91-647: Blackburn ( / ˈ b l æ k b ɜːr n / ) is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire , England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley , 8 mi (13 km) east of Preston and 21 mi (34 km) north-northwest of Manchester . Blackburn is the core centre of
182-627: A " breast-like hill ") or from mamma ("mother", in reference to a local river goddess ). Both meanings are preserved in modern Celtic languages , mam meaning "mother" in Welsh . The neuter suffix -ium is used in Latin placenames , particularly those representing Common Brittonic -ion (a genitive suffix denoting "place or city of ~"). The Welsh name for Manchester is Manceinion . It appears that William Baxter invented this name in his ‘Glossarium Antiquitatum Britannicarum’ (1719) as
273-562: A back-formation based on ‘Mancunium’. ‘Historia Brittonum’ (828-29) lists ‘Cair Maunguid’ (fort of the peat trees) and it has been suggested that this might be the authentic Welsh name for ‘Manchester’. In Modern Welsh, it would have been ‘*Caerfawnwydd’. It should be stressed that the ancient name is unknown. However, if one is correct to equate the 9th-century name with ‘Manchester’, the Proto-Celtic name would have been ‘*Māniwidion’. Roman authorities give both Mancunium and Mamucium, but it
364-613: A campaign using pub meetings and leafleting. Robin Evans resigned from the party in October 2003. At 53°44′41″N 2°28′37″W / 53.74472°N 2.47694°W / 53.74472; -2.47694 (53.7449°, −2.4769°), and 184 mi (296 km) north-northwest of London, Blackburn stands 122 metres (401 ft) above sea level, 9 mi (14 km) east of Preston and 21 mi (34 km) north-northeast of Manchester . The Ribble Valley and West Pennine Moors lie to
455-698: A canal a D-shaped gold bulla was dredged from the River Irwell; this item was subsequently lost but detailed drawings survive which show it to have been very similar to the late Bronze Age Shropshire bulla found in 2018. Although the area was in the territory of the Celtic tribe Brigantes , it may have been under the control of the Setantii , a sub-tribe of the Brigantes, when the Romans took control from
546-596: A combination of the River Blakewater , and an Old English word "burn", meaning stream. Local author William Abram, in his 1877 history of the town and parish, cited the ancient name as Blake Burne . Abram also confirms that the region, later known as the Blackburn Hundred , was known as Blakeburneshyre . Blackburn was recorded in Domesday Book (1086) as Blacheburne and Blacheburn . By
637-643: A factory founded in Blackburn in 1860 that was facing closure. The following year he launched the Blackburn-based clothing brand Community Clothing to boost employment in British mills and factories. The inaugural British Textile Biennial, a month-long festival celebrating textiles through art and exhibitions, was held in Blackburn in 2019. The second edition took place in October 2021, and included an exhibition from Turner Prize winner Lubaina Himid and
728-433: A film starring Maxine Peake . In 2021, the Blackburn with Darwen Council proposed a £250m "Blackburn Master Plan" to revitalise central Blackburn over the next decade, with the goal of building 500 new homes and creating 1,000 jobs. In 2022, £200m in government, council, and private investments were announced for the revitalisations of the town centres in both Blackburn and Darwen. The Townscape Heritage Project will create
819-484: A hundred yards beyond the angle was the Porta Decumana of the station, the ground visibly rising up the ascent of the bank in a large shelve of gravel, and running in a slight but perceivable ridge from it. And beyond a level of forty five yards, that still stretches on for the whole length of the side, it was bounded by the western boundary of the British city, the sharp slope of fifty to the morass below it. On
910-459: A large buttress of earth continued several yards along it. The southern side, like the Northern, is hundred and seventy five [yards] in length; and the rampart sinking immediately from its elevation at the eastern end, successively declines, till, about fifty yards off, it is reduced to the inconsiderable height of less than one [yard]. And about seventeen yards further, there appears to have been
1001-653: A meeting place for local Asians involved in organised crime. The next resurgence of support for the far right came in 2002; The incumbent Liberal Democrats were pushed into third place behind Labour . Commenting on the elections, Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: "It is very sad. We had the far right in Blackburn 26 years ago when they won two seats in Shadsworth. But there the whole community decided they wouldn't have it. You can never say they won't put candidates in Blackburn but we will work hard on community relations." The council until prior to 2008 had two members for
