe^^brook, Hag^ra^e, and many others. In March, 1854, an interesting discovery was made at Catlow Stone Quarry, when two or three earthenware urns were met with a little below the surface in clearing for the flag-stone rock. " The Urns," writes Mr. Wilkinson, " when perfect, measured about 14 inches in depth, and 9 inches in diameter at the mouth, with a considerable swelling at the centre. They are formed of very coarse earthenware, unglazed, and are very slightly baked. The outer and inner surfaces are of a brown colour, and are consider- ably harder than the inner substance of the pottery, which appears of a much darker hue, as if it had been much saturated with some liquid. These Urns contained large quantities of calcined bones, pieces of charcoal, and soft dark earth. Most of the bones are supposed to be human, but are mixed with others belonging. to the horse and some of the lesser animals, A rude piece of flint was also found among the bones, as were also two ivory bodkins. The ornamental work on the outside of the urns has been formed by very rude means. All the streaks and punctures are coarse and irregular ; nor do they appear to have been formed by any instrument less primitive than the point of a stick. Unfortunately these urns, when found, were very much -broken by the workmen, who were more intent upon finding further treasure than careful to preserve these monuments of antiquity." After the departure of the Romans, Mr. Wilkinson is of opinion that the fortifications on Castor Cliff" would be kept by the Roman-British troops as a protection against the inroads of the Picts and Scots, and would again, of necessity, be taken possession of by the Saxons, and subsequently by the Danes. During the long and obscure Saxon period, Colne was pro- bably never entirely abandoned, though it sank somewhat into obscurity, and only one authentic story of that period has been handed down to us — but that a most interesting one — for both the Saxon Chronicle and Florence of Worcester COLNE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 21 bear testimony to the great King Athelstan, one of the bravest of the Saxon kings, himself confirming a treaty of peace between the Welsh, Scots, and Northumbrians, " at a place called Eamot, on the fourth before the Ides of July, A.D. 926." Where Eamot was situate the chroniclers do not say ; but Mr. Wilkinson, in the paper which I have before quoted, says it can be scarcely doubted that it is Emmott, near Colne. " Emmott," says he, " is derived from Ea = water, and Muut = mouth, indicating 'the mouth of the ■water,'" And in the Emmott, near Colne, the etymological requirements of the name are precisely answered by the fact, that there is a well close to the hall, called the " Saint's Well," which to this day pours forth an abundant supply of pure water. ''And further," adds Mr. Wilkinson, " it cannot be urged that the family name of Emmott is too modern, for, according to Dr. Whitaker, its ancestry is too ancient for genealogists to trace." Thus my readers will perceive that Colne's glory is more in the past than the present, and that there is at least some ground for boasting that Rome's proud legions once traversed its hills and dales ; and that one of the bravest of Saxon monarchs, surrounded by his warriors, long ages ago, confirmed in its immediate neigh- bourhood the treaty of peace I have already mentioned. ANNALS AND STORIES OF CHAPTER 11. MEDIAEVAL AND MODERN HISTORY. ' The busy mill, The decent church that topp'd the neighbouring hill.' Goldsmith.