Clitheroe

Coordinates: 53°52′16″N 2°23′30″W / 53.8711°N 2.3916°W / 53.8711; -2.3916

Clitheroe /ˈklɪðəroʊ/ is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,765. The most notable building in the town is Clitheroe Castle, suggested to be one of the smallest Norman keeps in the country.

The town elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons. The Great Reform Act reduced this to one. The parliamentary borough was abolished under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Clitheroe is approximately 34 miles (55 km) North-North West of Manchester.

History

The name Clitheroe is thought to come from the Anglo-Saxon for "Rocky Hill", and was also spelled Clyderhow and Cletherwoode. The town was the administrative centre for the lands of the Honor of Clitheroe. These lands were held by Roger de Poitou, who passed them to the De Lacy family from whom they passed in 1311 to Thomas, Earl of Lancaster and subsequently, to the Duchy of Lancaster. At one point the town of Clitheroe was given to Richard, 1st Duke of Gloucester. Up until 1835 the Lord of the Honor was also by right Lord of Bowland, the so-called Lord of the Fells.

Clitheroe (surname)

Clitheroe is an English surname derived from the town of Clitheroe in Lancashire, England.

Notable people

Notable people with this surname include:

Clitheroe (UK Parliament constituency)

Clitheroe was a parliamentary constituency in Lancashire.

The town of Clitheroe was first enfranchised as a parliamentary borough in 1559, returning two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1832. The borough's representation was reduced to one MP by the Reform Act 1832.

The parliamentary borough was abolished under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and the name transferred to a new county division with effect from the 1885 general election. The county division returned one MP until it was abolished for the 1983 general election. It was then largely replaced by the new Ribble Valley constituency.

Members of Parliament

Borough of Clitheroe

MPs 1559–1660

MPs 1660–1832

Two members returned to Parliament

MPs 1832–1885

Clitheroe division of Lancashire

MPs 1885–1983

Election results