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#17327655569051092-523: A mob arrived in Blackburn after attacking power looms in Accrington . Proceeding to Bannister Eccles' Jubilee Factory on Jubilee Street, the mob destroyed 212 power looms in the space of 35 minutes. They then turned their attention to John Houghton and Sons' Park Place factory, located nearby, and destroyed another 25 looms, before seeking more machinery to attack. The crowd began to disperse at around 6:00 pm, troops having arrived at 3:30 pm to try to quell
1183-563: A new cultural quarter in Blackburn's historic town centre. Councillor Phil Riley stated that additional investment over the next decade could lead to 100,000 jobs in the borough. Blackburn is administered by Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority , which encompasses Blackburn and the small town of Darwen to the south. The town sends one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons . The council has been elected "by thirds" since 1996 In its 2007 Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA),
1274-576: A paper on the Roman Roads of the Wigan district, speaks of a road of this kind which branched off eastward from Blackrod, "Street-fold and Water-street, near Rivington, and by White Hough, in Tockholes, to the small Roman station at Blackburn, near the new road to Preston." All Hallows Spring was excavated by Antiquarians in 1654 and found to contain an inscribed stone commemorating the dedication of
1365-531: A quarter of the town's looms lay idle. During the First World War suspension of trade with India resulted in the expansion of colonial British India's cotton industry at the expense of Britain's, and the imposition of an 11 per cent import tariff by the colonial British Government led to a dramatic slump in trade in 1921, a situation which worsened in 1922 after the Indian Government raised
1456-441: A second gateway, the ground rising up to the crest of the bank of a four or five at the point ... On the south side was particularly requisite ... in order to afford a passage to the river; but about fifty three yards beyond the gates, the ground betwixt both falling away briskly to the west, the rampart, which continues in a right line along the ridge, necessarily rises till it has a sharp slope of twenty yards in length at
1547-562: A temple to Serapis by Claudius Hieronymus, legate of Legio VI Victrix . Christianity is believed to have come to Blackburn by the end of the 6th century, in either 596 (as there is a record of a "church of Blagbourne" in that year) or 598 AD. The town was important during the Anglo-Saxon era when the Blackburnshire Hundred came into existence as a territorial division of the kingdom of Northumbria . The name of
1638-416: A turf and stone, and now show the inner structure of the whole, presenting to the eye the undressed stone of the quarry, the angular pieces of rock, and the round boulders of the river, all bedded in the mortar, and compacted into one. And the white and brown patches of mortar and stone on a general view of the wall stands strikingly contrasted with the green turf that entirely conceals the level line, and with
1729-427: Is a shallow bowl which was used for offerings of wine or blood or perhaps to burn incense. As well as Pagan worship, there is also evidence of early Christian worship. In the 1970s, a fragment of 2nd-century "word square" was discovered with an anagram of PATER NOSTER . There has been discussion by academics whether the "word square", which is carved on a piece of amphora , is actually a Christian artefact, if so, it
1820-409: Is bounded on other sides by the towns of Accrington to the east and Darwen to the south. The village of Wilpshire is 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 mi (4 km) north of Blackburn, and is partly contiguous (development-touching) however in the Ribble Valley local government district. Other nearby villages are Langho , approximately 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 mi (2 km) northeast, and Mellor to
1911-532: Is called Castle Field ... the ramparts are still very conspicuous. Whitaker described what remained of the fort in 1773: The eastern side, like the Western, is hundred and forty [yards] in length, and for eighty yards from the northern termination, the nearly perpendicular rampart carries a crest of more than two [yards] in height. It is then lowered to form the great entrance, the Porta Pretoria of
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#17327655569052002-522: Is located where a Roman military road crossed the river Blakewater. The road linked Bremetennacum Veteranorum ( Ribchester ) and Mamucium (a major Roman fort that occupied Castlefield in Manchester). The route of the road passed east of Blackburn Cathedral and probably crossed the river in the Salford neighbourhood just east of the modern town centre. It is not clear whether the road predated
2093-534: Is not clear that either form is correct. Possibly neither is and they might be scribal errors for ‘*Maniuidium’. The Romans built the fort on a naturally defensible sandstone bluff that overlooked a nearby crossing over the River Medlock . The area became an important junction for at least two major military roads through this part of the country. One highway ran east to west between the legionary fortresses of Deva Victrix (Chester) and Eboracum (York)
