User:Lancahire History/sandbox

Centre of Britain
Centre of Britain

In the beginning of time Pendle Hill in Lancashire was the centre of Great Briton. Before coastal corrosion and all that sort of stuff.

This is why the area is so steeped in history both good and evil. Religions of allsorts from Pagan to Christian now Muslim and many others all practices in and around Pendle hill. And tales that would chill your souls and told in and around this hill Pendle in Lancashire. Even Ley lines run though Pendle Hill North south east and west

So let’s go forth and explore Pendle and the whole district

Pendle Hill Location: Nr. Barley, Lancashire, England. (SD 813410) Energetic condition: I only tested one spot and that was the trigonometry point at the very peak of the hill, close to its steeper edge. The energies were flowing in the opposite direction to what they normally would be expected to do! They felt ‘unnatural’ – that’s the only way I can describe it. Energy types: NEUTRAL (LEY LINES/ALIGNMENTS/RADIALS): The top of the hill marks the crossing point of two neutral ley lines that are aligned to the cardinal points. I don’t think it was exactly sited on the trig point marker, I think they crossed slightly to one side of that marker, but it was pretty close. MALE (SUN): The trig point is surrounded by a block paving effect of bricks, and surrounding that is an undulating male line hugging it tightly, but travelling in an anti-clockwise direction. FEMALE (MOON): Wrapping around the central brickwork, at a distance of about six or seven feet, was a series of six linked female spirals, forming a kind of hexagon of female energy around the trig point. Again, these female energies, although they spiralled in the correct anti-clockwise direction, their linked energies flowed clockwise – which is counter to the direction one would normally associate with such frequencies of energy.

Today the Centre of Britain is. Dunsop Bridge, Lancashire BB7 - England, UK.

Much debate surrounds the exact position of the centre of Great Britain. Dunsop Bridge was officially recognised by the Ordnance Survey in 1992 as the nearest village to the centre of the British Isles and BT marked this by placing its 100,000th telephone box on the village green. However, the actual centre of the British Isles is in fact at SD 64188.3 56541.43, at Whitendale Hanging Stones on the hills seven kilometres north of Dunsop Bridge. Others would argue that the centre is much further north in Haltwhistle. It all depends on how you calculate it.

Pendle Hill Pendle Hill is located in the east of Lancashire, England, near the towns of Burnley, Nelson, Colne, Clitheroe and Padiham. Its summit is 557 metres (1,827 ft) above mean sea level. It gives its name to the Borough of Pendle. It is an isolated hill, separated from the Pennines to the east, the Bowland Fells to the northwest, and the West Pennine Moors to the south. It is a detached part of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Topography Pendle Hill is separated from the nearby main bulk of the Bowland Fells by the River Ribble. This isolation means that Pendle Hill is in fact the most prominent child summit of Kinder Scout, far away in the Peak District, rather than a child of Ward's Stone, the highest point in Bowland. Geology The sloping plateau summit of Pendle Hill is formed from the Pendle Grit, a coarse Carboniferous age sandstone assigned to the Millstone Grit Group. It overlies a thick sequence of Carboniferous Limestone beds. Much of the lower slopes is mantled by thick deposits of glacial till or boulder clay dating from the last Ice Age. The historic decomposition of sphagnum moss on the hill has led to it being covered in peat. The steep slopes of its eastern and southern flanks have given rise to a series of landslips. History The name "Pendle Hill" combines the words for hill from three different languages, as does Bredon Hill in Worcestershire. In the 13th century it was called Pennul or Penhul, apparently from the Cumbric pen and Old English hyll, both meaning "hill". The modern English "hill" was appended later, after the original meaning of Pendle had become opaque, although traditionalist locals insist on "Pendle". A Bronze Age burial site has been discovered at the summit of the hill.[citation needed] The hill is also famous for its links to three events which took place in the 17th century: the Pendle witch trials (1612), Richard Towneley's barometer experiment (1661), and the vision of George Fox (1652), which led to the foundation of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) movement. The most popular route for ascending the hill begins in the village of Barley, which lies to the east. This route also provides the steepest ascent. Other nearby villages include Downham, Roughlee, Newchurch-in-Pendle, Sabden and Pendleton. A local saying suggests the area around Pendle Hill experiences frequent rainfall: "If you can see Pendle it's about to rain, if you can't, it's already started." When the weather is fine Pendle is a popular hill-launch for paragliders and, with a north-westerly wind, for hang gliders. Quakers In 1652, during the early years of the Quakers, George Fox claimed to have had a vision while on top of Pendle Hill: As we travelled, we came near a very great hill, called Pendle Hill, and I was moved of the Lord to go up to the top of it; which I did with difficulty, it was so very steep and high. When I was come to the top, I saw the sea bordering upon Lancashire. From the top of this hill the Lord let me see in what places he had a great people to be gathered. —George Fox: An Autobiography, Today Pendle remains strongly linked to the Quakers, giving its name to one of their centres for religious and spiritual study and contemplation in the United States. Witches and the supernatural[ The story of the Pendle witches is one of the best-known and well-documented examples of alleged witchcraft in 17th-century England. The hill continues to be associated with witchcraft; large numbers of visitors climb it every Hallowe'en, although in recent years people have been discouraged by the authorities. The area is popular with ghost hunters after Living channel's show Most Haunted visited it for a live investigation on Halloween 2004.The show's presenter, Yvette Fielding, said it was the scariest episode they had made, and is widely considered to have been the scariest of the entire series. On 30 October, the programme visited Clitheroe Castle, Church Brow and Trinity Youth Centre. On Halloween it visited Lower Well Head Farm, Bull Hole Farm and Tynedale Farm; the investigation ended on 1 November at Waddow Hall. Pendle Hill and the surrounding area are the setting for the fourth book in Joseph Delaney's The Wardstone Chronicles, called The Spook's Battle.

