Borough of Pendle


Pendle is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. The council is based in Nelson, the borough's largest town. The borough also includes the towns of Barnoldswick, Brierfield, Colne and Earby along with the surrounding villages and rural areas. Part of the borough lies within the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The neighbouring districts are Burnley, Ribble Valley, North Yorkshire, Bradford and Calderdale.

Etymology

The name Pendle comes from "Penhill", combining the Cumbric "pen" meaning hill and the Saxon "hill", also meaning hill. The name was used for Pendle Hill, a prominent outlier of the Pennines. The name was then also used for the ancient Forest of Pendle around the hill, and for Pendle Water, a river which rises on the hill and flows into the River Calder. The name also became associated with the Pendle witches, tried for witchcraft in 1612, as the accused were all from the area.

History

The modern local government district of Pendle was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It covered the whole area of seven former districts and parts of another two, all of which were abolished at the same time:
The Barnoldswick, Earby and Skipton elements were in the West Riding of Yorkshire prior to 1974. The term West Craven is often used for the area transferred from Yorkshire to Lancashire in 1974. The new district was named Pendle after the hill, forest and river. The district was awarded borough status on 15 September 1976, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.

Governance

The three main employers in the borough are Rolls-Royce plc, Silentnight and the Daisy Group.

Media

In terms of television, the area is served by BBC North West and ITV Granada which broadcast from Salford. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter and the local relay TV transmitter located in the Forest of Pendle. A small part of the borough around Barnoldswick and Earby is served by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire broadcasting from Leeds. This area is served by a local transmitter in Skipton which is relayed from the Emley Moor TV transmitter.
Radio stations for the area are:
The area is served by the regional newspaper, Lancashire Telegraph. Other local newspapers include Pendle Express and The Nelson Leader.

Places in Pendle

The borough is entirely covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Barnoldswick, Brierfield, Colne, Earby and Nelson take the style "town council".

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Pendle.

Individuals