2184-546: Is on the outskirts of the town. Several lines of railway converge here, and pass through one principal station belonging to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Ry. Co. B. returns 2 members to Parliament. From around 1750, cotton textile manufacturing expanded rapidly. Supplied with cotton by merchants, and paid by the piece, cottagers spun cotton into thread and wove it into cloth. The merchants arranged for cloth to be bleached and dyed. After 1775, spinning mills were built in
2275-536: Is one of the chief seats of cotton manufacture, besides producing calico , muslin , &c., there being over 140 mills at work. There are also factories for making cotton machinery and steam-engines . Blackburn has been associated with many improvements in the manufacture of cotton, among which was the invention (1767) of the " spinning jenny " which was invented in nearby Oswaldtwistle by James Hargreaves , who died in 1770. There are several fine churches and public buildings. A Corporation Park (50 ac. in area)
2366-728: Is one of the earliest examples of Christianity in Britain. After the Roman withdrawal from Britain around 410, the area of Mamucium was used for agricultural purposes. It has sometimes been identified with the Cair Maunguid listed among the 28 cities of Britain by the History of the Britons traditionally attributed to Nennius . After lying derelict for centuries, the ruins were commented on by antiquarians John Leland in
2457-638: Is poignant, as Blackburn, once a small town, had risen to importance through the energy and enterprise of her spinners and manufacturers, combined with the skill and labour of her operatives. The Borough of Blackburn was formed by the amalgamation of the County Borough of Blackburn, the Borough of Darwen, part of the Turton Urban District and the parishes of Yate and Pickup Bank , Eccleshill , Livesey , Pleasington and Tockholes from
2548-417: The 1955 general election , Blackburn East and Blackburn West were merged into the modern-day constituency which is relatively tightly formed and returns a single MP . The coat of arms of the former Blackburn Borough Council has many distinctive emblems. The blazon of the arms is: Argent a Fesse wavy Sable between three Bees volant proper on a Chief Vert a Bugle stringed Argent between two Fusils Or. On
2639-493: The Audit Commission described the council as "improving well" and gave it the highest "four star" overall performance rating. Although children's services, adult social care and GCSE results were praised, the commission highlighted "significant health problems" and increased "levels of repeat victims of domestic violence" as causes for concern. Despite generally good performance, overall user satisfaction levels with
2730-576: The Blackburn Rural District . Blackburn council and its successor have been predominantly controlled by the Labour Party since 1945 and continuously for 19 years until May 2007 when it fell into no overall control . In 2008, UKPollingReport characterised the constituency of Blackburn as "a mix of deprived inner-city wards dominated by Muslim voters, white working class areas and Conservative voting suburbs". Until 2015,
2821-533: The Bronze Age in the hills around Blackburn. In 1879, a cinerary urn was discovered at a tumulus at Revidge, north of the town; another was excavated in 1996 at Pleasington Cemetery, west of the town, by gravedigger Grant Higson. The presence of a sacred spring —perhaps in use during the Iron Age —provides evidence of prehistoric activity in the town centre, at All Hallows Spring on Railway Road. Blackburn
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2912-771: The England First party, Mark Cotterill for Meadowhead ward and Michael Johnson for Fernhurst. Mark Cotterill has since stood down and Michael Johnson joined the For Darwen party. Members of the BNP won a council seat in the town in November 2002 following elections in May which saw three of their colleagues elected in nearby Burnley . The BNP's Robin Evans secured a 16-vote majority in Mill Hill ward with two recounts following
3003-527: The Great Lakes region of the country, often referred to as the Rust Belt , referring to the declining industry and overall economy of many cities in the region. "The industrial city" as a nickname, though, most frequently refers to South San Francisco , where the term is inscribed on a hillside sign . In Europe, where industries more frequently arose within existing cities, industrialization affected
3094-577: The Textiles Act , another 17 mills closed. By 1960 there were 30 mills operating in Blackburn. Closures continued in the 1960s with The Parkside, Fountains, Malvern and Pioneer Mills shutting in 1964. In 1967 the Eclipse Mill at Feniscowles closed, unable to compete with imported cloth sold at nine pence cheaper per yard than the mill could produce. By the end of that year there were 26 mills operating. The 1970s saw further closures, and