History of Pendle Mesolithic Man 12,000 - 3,000 BC: The earliest signs of man in Pendle come from the small flints left behind by Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) man at places like Boulsworth Moor, Monkroyd, Wycoller and Catlow. Items including stone axe heads and more advanced tools suggest that Neolithic man was present in Pendle towards the end of this period. Bronze Age 3,000 - 1000 BC: Pendle was part of a trade route between the Yorkshire coast and Ireland. The remains of burial grounds along with various artifacts have been found along the route which ran through areas such ad Brinks Ends, Trawden, and Blacko Hill. Iron Age 1000 - 0 BC: Iron Age man probably arrived in the area in about 750 BC at the Brigantes tribe. The major settlement of this time was the hillfort at Castercliffe dated at 6 BC. Romans 0 BC - 410 AD: During the Iron Age the Romans invaded Britain. There is a great deal of evidence of the Roman presence in areas surrounding Pendle but we're still not sure if Pendle had much in the way of Roman settlements. The nearest we get is a small camp at Elslack near Barnoldswick. Anglo Saxons 410 - 800 AD: At about this time the Romans left Britain and left it open to attack by tribes from North Germany - the Angles. They colonized in areas such as Marsden (Nelson) and Trawden. Vikings 800AD+: The Vikings gave the names to many places that are still in existence (or at least very similar sounding names) today. Earby is good example of this. Pendle was given over to Viking rule by Alfred of Wessex as part of "Danelaw". Eventually Alfred's son and grandson Athelstan recaptured the area after the Battle of Brunanbraugh - thought to be somewhere between Trawden and Thursden Valley. After this battle Athelston crowned himself the first king of England. He made a Treaty of Peace at a place called Eamot which is known today as Emmot in Colne. Pendle became border territory again in the 11th century due to further conflicts with the Vikings.

