Colne
Colne is a town (population approx 20,000), in the Pendle district of Lancashire, England, close to the Yorkshire border. It is located 2.5 miles north-east of Nelson, which is the administrative centre of Pendle, 6 miles north-east of Burnley, 25 miles east of Preston, which is the county town, 25 miles north of Manchester and 30 miles west of Leeds. It is commonly confused with the nearby unrelated Colne Valley.
History
The history of the local area dates back to the Stone Age. A Mesolithic camp site, a Bronze Age burial site, and stone tools from the Bronze and Stone Ages have been discovered around nearby Trawden. There are also the remains of an iron age fort above Nelson and Colne at Castercliffe which has been dated back to the 6th century BC.
The name Colne is of Celtic origin. It is currently thought to have been founded around the 1st to 4th centuries BC by the Brigantes. It was located along the Trans-Pennine ridgeway, a major trade route dating back to the Bronze Age.
Although a Roman road passes through nearby Barnoldswick, and some Roman coins have been discovered, there is no conclusive evidence of the Romans having occupied the area. There is however some debate among local historians as to whether the Romans may have stayed at Castercliffe.
During the *** centuries, Colne came under Northumbrian and then Viking rule. It is believed that the Battle of Brunanburgh was fought near Trawden.
From the 1090s until 1311, the area was controlled by the de Lacy's of Pontefract from their outpost at Clitheroe Castle. Pendle Forest and Trawden Forest date from this period, forest in those times meaning a hunting ground for royals and other nobles. St. Bartholomew's church dates from before 1122.
The town developed in two parts: Colne, on top of the ridge; and Waterside, at the base of the southern side of the ridge, next to the river. By 1296, a corn mill and a fulling mill had been established down by the river. Later, coal was also mined here.
By the 15th century, Colne had become a major centre for the woollen trade, in particular for the production of lightweight kersey. With the Industrial Revolution, cotton manufacturing became the main industry in the town, aided by the completion of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816, and by the later arrival of the railway.
The town became a borough in 1895, maintaining this status until the Boundary Commission's reorganisation of local government in the 1970s.
Today
Today, the cotton industry there is in terminal decline, and the town has high unemployment.
Every August Bank Holiday, the Great British Rhythm and Blues festival is held there.
The town is also known for the British in India Museum, and the Wallace Hartley memorial, in memory of the bandmaster of the Titanic who came from the town.
Bibliography
- The History of Colne - Edited by Dorothy Harrison - Published by Pendle Heritage Centre Ltd - Copyright 1988