3185-581: The crest , a Wreath of the Colours a Shuttle Or thereon a Dove wings elevated Argent and holding in the beak the Thread of the Shuttle reflexed over the back and an Olive Branch proper. The Latin motto of the town is Arte et Labore , correctly translated as 'By art and by labour' but often translated as 'By skill and hard work'. The motto, granted on 14 February 1852 to the former Borough of Blackburn,
3276-483: The 16th century, William Camden in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and William Stukeley and the Manchester historian John Whitaker in the 18th century. In the early 18th century, John Horsley said: It [i.e., the fort] is about a quarter of a mile out of the town, being south or south-west from it. The station now goes by the name of Giant's Castle or Tarquin's Castle, and the field in which it stands
3367-642: The MP was the former Secretary of State for Justice and former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw . The distribution of seats as of May 2018 was 44 seats for the Labour Party, 17 for the Conservatives and 3 for the Liberal Democrats . In July 1992, white and Asian youths rioted for several nights in Blackburn, with incidents taking place including an arson attack on a café which had allegedly been
3458-452: The Roman fort at Castleshaw , excavated the fort's western defences. A series of small-scale excavations were undertaken intermittently between 1912 and 1967, generally exploring the northern defences of the fort. In the mid-20th century, historian A. J. P. Taylor called the surviving stretch of Roman wall "the least interesting Roman remains in Britain". The first excavation of the vicus
3549-465: The ancient Britons . Construction of Mamucium started around AD 79 during the campaigns of General Julius Agricola against the Brigantes after a treaty failed. Excavations show the fort had three main phases of construction: first AD 79, second around AD 160, and third in AD ;200. The first phase of the fort was built from turf and timber. Mamucium's dimensions indicate it
3640-471: The area. Several sizeable civilian settlements (or vicus ) containing soldiers' families, merchants and industry developed outside the fort. The area is a protected Scheduled Ancient Monument . The ruins were left undisturbed until Manchester expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century. Most of the fort was levelled to make way for new developments such as
3731-401: The camp: the earth there running in a ridge, and mounting up to the top of the bank, about ten in breadth. Then, rising gradually as the wall falls away, it carries a height of more than three for as many as the south-eastern angle. And the whole of this wall, bears a broken line of thorns above, shews the mortar peeping here and there under the coat of turf, and near the south-eastern corner has
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3822-492: The civilian settlement associated with the fort had declined by the mid-3rd century, a small garrison may have remained at Mamucium into the late 3rd century and early 4th century. A temple to Mithras is possibly associated with the civilian settlement in modern Hulme . An altar dedicated to Fortuna Conservatrix , "Fortune the Preserver", was found, probably dating to the early 3rd century. In 2008 an altar dating from
3913-705: The construction of the Rochdale Canal and the Great Northern Railway . The site is now part of the Castlefield Urban Heritage Park that includes renovated warehouses. A section of the fort's wall along with its gatehouse, granaries, and other ancillary buildings from the vicus have been reconstructed and are open to the public. Mamucium is generally thought to represent a Latinisation of an original Brittonic name , either from mamm- (" breast ", in reference to
4004-481: The council are below average and not improving. The borough has Beacon Council status and shares its best practice in education policy with other councils as part of the scheme. The historic constituency of Blackburn was created for the 1832 general election and sent two Members of Parliament (MPs) to Westminster until it was abolished in 1950 and replaced for one parliamentary term by two new single-member constituencies, Blackburn East and Blackburn West . At
4095-486: The end of the nineteenth century the shape and functions of most cities, along with social relations and groving industries, naturally rebuilted Manchester , England, is considered to be the archetype of the industrial city on the basis of Friedrich Engels ' observations. In the Chinese-speaking world , the term "industrial city" refers to cities in which the municipal economy is led by heavy industries or
4186-463: The existence of a British oppidum or walled village on the site, it being customary for such primitive communities to cluster in the vicinity of a ford or bridge. According to William Abram (1877): The Parish of Blackburn contains many interesting vestiges. Three of the four principal roads constructed by the Romans in Lancashire traversed some portion of the Parish ;: —I. The lower road from
