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Hugh Birley

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Hugh Birley (21 October 1817 – 7 September 1883) was a British businessman and Conservative politician.

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79-593: Birley was born in Blackburn , Lancashire , the third son of Joseph Birley of Ford Bank, Manchester. Following education at Winchester School , he went to India , where he was the head of Birley, Corrie and Company, East India merchants. On his return to England he became a partner in Birley and Company, cotton spinners and also in Charles Macintosh and Company, manufacturers of India rubber goods. He

158-616: 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

237-612: A clearly distinguishable group set apart by their language and customs. Various cultural and linguistic customs are similar to those of the Southern part of the Netherlands. Generally, Flemings do not identify themselves as being Dutch and vice versa. There are popular stereotypes in the Netherlands as well as Flanders which are mostly based on the 'cultural extremes' of both Northern and Southern culture. Alongside this overarching political and social affiliation, there also exists

316-598: 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

395-646: 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

474-436: 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

553-650: A lesser extent on Brabantic, which is the most dominant Dutch dialect of the Southern Netherlands and Flanders . Approximately 75% of the Flemish people are by baptism assumed Roman Catholic , though a still diminishing minority of less than 8% attends Mass on a regular basis and nearly half of the inhabitants of Flanders are agnostic or atheist . A 2006 inquiry in Flanders showed 55% chose to call themselves religious and 36% believe that God created

632-545: A mascle between three cross crosslets of the field, and for the Crest upon a wreath of the colours a demi-boar rampant sable collared argent the chain reflexed over the back or supporting a branch of wild teazle proper, charged on the shoulder with a millrind argent. At the 1868 general election the representation of the Parliamentary Borough of Manchester was increased to three members of parliament . Birley

711-655: 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

790-523: 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

869-566: 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),

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948-580: A number of mannerist structures, and Willem van den Blocke also has sculpted multiple lavishly decorated epitaphs and tombs in Poland. Flemish people also emigrated at the end of the fifteenth century, when Flemish traders conducted intensive trade with Spain and Portugal , and from there moved to colonies in America and Africa . The newly discovered Azores were populated by 2,000 Flemish people from 1460 onwards, making these volcanic islands known as

1027-468: A number of lexical and a few grammatical features which distinguish them from the standard language. As in the Netherlands, the pronunciation of Standard Dutch is affected by the native dialect of the speaker. At the same time East Flemish forms a continuum with both Brabantic and West Flemish . Standard Dutch is primarily based on the Hollandic dialect (spoken in the northwestern Netherlands) and to

1106-577: 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

1185-533: 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

1264-468: A strong tendency towards regionalism , in which individuals greatly identify themselves culturally through their native province , city, region or dialect they speak. Flemings speak Dutch (specifically its southern variant , which is often colloquially called ' Flemish '). It is the majority language in Belgium, being spoken natively by three-fifths of the population. Its various dialects contain

1343-568: 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

1422-471: 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

1501-523: 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

1580-547: 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

1659-536: 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)

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1738-639: 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

1817-495: Is the core centre of 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

1896-418: 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

1975-495: 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

2054-702: The Belgian Revolution . Prior to this, the term " Vlamingen " in the Dutch language was in first place used for the inhabitants of the former County of Flanders. Flemish, however, had been used since the 14th century to refer to the language and dialects of both the peoples of Flanders and the Duchy of Brabant . In 1830, the southern provinces of the United Netherlands proclaimed their independence. French-dialect speaking population, as well as

2133-580: 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,

2212-535: 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

2291-771: 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

2370-635: The Netherlands , but are still host to people of Flemish descent and some continued use of Flemish Dutch. Namely, these are Zeelandic Flanders and the Arrondissement of Dunkirk (historically known as French Westhoek ). The people of North Brabant also share related ancestry. There were migrations of Flemish people to medieval and early modern Poland. The Flemming noble family of Flemish origin first settled in Pomerania and modern Poland in

2449-581: 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

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2528-582: 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,