— iJeserted Village. THUS far we have considered the Colne of Roman times. We now turn our attention to the Colne that is. Plea- santly, even commandingly, situated, it is, so to speak, the metropolis of the chapelry to which it gives name, a hilly tract of country, 36 square miles in extent, of diversified appearance, and heavy clayey soil. Its buildings crown the heights, and are fast covering the slopes of a conical-shaped hill, composed, according to Dr. Aikin, of coal, with stone below, and slate for building purposes, and at its highest point 623 feet above the level of the sea. This place is described as "a village" in legal documents dated as late as the close of the eighteenth century. Sufficient evidence remains to show that three centuries ago, it bordered on wastes, not wholly impassable, but, owing to the semi-barbarous state of Lancashire, beset with danger to pedestrians. On its northern side lay two commons, each now under cultivation, one, by reason of its greater extent, known as "The Common;^' the other, and smaller one, as "Lob." More to the N.W., and lying between the site of Vivary and Stone Bridge Mills, but nearer the former, was a fish-pond, seven acres in extent, known as the " Vivers." By 1 686 it had ceased to be used as such, and was then described as "a piece of marshy land, the certain bounds and limits whereof are not known." Tradition says that in it the ancient owners of Colne Hall had the right of fishing. COLNE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 23 On the south side, also, were extensive uncultivated tracts of land, the area of which by the seventh year of Edward VI. had become considerably reduced. In this year Robert Blakey, of Colne, customer, was examined before certain commissioners, and he deposed that the King's Majesty had " a certain waste ground called ' The Castle Town Field,' at gryndiltownhurst, of which sixty acres might well be im- proved [i.e., placed under cultivation], leaving sufficient common for the Inhabitants." This land, he stated, was of a letting value of iiijti. per acre. On its eastern side lay the Colne fields, then in an indifferent state of cultivation, whilst the west was the most accessible. The village itself lay in a narrow compass. Even the length of continuous buildings in its main street was of comparatively trifling extent. Blackstubheys (now Blas- comay) was considered on the outskirts. Here and there a cluster of buildings dotted the southern slope of the hill, but, with the exception of a few houses in Waterside, these were mostly detached. The environs of Colne are supposed by Dr. Whitaker to have been populous in Roman times. Colne's history during the Norman period is a blank, and the place seems to have sunk into insignificance. The Taxatio of Pope Nicholas {k.T}. 1291) is silent respecting it. "Koine" contributed " xl?. \i\yi." towards one of the lay subsidies levied in the county of Lancashire in the reign of Henry III. It is clear that manufactures had been introduced here at this early period, for in the rent-roll of the last Henry de Lacy, dated A.D. 1311, mention is made of a fulling mill, of the value of 6s. 8d. a year, and which is said by tradition to have occupied the site of Walk Mill. The town, therefore, justly boasts of being one of the most ancient seats of the woollen manu- facture, which continued to be its staple trade for many centxiries. Coal was also obtained here about this period. A few years later, and the names of the Colne taxpayers, and the amount they severally contributed towards their king's necessities, are found to be thus : — 24 ANNALS AND STORIES OP * A roll showing the names of all persons who were taxed to the 15ths and lOths, granted 6 Edioard 111., on the laity of the entire Co, of Lancashire. WAPENTACHUI DE BLAKBtJRNSHIR. COLSE. — Job. del. Holt ij«. viijd. Wills Altencotes ij#. Ad Melend iij«. \d. ob. RobtoPpoito^ xijrf. Johe de Kelbrok iij*. Nichs le Walker xvjd. Will le Dryver xxiiid. Rico Moleud ijs. Nicho del Becche ij«. ic?. Willo de Emot xiid. Sum'- xx». vd. ob.2 pb.