4277-435: The fort at Castleshaw in the 120s. Mamucium was demolished some time around AD 140. Although the first vicus grew rapidly in the early 2nd century, it was abandoned some time between 120 and 160 – broadly coinciding with the demolition of the fort – before it was re-inhabited when the fort was rebuilt. The second phase was built around the year 160. Although it was again of turf and timber construction, it
4368-423: The green moss that half reveals the projecting points of the rampart. The great foss of the British city, the Romans preserved along their northern side for more than thirty yards along the eastern end of it, and for the whole beyond the Western. And as the present appearances of the ground intimate, they closed the eastern point of it with a high bank, which was raised upon one part of the ditch and sloped away into
4459-483: The ground about it, and just perceptible to the eye, in a rounded eminence of turf As to the south-western point of the camp, the ground slopes away on the west towards the south, as well as on the south towards the West. On the third side still runs from it nearly as at first, having an even crest about seven feet in height, an even slope of turf for its whole extent, and the wall in all its original condition below. About
4550-577: The heavy industry is a significant impression of the city to people other than its local residents. Mamucium Mamucium , also known as Mancunium , is a former Roman fort in the Castlefield area of Manchester in North West England . The castrum , which was founded c. AD 79 within the Roman province of Roman Britain , was garrisoned by a cohort of Roman auxiliaries near two major Roman roads running through
4641-449: The internal structure of many of them. Potential needs such as raw materials, transportation and labor required for the establishment of industrial zones require consultation of the local and general public. Therefore, special policies are needed. This situation causes industrial zones and industrialists to take on an additional role in terms of policy. Since the industrial revolution, these subsidiaries remain important similarly. With this by
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#17327655569054732-399: The late 1st century was discovered near the Roman settlement. It was dedicated to two minor Germanic gods and described as being in "fantastic" condition. The County Archaeologist said It's the first Roman stone inscription to be found in Manchester for 150 years and records only the second known Roman from Manchester ... The preservation of the stone is remarkable. On top of the stone
4823-472: The lower life expectancy in some industrial cities. Industrial cities are distinguished from port cities or other transportation hubs , which deal in services. In countries with strong central planning, such as China, India , a city could be created on paper, and then industry found to locate there. In the United States, which had much sparsely populated land, the industry typically preceded
4914-419: The mid-13th century, when wool produced locally by farmers was woven in their homes. Flemish weavers who settled in the area in the 14th century developed the industry. By 1650 the town was known for the manufacture of blue and white "Blackburn checks", and "Blackburn greys" became famous not long afterwards. By the first half of the 18th century textile manufacture had become Blackburn's main industry. From
5005-676: The mid-18th to the early 20th century Blackburn evolved from a small market town into "the weaving capital of the world", and its population increased from less than 5,000 to over 130,000. John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles provides a profile of Blackburn in 1887: Blackburn. parl. and mun. bor. , parish and township , NE. Lancashire, 9 miles [14 km] E. of Preston and 210 miles [340 km] NW. of London by rail – par., 48,281 ac., pop. 161,617; township, 3681 ac., pop. 91,958; bor., 6974 ac., pop. 104,014; 4 Banks, 2 newspapers. Market-days, Wednesday and Saturday. It
5096-492: The mid-20th century and subsequently faced similar challenges to other post-industrial northern towns, including deindustrialisation, economic deprivation and housing problems. Blackburn has had significant investment and redevelopment since 1958 through government funding and the European Regional Development Fund . The origins of the name are uncertain. It has been suggested that it may be
5187-413: The middle of the 13th century, when wool was woven in people's houses in the domestic system . Flemish weavers who settled in the area in the 14th century helped to develop the woollen cottage industry. The most rapid period of growth and development in Blackburn's history coincided with the industrialisation and expansion of textile manufacturing . Blackburn's textile sector fell into decline from