Early history of Colne Stone Age There are traces of Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) man in the area from up to 12000 years ago. Amongst the finds in the area are stone axe heads, pygmy flints, a flint workshop and a Mesolithic camp site. Most of these finds were found around Boulsworth Hill at Trawden. Bronze Age About four thousand years ago, the Bronze Age arrived in the area. Colne was situated on a ridgeway trade route between the west coast and the east coast, where Irish bronzes were transported. Near Trawden a bronze age single burial round barrow from around 1500 BC has been excavated by Stanley Cookson at Brink Ends. Finds from this period in the area include an axe head and a flat spearhead. Iron Age Much later than in the rest of Britain, the Iron Age arrived here around 750 BC. There is an iron age fort at Castercliffe dating back to the 6th century BC. Colne itself was probably established during the last few centuries BC. The area was controlled by a warlike people called the Brigantes. Having a good water supply and being on a main trade route along the trans-Pennine ridgeway, it was an ideal place to start a settlement. The names Colne and Pendle are both of Celtic origin. Romans When the Romans arrived in Britain, Julius Agricola marched his forces northwards and through Lancashire via Chester. Roman forts were established in areas around Colne. A Roman road from Ribchester via Ilkley to York was built. This road passes very close to Colne and partially within the boundaries of Pendle. There is no firm evidence that the Romans had any permanent presence in the area, although that is still being debated by historians in the area. Castercliffe is the site where those believing the Romans stayed in Colne had their outpost. Roman artifacts have been found in the area, including coins, but this is no evidence to Romans actually being here. The area would certainly not have been to their liking, being hilly, and damp. The area was never truly subdued by the Romans and they finally left Britain in 410 AD. The Germanic Invasions After the Romans left, Britain was invaded by various Germanic peoples. The Celts mainly retreated to Wales and Scotland, some stayed. Evidence of the Angles is reflected in local placenames such as Trawden and Marsden. Earby is derived from Norse origins, as are the many smaller places which include 'gill' and 'slack'. After the Vikings established themselves in Northumbria, the area came under their rule. There are strong arguements that the Battle of Brunanburgh was fought in the area, more specifically near Trawden. In this battle, Alfred of Wessex's grandson Athelstan defeated an army of Picts, Scots, Welsh and Danes and became the first King of all England. Mediaeval Colne The lords of the manor After the Norman conquest, the area was controlled by Roger of Poitou and then around 1090 AD control of the area passed to Robert de Lacy. The de Lacy's maintained control of Colne until 1311 AD. They were based at Pontefract and built Clitheroe Castle as their local stronghold. Clitheroe Castle, just outside Pendle is still with us today. Colne was one of seven manors under the jurisdiction of the Honor of Clitheroe. At this time Colne included Great Marsden and Foulridge. In this period the Forest of Trawden and the Forest of Pendle were created, enabling the nobles to hunt deer. Mediaeval Settlements in Colne Colne itself comprised of two small settlements, Colne town and Waterside. The two settlements were joined by Colne Lane. Colne town Colne town at the top of the hill, grew around the church. The church is known to have been built before 1122 AD. The churchyard held the market, probably on a Sunday. Colne was never given a charter, unlike other towns, either because the market had already grown through custom, or it was a royal gift dating back to the time when the king himself was lord of the manor. An annual fair developed. This was held on St Bartholomews Day - 24 August. The fair brought in merchants from afar and would have been one of the highlights of the year. Waterside Waterside at the bottom of Colne Lane grew around the river and the bridge over it. The bridge at Waterside was certainly in existence in 1323 AD and probably much earlier. This bridge was at the start of the main highways to both Burnley and Halifax. These two ancient roads are still in existence today, as is the bridge, albeit rebuilt several times. The present bridge dates back to around 1790 AD. There was a fulling mill at Waterside by 1300, being one of the earliest fulling mills in England. There was also a corn mill by this time. The Commons There were several commons around Colne. The main one called The Common or Lob Common was situated to the north. The lee gate (Lidgett as it is known today) was at the bottom of the road to this common. A small area at the top of Lidgett, still called The Pinfold, was where stray animals were confined. There were other commons at Grindlestonehurst, Tum Hill and at Brown Hill. In the middle ages Colne was a thriving market town, being a centre for the woolen trade. Towards the end of the 18th century cotton manufacturing started to become the main industry in Colne. For the next 150 years cotton was an integral part of the life of everyone living in Colne. Government and Law and Order Apart from serious crimes such as murder and theft, most crimes were dealt with by the Halmote whose earliest surving records date back to 1425. The Halmote was the local manorial court. Civil matters such as land transactions were dealt with by the Halmote. It granted licences for trades such as brewing and tanning leather. Byelaws were made by the Halote and officails such as constable and aletaster were elected. Crimes which have been recorded at the Halmote include trespass, straying animals, selling sour beer, and drunkenness. Punishments could be a fine, a spell in the stocks or at the whipping post. Occupations Besides the corn mill and fulling mill at Waterside, coal was being mined in hillside south of Waterside. The trades of wainwright, mercer, butcher, tanner and brewer were all in Colne by 1425. By the 15th century Colne had a thriving woolen industry. 16th Century Colne By 1500 Colne's population was around 1500. Most people were occupied in the woolen industry, based in their cottages. The main product in Colne was the lightwight kersey. The kersey was a piece of cloth 18 yards long by 1 yard wide and weighed 20 pounds. The process of manufacture was divided with people specialising in various stages. Some men greased and carded the raw woolready for spinning. Many women and children spun the yarn. The weavers wove the yarn into kerseys. The fuller at the fulling mill cleansed and felted the cloth by treating it with soap and fuller's earth. This was to remove the oil and size. The cloth was then beaten to close the gaps between fibres. Colne's fulling mill was built in 1296. After fulling, the cloth was put on tenter frames (tenterhooks) to dry and be straightened. Cloth from Colne was regularly sold in Halifax, Burnley and Clitheroe.