^' In this list, the names of William of Alkincoats, John of Kelhrook, and William of Emmott are easily recognised, whilst those of Molend and Becche belong to the category of names which, like Chorlesakehirst in Foulridge, have disappeared from the map. The name of Nicho del Becche, under a slightly diflFerent orthography, is likewise found in the Inqui- sitiones Nonamm {circa 1340), under " Eccl'ia de Whallay." Therein it is stated that the value of the ninths of the lambs, fleeces, and sheep of Colne was lxvis. \'nid., and III*, iiiid for the land of Richard of M'kelesden [Marsden] ; viijJ. for the land of Simon of Blakay ; and \id. for one lamb and one calf of Nicholas del Boche. By means of those interesting and instructive, but seldom- consulted documents. The Subsidy Rolls, we are placed in possession of the names of former Colne families, and obtain data by which to calculate tlie extent of the population and the value of the land. From these, it seems the following persons in this neighbourhood contributed to the subsidy collected in the 15th Henry VIII. : — Thomas Emotte, in lands xl«. Leonard Blakey, in lands xls. Robert Hargreves, in goods iiij/i. Henry Emot, in goods iiijM. * Pr<epoito=Prap<mtiu, a reeve or governor. * Halfpenny. ' Approved. COLNE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 25 John Haryson, in goods iiij'i. ij». Robert Honnys, in goods vjH. iij«. Hufrey Hartley, in goods uijli. ija. Thomas Dryver, in goods iiijZi. ijs. Wyllam Hargrevez, in goods xl». xiid. John Rish worth, in lands xl«. ija. Jamys Spensar, in goods iiijli. us. Richard Blakey, in lands xx«. xiid. Nichas Mersden, in goods iiijZi. ii«. Janays Pker, in goods iiijZi. ij». Xpofer Pker, in goods iijli. xviij. Geffrey Hartley, in goods iiijii. ija. Willam My chell de Kiln, in goods xla. xiid. Willam My chell de Kirkstele, in goods... vW. ija. vid. Making a total of xxzvia. The list lengthens towards the close of the reign of this king, and in the 35th year of his reign stands thus : — Willm Emot, in goods vijK. ija. iiijd. Henry Shay he, in goods xxW. xiija. James Hanson, in goods ixli. John Hanson, in goods jijli. vjd. Edward Walker, in goods viijK. ija. \d. Xpofer Pker, in goods viijii. ija. James Mychell, in goods \li. xxrf. Xpofer Mychell, in goods iij^i. vjd. John Ryssheworth, Squyer, in lands xxli. xxa. Johes Hargraves, in goods xls. iiijd. Laurence Pker, in lands xls. viij d. James Mersden, in goods xxa. ijd. Nicholas Smyth, in goods xla. iiij d. John Elliot, in goods xla. iiijrf. Robt. Rener, in goods xla. iiijd. Alexand Pker, in goods xla. iiijd. EUyn Pker, in goods xla. ijrf. John Hertley, in lands xxa. ij«i. Edmonde Spenc, in goods xla. iiijd. Willm Mychell, in goods xla. iiijd. Geffrey Hartley, in goods xxa. ijd. Laurence Barcroft, in goods xxa. ijd. John Hargrevez, in goods xxa. ijrf. Robt. Emot, in goods iijli. vjd. Humf re Emot, in goods xxa. ijd. Henry Emot, in goods xla. iiijd. Thomas Emot, in goods xla. iiijd. Ryo Rycroft, in goods xxa. ijcJ. Ryo Mytton, in goods zxt. ijd. 26 ANNALS AND STORIES OF John Robynson, in goods xx*. ijd. John Eliot, in goods xxs. ijd. Robt. Hygyn, in goods xx«. ijc^. Robt. Walker, in goods xxs, ijd. Nicholas Blakey, in goods xxs. ijd. John Hargraves, Smyth, in goods, xl*. iiijd. John Mychell, in goods xls. iiijd. Willm Hygyn, in goods xxs. ijd. Henry Walton, in goods xxs. ijd. Henry Bolton, in goods xx«. ijd. Henry Mychell, in goods xxs. ijd. Rog. Blakey, in goods xx». ijd. Peter Ballard, in goods xxs. ijd. Rye TeKorthe, in goods xx». ijd. Thomas Banasf- in goods xx». ijd. Xpof er Robynson, in goods xxs. ijd. Robt. Blackey, in lands vli. iijs. iiijt^. Nicholes Morsden, in goods xli. xxd. Rychard Mychell, in goods vjli. ijd. Thomas Dry ver, in lands xl«. viijd. In the 39th year of the reign of " Good Queen Bess " the list was shorter, but the payments higher. These are they who hved in one of the most glorious periods of English history, and who would, doubtless, hear with a smile of grim satisfaction of the wreck of the proud Spanish Armada : — Thomas Emott, in lands Is. xs. Thomas Risheworth, in lands . . . xxs. iiijs. Garrarde Parker, in lands xxs. iiijs. Henrye Shawe, in lands xxs. iiijs. Henrye Parker, in lands xxs. iiijs. Edwarde Marsden, in lands ... xxs. iiijs. John Hargreves, in lands xxs. iiijs. Nicholas Mytchell, in lands ... xxs. iiijs. James Hanson, in goods iijZt. vujd. Bernardo Hartley, in goods ujli. \iijd. Edward Blackey, in goods iijli. viijd. Christobell SutlilFe, in goods ... ujli. Yiijd. The undermentioned were living here at the commencement of tlie reign of the unhappy and unfortunate King Charles I., aud were taxed as follows : — Johes Emott, in teiT Is. xs. Daniell Bamarde, in terr xxs. iiijs. Henricus Shawe, in terr xxs. iiijs. Alex. Parker, in terr .. xxt. iiijs. COLKE AND NBIGHBOURHOOD. 