5278-555: The mills after 1825, the percentage of handloom weavers began to decline and this occurred more rapidly in areas closer to the town. In 1826 the Power-loom riots cam through Blackburn in response to the loss of jobs and low wages. Handloom weavers continued to make up a sizable portion of the workforce in outlying rural areas. The last handloom shop in Blackburn closed in 1894. In 1807, the Daniel Thwaites & Co brewery
5369-585: The nearest fort (12 miles), Slack and Ebchester ; all the forts probably got the tegulae from the same place in Grimescar Wood near Huddersfield . There is no evidence that a prehistoric settlement occupied the site before the arrival of the Romans. However, Stone Age activity has been recorded in the area. Two Mesolithic flints and a flint flake as well as a Neolithic scraper have been discovered. A shard of late Bronze Age pottery has also been found in situ . In 1772 during work to widen
5460-492: The north and south respectively. Blackburn experiences a temperate maritime climate , like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters. There is regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year. Although the city of Preston, the administrative centre for Lancashire, is located about 9 mi (14 km) west, Blackburn is the largest municipality in East Lancashire. The town
5551-498: The north can be reached via a steep climb up Montague Street and Dukes Brow to reach a peak of 218 metres (715 ft) above sea level. Industrial town An industrial city or industrial town is a town or city in which the municipal economy, at least historically, is centered around industry, with important factories or other production facilities in the town. It has been part of most countries' industrialization process. Air pollution and toxic waste have contributed to
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#17327655569055642-470: The northern and remaining side are several chasms in the original course of the ramparts. And in one of them about a hundred and seventy five yards from its commencement, was another gateway, opening into the station directly from the road to Ribchester. The rest of the wall still rises above five and four feet in height, planted all the way with thorns above, and exhibiting a curious view of the rampart below. Various parts of it have been fleeced of their facing
5733-522: The northwest. The towns of Rishton , to the east, and Great Harwood , to the northeast, are both in the local government district of Hyndburn . The town of Burnley lies 11 miles (18 km) to the east. Located in the midst of the East Lancashire Hills, some areas of the town are characterised by steep slopes. The town centre centres in a plain of 91–110 m (299–361 ft) above sea level surrounded by hills. The Revidge to
5824-469: The number of textile workers in Blackburn reduced to 6,000 by January 1975, the year in which the Albion and Alston mills stopped production with the loss of 400 jobs. In 1976 there were 2,100 looms in operation in the town, compared with 79,405 in 1907. After continued economic decline in the 2000s, new investment began in the 2010s. In 2015, Scottish designer Patrick Grant rescued Cookson & Clegg,
5915-556: The other ran north to Bremetennacum ( Ribchester ). In addition, Mamucium may also have overlooked a lesser road running north west to Coccium ( Wigan ). The fort was one of a chain of fortifications along the Eboracum to Deva Victrix road, with Castleshaw Roman fort lying 16 miles (26 km) to the east, and Condate ( Northwich ) 18 miles (29 km) to the west. Stamps on tegulae indicate that Mamucium had administrative links not only with Castleshaw, but also with Ardotalia,
6006-670: The other. Mamucium was levelled as Manchester expanded in the Industrial Revolution. The construction of the Rochdale Canal through the south western corner of the fort in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and the building of viaducts for the Great Northern Railway over the site in the late 19th century, damaged the remains and even destroyed some of the southern half of the fort. When the railway viaducts were built, Charles Roeder documented
6097-436: The police destroyed all fingerprints they had taken. Between 1948 and 1950 the textile industry experienced a short post-war boom, during which sales increased, industry training methods improved and automatic looms were introduced, which allowed a single weaver to control 20 to 25 looms. Loom sheds were rebuilt to house new, larger looms. Despite the post-war boom, the cotton industry continued to decline and only 25 per cent of
6188-449: The police to fingerprint every male over the age of 16 who was present in Blackburn on 14 and 15 May 1948. After taking over 46,500 sets of fingerprints, a match was made with Peter Griffiths, a 22-year-old ex-serviceman. Griffiths admitted his guilt and his trial ascertained if he was sane or not. After deliberating for 23 minutes, the jury found him sane and he was hanged at Liverpool Prison on Friday 19 November 1948. After his conviction,
