Gisburn
Encyclopedia
Gisburn is a village, civil parish
and ward
within the Ribble Valley
borough of Lancashire
, England. It lies 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Clitheroe
. The parish
of Gisburn had a population of 506, and the ward had 1287, recorded in the 2001 census
.
The former spelling of Gisburne was phased out after the introduction of railways in the parish. Gisburn railway station
was closed under the Beeching Axe
in 1962. Before standardized spelling, Gisburne and similar spellings were also sometimes used for Guisborough
in North Yorkshire
, leading to Gisburn often being referred to as "Gisburn in Craven
".
Gisburn was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
, within the Deanery
of Craven
, and Wapentake of Staincliffe
. It touched the historic county of Lancashire on the south. Today it is in Lancashire, and touches North Yorkshire
on the north.
Geographically, Gisburn is a rural area, surrounded by hilly and relatively unpopulated areas, with Bowland Forest to the west, Pendle Hill
to the south, and the Yorkshire Dales
and Pennines
not far to the north and east. The relatively flat Ribble valley runs through the parish with the A59
running parallel. The Roman road
from Ribchester
to Ilkley
once passed through the area also.
Gisburn is home to an auction mart, the medieval St Mary the Virgin Church and the private hospital, BMI Gisburne Park, set in the former home of the Ribblesdale family. This church was responsible for the older and larger ecclesiastical parish of Gisburn, which approximated the modern ward of Gisburn, and also included the modern civil parishes of Gisburn Forest, Paythorne
, Newsholme
, Horton in Craven, Rimington
and Middop
(the last two forming one council area). Nappa
and Swinden
were also part of the old parish but are now in North Yorkshire
and no longer attached to Gisburn ward.
In 2010 the village controversially featured in a television advertisement for the Renault
Megane car,
. It is thought, however, that at one time it also had a dedication to St Andrew, possibly as a deliberate means of avoiding the displeasure of invading Scots. A more likely explanation lies with the one time patrons of the living, the prioress and nuns from Stainfield Nunnery
in Lincolnshire
, which was itself dedicated to St Mary the Virgin and St Andrew. Indeed, the prioress had a manor house at Rayhead in Gisburn Forest, and the Percy family, who founded the nunnery, were very generous to Gisburn Church. The connection with Stainfield, however, was the source of a bitter dispute between the nunnery and the nearby Sawley Abbey
.
Early charters give the priest of Gisburn, between 1140 and 1146, as one Renulf, and it has been suggested that the foundations of the church date from 1135.
The large cylindrical pillars at the front of the church are of 12th century origin. The date of the other pillars is later, perhaps as late as the 16th century, when it is thought that the church was restored. Part of the archway originated from Sawley Abbey following its destruction at the Dissolution
. A further restoration in 1872 involved re-roofing the church, new pews and a new pulpit. Other modifications were also carried out and the work was paid for by a grant from Queen Anne's Bounty
, the repayment of which took until 1925.
In the graveyard lies buried one of England's greatest writers of hymn tunes, Francis Duckworth (1862–1941).http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/d/u/duckworth_f.htm His most famous tune is "Rimington", to which several hymns including Jesu Shall Reign Where’er the Sun may be sung. It is inscribed on his gravestone.
The village also has links to the 1612 trials of the Lancashire witches, although Jennet Preston who was from Gisburn, was tried and hung in York, instead of Lancaster, as the village then lay outside Lancashire. She was accused of causing the death of Thomas Lister by witchcraft
.
, then aged 81, preached to a large congregation. The original Methodist chapel on Mill Lane later became part of the village smithy
. A new chapel was built in 1871 but closed in 1948 due to falling attendance. The building was then used as a garage and is now the site of three houses known as "The Old Chapel".