27 Edrus Mareden, in terr. xx». iiij». Robtus Hargreaves, in terr. ... xx*. iiij«. Nichus Mitchall, in terr xx». iiij». Galfridus Shakleton, in terr. ... xxa. iiija. Simo. Bulcocke, in terr. xx». iiij». Simo. Blakey, existen recus crai- vict, in terr xx». viij». Edrus Blakey, in bonis lx». viij». Nichus Mitchell, in bonis lx». Tiij*. Willms. Hanson, in bonis Ixs. viij». Croferus Smyth, in bonis li& viij*. Henricus Houghton, recus. convict^ viijrf. Ux. pdci Henrici, pro con"'* ... Tiij<2. Ux. Simonis Blakey, Senio, pro coniii viijd. Simo. Blakey, pro con'" viijrf. Ux. pdcti Simonis, pro con*"... viijrf. Rosamunda Bannister, pro con"* viijrf. Bamardus Blakey, pro con ^^... viijd. Jacobus Bannester, pro con*",., viijd. Ricus Hanson, pro con"* vii jrf. Ux. pdcti Rici, pro con"' viijd. Jana Parkinson, pro con"* \\ijd. Maria Townley, pro con"* viijc^. Ffrancisca Smyth, pro con"* ... Tiijd. Jacobus Shackleden, pro con"' viijrf. Ux. Willm Beardsworth, jfro con"' viijrf. Henricus Hargreaves, pro con"* viijd. S"- iiijfo'. xij». viijrf. The eai'ly part of the seventeenth century saw the erection of several halls, the size of which, as well as of the houses generally in this neighbourhood, might be inferred from the following return, were we in each case able to identify the owner and the house : — 'An Account and Retume of the Fire Hearths and Stoves charqable with the DtUcy of Hearth Money within the County Palatine of Lanc^- for the Halfe Year heyinninge at our Ladey Day and ending at Michelmas in the year 167S. * The tax was for 2s. 8d. in the £ on personal estates ; 58. 4d. for aliens and Popish recusant convicfs, i.e., Roman Catholics of property convicted for not attending their parish church. The same Act levied a poll-tax of 8d. per poll on aliens and Pojish recusant convicts not contributing under the other heads. Thus, Henry Houghton, having no property, and being a Papist, had to pay 8d.— his wife also, on the like account, being charged a similar sum. ,* Doubtless a contraction of contimiU, i.e., for the lika. 28 ANNALS AND STORIES OP HUNDRED OF BLACKBURN. Wm. Ormes 3 Jo. Shuttleworth 1 Jonas Dillison 5 Rich. Stephenson 4 Jos. Shaw 3 Jeff. Shakleton 8 Jo. Clecton 2 Mr. Barnard 5 Nich. Whitham 3 Jo. Watson 5 Tho. Urmshaw 5 Jo. Hopkinson 5 Rob. Tattersell 5 Wm. Green 8 Anne Obday 2 Margery Hartley 4 Widd. Barron 3 Widd. Rushtoa 4 Jos. High 2 Ben. Hargreaves 3 Geo. Harwood 4 Christ. Blakley 4 Christ. Morrell 2 Hen. Baldwin 2 Jo. Hanson 3 Tho. Linnard 2 Robert Baron 4 Rich. Hartley 2 Jo. Blakey 6 Ellin Bocock 3 Christ. Smith 4 Jam. Armnott 2 Mr. Cunclife 6 Tho. Dugdale 3 Widd. Harracks 3 Willm. Greene 4 Tho. Smith 3 Henry Peale 2 Fran. Robinson 7 Rob. Hargreaves 5 John Halstead 3 Mr. Rob. Trueman 11 Tho. Standworth 4 Jo. Amot 4 Law. Boden 2 Mr. Holdgate 3 Jo. Mitton 4 Widde Ellendrop 1 181 COLNE TOWNSHIP. Mr. Rob. Hamond^ 7 Geo. Haighton 3 Jam. Robinson , 2 Jam. Amott 2 Bernard Hartley 2 Mr. Jo. Hargreaves 6 Tho. Tillison 2 Jo. Boulton 4 Jo. Boycroft 1 Tho. Driver 2 Jam. Blackley 2 Tho. Annies 2 Jo. Atkinson 5 Jo. Emmett 3 Barnard Traver 3 Hugh Smith 6 Wm. Emmett 5 Wm. Shakleton 5 Grace Shakleton 1 Roger Hartley 2 Christ. Hartley 4 Rob. Driver 1 Peter Willman 3 Rob. Hanson 1 Averell Smith 1 Rob. Amott 3 Jo. Atkinson 2 Henry Boulton 1 Rob. Hayman 8 Hen. Shaw2 6 Christ. Smith 7 Jo. Ellott 3 ' Crawshaw. 