6279-472: The possession of Henry de Blackburn, who divided it between his two sons. Later, one half was granted to the monks of Stanlow Abbey and this moiety was subsequently granted to the monks of Whalley Abbey . During the 12th century, the town's importance declined as Clitheroe became the regional centre. In addition to a settlement in the town centre area, there were several other medieval domiciles nearby. Textile manufacturing in Blackburn dates from
6370-465: The primary source of wealth and income for handloom weavers, began to transfer from the cottage industry to factories. This led to high rates of unemployment: according to figures published in March 1826, some 60 per cent of all handloom weavers in Blackburn and Rishton , Lower Darwen and Oswaldtwistle were unemployed. High unemployment led to the Lancashire weavers' riots . At 3:00 pm on 24 April 1826,
6461-401: The remains that were uncovered in the process, including parts of the vicus . Mills were all around the site. Castlefield became the south west corner of Manchester city centre . Deansgate , which developed into the main thoroughfare, follows the general line of Roman road to Ribchester. The first archaeological investigation of Mamucium was in 1906. Francis Bruton, who would later work on
6552-422: The rioting. In 1890, Blackburn's Chamber of Commerce had recognised that the town was overly dependent on the cotton industry, warning of the dangers of "only having one string to their bow in Blackburn". The warning proved prophetic when, in 1904, a slump hit the cotton industry and other industries dependent on it, such as engineering, brewing and building. In 1908, another slump saw 43 mills stop production and
6643-465: The settlement. George C. Miller, in his Blackburn: The Evolution of a Cotton Town , says: The ancient military way from Mamucium (Manchester) to ( Bremetennacum ) (Ribchester), passing over Blacksnape, plunges on its unswerving course through Blackamoor, over the scarp at Whinney Heights, to pass across the Blakewater in the vicinity of Salford. This fact alone presents a reasonable argument for
6734-546: The site before the area underwent any more regeneration or reconstruction. The archaeological investigation of Mamucium Roman fort and its associated civilian settlement has, so far, provided approximately 10,000 artefacts. The fort measured 160 metres (175 yd) by 130 metres (140 yd) and was surrounded by a double ditch and wooden rampart. Around AD 200 the wooden rampart was replaced by stone ramparts, measuring between 2.1 metres (7 ft) and 2.7 metres (9 ft) thick. The vicus associated with Mamucium surrounded
6825-461: The site on the west, north, and east sides, with the majority lying to the north. The vicus covered about 26 hectares (64 acres) and the fort about 2 hectares (4.9 acres). Buildings within the vicus would have generally been one storey, timber framed , and of wattle and daub construction. There may have been a cemetery to the south east of the fort. Templeborough Roman Fort in Yorkshire
6916-580: The south to Carlisle, intersected the township of Walton-in-le-Dale. 2. The road from Manchester to Overborough crossed the Parish at its broadest part. 3. The road from the sea to the interior, which formed the conmiunication between the "Sistuntian Port" (on the Wyre) and Ribchester, Ilkley-in-Wharfedale, Aldborough andYork, enters Blackburn Parish at Ribchester, by a ford over the Ribble. The late Rev. E. Sibson, in
7007-408: The southwestern angle. And all this side of the wall, which was from the beginning probably not much higher than it is at present, as it was sufficiently secured by the river and its banks, before it appears crested at first with a hedge of thorns, a young oak rising from the ridge and rearing its head considerably over the rest, and runs afterwards in a smooth line near the level for several yards with
7098-546: The subject of a hostile takeover by Scottish & Newcastle Breweries in 1987, ceasing brewing in 1991. In 1928, there was another slump in textile production, and another strike in 1929 after employers requested a 12% wage cut; 40,000 cotton workers struck for a week and eight mills closed, making 28 closures in six years. By the start of 1930, 50 mills had shut and 21,000 people were unemployed. A financial crisis in 1931 led to 24,000 unemployed, with 1,000 houses and 166 shops lying empty in
7189-562: The tariff to 14 per cent. This caused the number of stopped mills to increase to 47, with 43,000 looms lying idle. Two years into the slump, Foundry and Limbrick Mills became the first to close permanently. Not long afterwards, in 1926, the General Strike saw production suspended at half the town's mills and 12,000 unemployed. In 1927, Matthew Brown & Co. relocated to the town's Lion Brewery, on Coniston Road, following their acquisition of local brewer Nuttall & Co, later
7280-468: The time of John Speed 's map of 1610, the spelling of the town was Blackburn , while the region was Blackburne . There is anecdotal speculation that the name of the town may simply mean "black burn", or "black stream". There is little evidence of prehistoric settlement in the Blakewater valley, in which Blackburn developed. Evidence of activity in the form of two urn burials has been discovered from