In nearby Horton-in-Craven
a Congregational chapel was founded in 1670. At Paythorne
there is a Wesleyan
chapel built in 1830 and in Rimington
there is a Congregational chapel dated 1817.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
and ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
within the Ribble Valley
Ribble Valley
Ribble Valley is a local government district with borough status within the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Clitheroe. Other places include Whalley, Longridge and Ribchester. The area is so called due to the River Ribble which flows in its final stages...
borough of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. It lies 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
. The parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Gisburn had a population of 506, and the ward had 1287, recorded in the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
The former spelling of Gisburne was phased out after the introduction of railways in the parish. Gisburn railway station
Gisburn railway station
Gisburn railway station was a railway station that served the small village of Gisburn in Lancashire. It was opened by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1879. The station closed to passengers in September 1962, shortly before the Beeching Report was published.-Services:- References...
was closed under the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
in 1962. Before standardized spelling, Gisburne and similar spellings were also sometimes used for Guisborough
Guisborough
Guisborough is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England....
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, leading to Gisburn often being referred to as "Gisburn in Craven
Craven
Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...
".
Description
HistoricallyHistoric counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
Gisburn was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
, within the Deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
of Craven
Craven
Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...
, and Wapentake of Staincliffe
Staincliffe
Staincliffe is a cross-over district of both Batley, West Yorkshire, England and Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England; the name is believed to derive from staine, meaning stone and cliffe, cliff...
. It touched the historic county of Lancashire on the south. Today it is in Lancashire, and touches North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
on the north.
Geographically, Gisburn is a rural area, surrounded by hilly and relatively unpopulated areas, with Bowland Forest to the west, Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill is located in the north-east of Lancashire, England, near the towns of Burnley, Nelson, Colne, Clitheroe and Padiham, an area known as Pendleside. Its summit is above mean sea level. It gives its name to the Borough of Pendle. It is an isolated hill, separated from the Pennines to the...
to the south, and the Yorkshire Dales
Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...
and Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
not far to the north and east. The relatively flat Ribble valley runs through the parish with the A59
A59 road
The A59 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Liverpool in Merseyside, to York in North Yorkshire.-Merseyside:The A59 begins in the centre of Liverpool at the mouth of the Birkenhead Tunnel, and heads north out of the city, first as Scotland Road in Vauxhall, then Kirkdale Road,...
running parallel. The Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
from Ribchester
Ribchester
Ribchester is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Ribble, northwest of Blackburn and east of Preston.The village has a long history with evidence of Bronze Age beginnings...
to Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
once passed through the area also.
Gisburn is home to an auction mart, the medieval St Mary the Virgin Church and the private hospital, BMI Gisburne Park, set in the former home of the Ribblesdale family. This church was responsible for the older and larger ecclesiastical parish of Gisburn, which approximated the modern ward of Gisburn, and also included the modern civil parishes of Gisburn Forest, Paythorne
Paythorne
Paythorne is a small village and civil parish in Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is situated alongside the River Ribble, north-east of Clitheroe, and on the boundary with North Yorkshire. Other parishes adjacent to Paythorne are Halton West, Nappa , Newsholme, Horton, Gisburn, Sawley,...
, Newsholme
Newsholme, Lancashire
Newsholme is a small village and civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England, and is situated on the A682 road near the boundary with North Yorkshire. Between 1872 and 1957 the village had a railway station on the Ribble Valley Line....
, Horton in Craven, Rimington
Rimington
Rimington is a rural village and civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is east of Clitheroe and south of the A59 road. The village consists of the hamlets of Howgill, Martin Top, Newby and Stopper Lane, and was formerly in the West Riding of Yorkshire...
and Middop
Middop
Middop is a rural hamlet and civil parish in Lancashire, England. It is in Ribble Valley district. Middop is near the villages of Rimington and Gisburn and approximately north-east of its post town, Clitheroe. It shares its parish council with Rimington...
(the last two forming one council area). Nappa
Nappa, North Yorkshire
Nappa is a hamlet and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is on the A682 road and 6 miles north west of Barnoldswick and 10.5 miles west of Skipton....
and Swinden
Swinden
Swinden is a small village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is near Halton West and Nappa and about 7 miles north of Barnoldswick....
were also part of the old parish but are now in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
and no longer attached to Gisburn ward.