2 Langroyd. COLNE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 29 Rob. Ingham 1 Jo. Yong 1 Mr. Trewman 7 Widd. Bankes 4 Jo. Hargreaves 3 Jo. Crosley 1 121 Churchwardens and other Officers of the Parish of Colne, 8th March, 1641-2} Barrard Hartley, \ Alexander Hartley, I James Ridialche, John Mancknowles, >• Churchwardens. James Hargreeves, John Emotte, | John Hirst, / Nicholas Moore, Constable of ffouldridge. John Hargreaves, Constable of Colne. Robert Lee, Constable for Townshippe. James Hartley, Grave of Trawden. Gyles Hammond, Constable of Marsden. John Hartley, \ Lawrence Robinson, ( OvPrsPPrs Henry Walton, f Uverseers. Richard Hargreaves, ; In this seventeenth century Colne had become the shopping place of a wide district. The following entries in the Household and Farm Accounts of the Shutlleworths of Gaw- thorpe Ball ^ attest this fact : — 1618. Oct. Carriage of the iron and sope from York to Colne, xxiiijs. \id. Nov. Cariage of a great pye to Colne, xjd. iiijli. of Suger at Colne, T». viiid. l6l9-[20]. March. Cariage of the garden seeda to Colne, iijd. It was not, however, until the reign of Queen Anne that building operations received an impetus throughout the entire chapelry. Windy Bank was, as yet, a mere lane leading out of Colne, and did not even rank as a street until the middle of the century. As time went on, it came to be regarded as a better quarter of the town, and the height of its prosperity seemed to have been reached, when John Parr, a " respectable " attorney of the town, erected, not far from the point where it diverges from the main street, a building • From a document in the House of Lords, transcribed by Mr. J. E. Bailey, F.S.A., of Manchester. ^ Cbetbam Society's Publications. 30 ANNALS AND STORIES OP intended for a bank, but never actually used as such. ^ The latter half of the eighteenth century — witnessing as it did the erection of a Cloth Hall, and a considerable influx of merchants — was on the whole fraught with prosperity to Colne, though, unhappily, this prosperity was followed by a long period of depression in trade. During the present century, Colne has made sure, though, perhaps, not rapid strides in wealth, extent, and population. In 1824, the gross rental of the township was £8,573; at the present time it amounts to £31,652 9s. In 1801, the town covered 200 acres of land ; in 1854, 475. In 1801, its population was 2,476 ; in 1851, 6,644. Yet, as the subjoined table demonstrates, this town has not increased to the same extent as its neighbours, Burnley and Accrington : — Town Population. 1801. 1851. Colne 2,476 2,224 1,946 6,644 20,828 7,481 4,168 18,604 Accrington 5,535 The reason is not altogether obvious, for Colne has many advantages. It is situate midway between the two great markets for the cotton and worsted trades, within easy distance of the great cotton port of England, coalfields near, a plentiful supply of water at hand, and only the single drawback of the distance of the canal and railway. That the population has not increased in a ratio equal to some neigh- bouring towns has, doubtless, been partly occasioned by the circumstance, that, at the time hand-loom weaving ceased to be a business by which families could live, the number of mills was insufficient to afford employment for the weavers, in consequence of which many Colne families emigrated to other localities, and settled there. Not a few crossed the broad Atlantic, and, having, by industry and thrift, acquired ' Now occupied by Mr. Kay. COLNE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 31 property in America, named that property after some familiar spot in this neighboiu-hood. ^ Dr. Aikin remarks, "There is much money made in this town, considering its size," but, whether this be so or not, its inhabitants are undoubtedly richer than they formerly were. In 1837, 9,035 of the population of the chapelry of Colne were in receipt of a weekly income of less than two shillings, whilst at the present time many a thrifty family, in which the demon Drink is banished, can, and does bring into the household purse, a sum of fifteen shillings per head per week. Most of the modern houses in this town are built upon land bought or leased from the Earl of Derby and Captain Every-Claytou, of Carr Hall, the land here being, with few exceptions, either of copyhold or long leasehold tenure. 