2607-535: The seal of Philip d'Alsace , count of Flanders of 1162. As of that date the use of the Flemish coat of arms ( or a lion rampant sable ) remained in use throughout the reigns of the d'Alsace, Flanders (2nd) and Dampierre dynasties of counts . The motto "Vlaanderen de Leeuw" (Flanders the lion) was allegedly present on the arms of Pieter de Coninck at the Battle of the Golden Spurs on July 11, 1302. After

2686-548: The "Flemish Islands". For instance, the city of Horta derives its name from Flemish explorer Josse van Huerter . Prior to the 1600s, there were several substantial waves of Flemish migration to the United Kingdom . The first wave fled to England in the early 12th century, escaping damages from a storm across the coast of Flanders, where they were largely resettled in Pembrokeshire by Henry I . They changed

2765-483: The 13th century with the village of Buk becoming the first estate of the family in the region. The family reached high-ranking political and military posts in Poland in the 18th century, and Polish Princess Izabela Czartoryska and statesman Adam Jerzy Czartoryski were their descendants. There are several preserved historical residences of the family in Poland. Flemish architects Anthonis van Obbergen and Willem van den Blocke migrated to Poland, where they designed

2844-618: The 1870s, when Saint Boniface proved a popular destination for work in local flour mills, brick yards and railway yards. Similarly, Flemish were drawn to smaller villages in Manitoba , where jobs in farming were available. In the early 20th century, Flemish settled in significant numbers across Ontario , particularly attracted by the tobacco-growing industry, in the towns of Chatham , Leamington , Tillsonburg , Wallaceburg , Simcoe , Sarnia and Port Hope . The original County of Flanders encompassed areas which today belong to France and

2923-642: 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

3002-644: The Southern Francophile elites. The efforts of this movement during the following 150 years, have to no small extent facilitated the creation of the de jure social, political and linguistic equality of Dutch from the end of the 19th century. After the Hundred Years War many Flemings migrated to the Azores . By 1490 there were 2,000 Flemings living in the Azores. Willem van der Haegen

3081-518: The acquisition of Flanders by the Burgundian dukes the lion was only used in escutcheons. It was only after the creation of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands that the coat of arms (surmounted by a chief bearing the Royal Arms of the Netherlands ) once again became the official symbol of the new province East Flanders . The first sizeable wave of Flemish migration to Canada occurred in

3160-400: The administration and elites, feared the loss of their status and autonomy under Dutch rule while the rapid industrialization in the south highlighted economic differences between the two. Under French rule (1794–1815), French was enforced as the only official language in public life, resulting in a Francization of the elites and, to a lesser extent, the middle classes. The Dutch king allowed

3239-561: The area during this era, who would lay their cloths out in the sun to bleach them. These waves of settlement are also evidenced by the common surnames Fleming , Flemings, Flemming and Flemmings. In the United States , the cities of De Pere and Green Bay in Wisconsin attracted many Flemish and Walloon immigrants during the 19th century. The small town of Belgique was settled almost entirely by Flemish immigrants, although

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3318-483: 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

3397-504: The culture and accent in south Pembrokeshire to such an extent, that it led to the area receiving the name Little England beyond Wales . Haverfordwest and Tenby consequently grew as important settlements for the Flemish settlers. In the 14th century, encouraged by King Edward III and perhaps in part due to his marriage to Philippa of Hainault , another wave of migration to England occurred when skilled cloth weavers from Flanders were granted permission to settle there and contribute to

3476-517: 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

3555-421: 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

3634-677: 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

3713-493: 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

3792-414: 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

3871-556: 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

3950-492: 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

4029-425: 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. Flemish people Flemish people or Flemings ( Dutch : Vlamingen [ˈvlaːmɪŋə(n)] ) are a Germanic ethnic group native to Flanders , Belgium , who speak Flemish Dutch . Flemish people make up the majority of Belgians , at about 60%. Flemish

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4108-523: 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

4187-472: 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,

4266-439: 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

4345-449: 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,

4424-473: 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

4503-525: 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,

4582-478: The revolt, the language reforms of 1823 were the first Dutch laws to be abolished and the subsequent years would see a number of laws restricting the use of the Dutch language. This policy led to the gradual emergence of the Flemish Movement , that was built on earlier anti-French feelings of injustice, as expressed in writings (for example by the late 18th-century writer, Jan Verlooy ) which criticized