In 2010 the village controversially featured in a television advertisement for the Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
Megane car,
The Church of St Mary the Virgin
The ancient church at the centre of the village is dedicated to St Mary the VirginSt Mary the Virgin
-Churches:* St Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury* St Mary the Virgin, Blackburn Hamlet* St Mary the Virgin, Brighton* St Mary the Virgin, Barnes* St Mary the Virgin, Bathwick* St Mary the Virgin, Gillingham, Dorset* St Mary the Virgin, Henbury...
. It is thought, however, that at one time it also had a dedication to St Andrew, possibly as a deliberate means of avoiding the displeasure of invading Scots. A more likely explanation lies with the one time patrons of the living, the prioress and nuns from Stainfield Nunnery
Stainfield Priory
Stainfield Priory was a Benedictine nunnery in the North of Lincolnshire, England, between Wragby and Fiskerton.The priory of St Mary at Stainfield was the only nunnery of the Benedictine order in Lincolnshire...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, which was itself dedicated to St Mary the Virgin and St Andrew. Indeed, the prioress had a manor house at Rayhead in Gisburn Forest, and the Percy family, who founded the nunnery, were very generous to Gisburn Church. The connection with Stainfield, however, was the source of a bitter dispute between the nunnery and the nearby Sawley Abbey
Sawley Abbey
Sawley Abbey was an abbey of Cistercian monks in the village of Sawley, Lancashire, in England . Created as a daughter-house of Newminster Abbey, it existed from 1147 until its dissolution in 1536, during the reign of King Henry VIII of all England, Ireland, and France...
.
Early charters give the priest of Gisburn, between 1140 and 1146, as one Renulf, and it has been suggested that the foundations of the church date from 1135.
The large cylindrical pillars at the front of the church are of 12th century origin. The date of the other pillars is later, perhaps as late as the 16th century, when it is thought that the church was restored. Part of the archway originated from Sawley Abbey following its destruction at the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
. A further restoration in 1872 involved re-roofing the church, new pews and a new pulpit. Other modifications were also carried out and the work was paid for by a grant from Queen Anne's Bounty
Queen Anne's Bounty
Queen Anne's Bounty was a fund established in 1704 to augment the incomes of the poorer clergy of the Church of England. The bounty was funded by the tax on the incomes of all Church of England clergy, which was paid to the Pope until the Reformation, and thereafter to the Crown.In 1890, the total...
, the repayment of which took until 1925.
In the graveyard lies buried one of England's greatest writers of hymn tunes, Francis Duckworth (1862–1941).http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/d/u/duckworth_f.htm His most famous tune is "Rimington", to which several hymns including Jesu Shall Reign Where’er the Sun may be sung. It is inscribed on his gravestone.
The village also has links to the 1612 trials of the Lancashire witches, although Jennet Preston who was from Gisburn, was tried and hung in York, instead of Lancaster, as the village then lay outside Lancashire. She was accused of causing the death of Thomas Lister by witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
.
Non-conformism in Gisburn
In 1759 Gisburn established the first place of Methodist worship in the district. On 18 April 1784 John WesleyJohn Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
, then aged 81, preached to a large congregation. The original Methodist chapel on Mill Lane later became part of the village smithy
Smithy
Smithy may refer to:* Forge, also called a smithy, the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith* Smith , sometimes referred to as a smithy, a person involved in the shaping of metal objects...
. A new chapel was built in 1871 but closed in 1948 due to falling attendance. The building was then used as a garage and is now the site of three houses known as "The Old Chapel".
In nearby Horton-in-Craven
Craven
Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...
a Congregational chapel was founded in 1670. At Paythorne
Paythorne
Paythorne is a small village and civil parish in Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is situated alongside the River Ribble, north-east of Clitheroe, and on the boundary with North Yorkshire. Other parishes adjacent to Paythorne are Halton West, Nappa , Newsholme, Horton, Gisburn, Sawley,...
there is a Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
chapel built in 1830 and in Rimington
Rimington
Rimington is a rural village and civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is east of Clitheroe and south of the A59 road. The village consists of the hamlets of Howgill, Martin Top, Newby and Stopper Lane, and was formerly in the West Riding of Yorkshire...
there is a Congregational chapel dated 1817.