7371-538: The town appears in the Domesday Book as both Blacheburne and Blacheburn , a royal manor during the days of Edward the Confessor and William the Conqueror . Archaeological evidence from the demolition of the medieval parish church on the site of the cathedral in 1820 suggests that a church was built during the late 11th or early 12th century. A market cross was also erected nearby in 1101. The manor came into
7462-470: The town's population were employed in textiles by 1951; this figure had stood at 60 per cent up to the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929. In 1952 the number of weavers fell from 10,890 to 9,020. By 1955 more cloth was imported from India than was exported and between 1955 and 1958 another 16 mills closed. In 1959, due partly to the re-organisation of the textile industry as a result of
7553-409: The town. A total of 26 mills closed down between 1930 and 1934. Blackburn became the first town to undertake the mass fingerprinting of people following the murder of June Anne Devaney in May 1948. June Anne Devaney was a three-year-old patient at Queens Park Hospital when she was abducted from her cot and murdered in the hospital grounds on 15 May 1948. Fingerprints on a bottle underneath her cot led
7644-521: The town. Early mills were warehouse conversions; the first purpose-built spinning mill was constructed in 1797 and by 1824 there were 24. The number of spindles reached 2.5 million by 1870 and spinning mills were constructed up to that time – 24 since 1850. Spinning declined between 1870 and 1900 as the sector transferred to south Lancashire. In 18th-century Blackburn, weaving was primarily undertaken by handloom weavers working from their own cottages. However, as powerlooms were introduced into
7735-415: The town; the town grew up around a factory, mine, or source of water power. As the industry grew, and it and its employees needed goods and services, the town grew with and often around it, until in some cases the town became a city. It is a capitalistic and typically unplanned expansion. Examples are Scranton, Pennsylvania , and the mill towns of New England . Many American industrial cities are located in
7826-469: The wider unitary authority area along with the town of Darwen . It is the second largest town (after Blackpool ) in Lancashire. At the 2011 census , Blackburn had a population of 117,963 , whilst the wider borough of Blackburn with Darwen had a population of 150,030 . Blackburn had a population of 117,963 in 2011, with 30.8% being people of ethnic backgrounds other than white British. A former mill town , textiles have been produced in Blackburn since
7917-599: Was carried out in the 1970s under Professor Barri Jones . In 1982 the fort, along with the rest of the Castlefield area, became the United Kingdom's first Urban Heritage Park, and partial reconstructions of the forts walls, including the ramparts and gateways, were opened in 1984. In 2001–05 the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit carried out excavations in the vicus to further investigate
8008-703: Was established; the company is still in business today and is now based at Sykes Holt in Mellor. Improvements to the power loom in the early 1840s, and the construction of a railway line in 1846, led to greater investment in power looms in Blackburn in the second half of that decade. The railway brought opportunities for expansion of the cotton trade, and in subsequent decades many new mills were constructed: between 1850 and 1870, sixty-eight weaving-only and four combined weaving/spinning mills were built and nine weaving mills were built per decade between 1870 and 1890. Improvements in power loom efficiency meant that weaving,
8099-593: Was included in the Antonine Itinerary , a 3rd-century register of roads throughout the Roman Empire . This and inscriptions on and repairs to buildings indicate that Mamucium was still in use in the first half of the 3rd century. The vicus may have been abandoned by the mid-3rd century; this is supported by the excavated remains of some buildings that were demolished and the materials robbed for use elsewhere. Evidence from coins indicates that although
8190-429: Was larger than the previous fort, measuring 2 hectares (4.9 acres) to accommodate extra granaries ( horrea ). Around 200, the gatehouses of the fort were rebuilt in stone and the walls surrounding the fort were given a stone facing. The concentration of furnaces in sheds in part of the vicus associated with the fort has been described as an "industrial estate", which would have been the first in Manchester. Mamucium
8281-445: Was to be garrisoned by a cohort , about 500 infantry. These troops were not Roman citizens but foreign auxiliaries who had joined the Roman army . By the late 1st and early 2nd centuries, a civilian settlement (called a vicus ) had grown up around the fort. Around AD 90, the fort's ramparts were strengthened. This might be because Mamucium and the Roman fort at Slack – which neighboured Castleshaw – superseded
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