4661-425: 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

4740-467: 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

4819-580: 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

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4898-549: 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

4977-565: 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

5056-596: The then booming cloth and woollen industries. These migrants particularly settled in the growing Lancashire and Yorkshire textile towns of Manchester , Bolton , Blackburn , Liversedge , Bury , Halifax and Wakefield . Demand for Flemish weavers in England occurred again in both the 15th and 16th centuries, but this time particularly focused on towns close to the coastline of East Anglia and South East England . Many from this generation of weavers went to Colchester , Sandwich and Braintree . In 1582, it

5135-471: 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

5214-541: 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

5293-407: 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

5372-412: 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

5451-522: 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

5530-422: The universe. The official flag and coat of arms of the Flemish Community represents a black lion with red claws and tongue on a yellow field ( or a lion rampant sable armed and langued gules ). A flag with a completely black lion had been in wide use before 1991 when the current version was officially adopted by the Flemish Community. That older flag was at times recognized by government sources (alongside

5609-530: The use of both Dutch and French dialects as administrative languages in the Flemish provinces. He also enacted laws to reestablish Dutch in schools. The language policy was not the only cause of the secession; the Roman Catholic majority viewed the sovereign, the Protestant William I , with suspicion and were heavily stirred by the Roman Catholic Church which suspected William of wanting to enforce Protestantism . Lastly, Belgian liberals were dissatisfied with William for his allegedly despotic behaviour. Following

5688-405: The version with red claws and tongue). Today, only the flag bearing a lion with red claws and tongue is recognized by Belgian law, while the flag with the all-black lion is mostly used by Flemish separatist movements. The Flemish authorities also use two logos of a highly stylized black lion which show the claws and tongue in either red or black. The first documented use of the Flemish lion was on

5767-658: Was appointed a justice of the peace and Deputy Lieutenant for the County Palatine of Lancaster . He was an active supporter of the Church of England , and assisted in the building of a number of Anglican churches and schools in the Manchester area. Birley was granted armorial bearings by the College of Arms , the blazon of which was as follows: Sable on a fesse engrailed between three boars' heads couped argent,

5846-698: Was elected as the first Conservative MP for the town, alongside the two sitting Liberal Party members, Thomas Bazley and Jacob Bright . He retained his seat at the ensuing elections of 1874 and 1880 . For the final years of his life, Birley was in poor health, and travelled to South Africa and Cannes in the south of France in an attempt to recuperate. However, after May 1883 he was too ill to attend parliament. He died at his Didsbury home in September 1883, aged 66. He married Mabella Baxendale in 1842, and they had two sons and two daughters. They made their home at "Moorland", Didsbury , near Manchester . He

5925-706: 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,

6004-558: Was estimated that there could have been around 1,600 Flemish in Sandwich, today almost half of its total population. London , Norwich and North Walsham , however, were the most popular destinations, and the nickname for Norwich City F.C. fans, Canaries, is derived from the fact that many of the Norfolk weavers kept pet canaries. The town of Whitefield , near Bury, also claims to owe its name to Flemish cloth weavers that settled in

6083-520: Was historically a geographical term, as all inhabitants of the medieval County of Flanders in modern-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands were referred to as "Flemings" irrespective of their ethnicity or language. The contemporary region of Flanders comprises a part of this historical county, as well as parts of the medieval duchy of Brabant and the medieval county of Loon , where the modern national identity and culture gradually formed. The sense of "Flemish" identity increased significantly after

6162-575: Was the great-uncle of Robert Birley , who was Head Master of Eton College from 1949 to 1963. Blackburn 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

6241-515: Was the original sea captain who brought settlers from Flanders to the Azores. Today many Azoreans trace their genealogy from present day Flanders. Many of their customs and traditions are distinctively Flemish in nature such as windmills used for grain, São Jorge cheese and several religious events such as the imperios and the feast of the Cult of the Holy Spirit . Within Belgium, Flemings form

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