Forest of Pendle
The Forest of Pendle is the name given to an area of hilly landscape to the east of Pendle Hill in eastern Lancashire, roughly defining the watershed between the River Ribble and its tributary the River Calder. The forest is not identical to the modern local government district of Pendle, which is larger. And in fact the modern version of the forest has come to contain areas to the north and east of Pendle Hill which are partly in the district of Ribble Valley.
The area is not literally a forest in the modern sense of being heavily wooded, and has not been so for many centuries. Historically a somewhat larger area than the modern forest was one of the several royal forests of the area, under the control of Clitheroe Castle, or Honour of Clitheroe. Over its history, the forest has gone from being a medieval royal forest, to being labelled as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Medieval history
In 1086, at the time of the Domesday Book, Pendle forest was part of the extensive forests in Blackburnshire, in the eastern part of what would become Lancashire. The entire area between the rivers Ribble and Mersey had been granted by William the Conqueror to Roger the Poitevin, and he in turn had granted most of this area to the de Lacy family of Pontefract. It was they who apparently built Clitheroe Castle soon after. The Forest of Pendle was within their manor of Ightenhill.
Pendle
Coordinates: 53°52′08″N 2°09′50″W / 53.869°N 2.164°W / 53.869; -2.164
Pendle is a local government district and borough of Lancashire, England. It adjoins the Lancashire boroughs of Burnley and Ribble Valley, the North Yorkshire district of Craven and the West Yorkshire districts of Calderdale and the City of Bradford. It has a total population of 89,840 (mid-2014 est.).
Early history
The name Pendle comes from the Cumbric word 'Pen' meaning hill (or head), a reference to Pendle Hill. Hence the name of the modern district derives from the prominent landmark at the west of the district, which already in the Middle Ages gave its name to the royal forest which spread to its east. Pendle Forest is still the name of a significant rural part of the district, though it has long ago ceased being a forest.
The ancient lordship of Pendle Forest has been under the Honour of Clitheroe since medieval times, and a title continues to be held by a modern version, the Barons Clitheroe.
Witch trials
Pendle Borough Council
Pendle Borough Council is a district council in England, that has authority covering the borough of Pendle in Lancashire.
Council elections
2006 local elections
In 2006, Pendle Borough Council gained an Asian Liberal Democrat councillor, a BNP councillor and two councillors for the nationalist England First party.
In 2007 the council banned one of its employees from wearing a St George's bandana because "it could be considered offensive and racist".
2010 local elections
In the 2010 election the council was composed of the following councillors:-
References
Pendle (UK Parliament constituency)
Coordinates: 53°50′42″N 2°12′14″W / 53.845°N 2.204°W / 53.845; -2.204
Pendle is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Andrew Stephenson, a Conservative. The constituency was newly created for the 1983 general election, being largely formed from the former Nelson and Colne Constituency.
Boundaries
The major urban centres in Pendle are Nelson and Colne, with smaller towns Barnoldswick and Earby added to existing ones such as Higham and Pendleside and Craven since boundary changes in the 1970s that brought them into Pendle Borough, Lancashire from Yorkshire.
Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies calling for slight changes in the run-up to the 2010 general election since which Pendle has the same electoral wards as the Borough:
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