Wheatley Lane, Lancashire
Encyclopedia
Wheatley Lane is a village in Pendle
, Lancashire
. It is close to Nelson
, Barrowford
and Burnley
. It lies to the north of the A6068 road, known locally as the Padiham
bypass, or 'The New Road'.
Wheatley Lane is an extended village consisting of a ribbon development along 'Wheatley Lane Road' and abuts the sister village of Fence
. The present village has now effectively absorbed the original hamlets of Wheatley Lane and Higher & Lower Harpers.
Historically, it lies in Old Laund Booth, in the Hundred of Blackburn. Up until Late Mediaeval times it lay in the Forest of Pendle, i.e. in the hunting preserve of the King.
The older properties on the village consist largely of small stone built cottages, with some later Victorian terraces and some 1950s council properties. Since the 1960s the remaining open fields on either side of the road have been developed for housing. There is unbroken countryside with excellent walking country to the North to Pendle Hill
and surrounding areas.
There is a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and attached school in the village, and to the east, on the edge of the village, one of the few remaining Inghamite Methodist Chapels, which has an extensive graveyard. Local tradition has it that the Harpers Inn, a local hostelry, was also originally built as a Methodist Chapel, but when the money ran out, it was sold and completed as a Pub. The original name was the 'Who'd have thought it'.
Sports are catered for by Pendle Forest Sports Club.
Wheatley Lane has links with the Pendle Witches.
In 1633, Edmund Robinson
of Wheatley Lane reported that he had been taken by a Witch to a barn at Hoarstones where he had seen 40 witches engaged in various devilish activities. He subsequently identified 19 witches and they were sent to trial in 1634, including Jenet Davies, a witness at the 1612 trial, and the daughter-in-law of Alice Nutter (one of the previous Pendle Witches). However, the judge deferred sentence and sent 7 of them to London for further examination. Only 3 survived the ordeal. After an enquiry all 19 were acquitted, and Edmund Robinson later admitted that the story was a fabrication.
Pendle
Pendle is a local government district and borough of Lancashire, England. It adjoins the Lancashire boroughs of Burnley and Ribble Valley, the North Yorkshire district of Craven and the West Yorkshire districts of Calderdale and the City of Bradford...
, 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...
. It is close to Nelson
Nelson, Lancashire
Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 28,998 in 2001. It lies 4 miles north of Burnley on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal....
, Barrowford
Barrowford
Barrowford is a large village and civil parish in the Pendle district of Lancashire, England. It is situated to the north of Nelson on the other side of the M65 motorway, and forms part of the Burnley/Nelson conurbation. It also comprises the area of Lowerford and sometimes gets confused with its...
and Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
. It lies to the north of the A6068 road, known locally as the Padiham
Padiham
Padiham is a small town and civil parish on the River Calder, about west of Burnley and south of Pendle Hill, in Lancashire, England. It is part of the Borough of Burnley but also has its own town council with varied powers.-History:...
bypass, or 'The New Road'.
Wheatley Lane is an extended village consisting of a ribbon development along 'Wheatley Lane Road' and abuts the sister village of Fence
Fence, Lancashire
Fence is a village in Pendle, Lancashire close to the towns of Nelson and Burnley. It lies alongside the A6068 road, known locally as the Padiham bypass...
. The present village has now effectively absorbed the original hamlets of Wheatley Lane and Higher & Lower Harpers.
Historically, it lies in Old Laund Booth, in the Hundred of Blackburn. Up until Late Mediaeval times it lay in the Forest of Pendle, i.e. in the hunting preserve of the King.
The older properties on the village consist largely of small stone built cottages, with some later Victorian terraces and some 1950s council properties. Since the 1960s the remaining open fields on either side of the road have been developed for housing. There is unbroken countryside with excellent walking country to the North to 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...
and surrounding areas.
There is a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and attached school in the village, and to the east, on the edge of the village, one of the few remaining Inghamite Methodist Chapels, which has an extensive graveyard. Local tradition has it that the Harpers Inn, a local hostelry, was also originally built as a Methodist Chapel, but when the money ran out, it was sold and completed as a Pub. The original name was the 'Who'd have thought it'.
Sports are catered for by Pendle Forest Sports Club.
Wheatley Lane has links with the Pendle Witches.
In 1633, Edmund Robinson
Edmund Robinson
Edmund Robinson was an English ten year-old boy from Wheatley Lane, Lancashire, who sparked a witch-hunt.His story was the inspiration for the 1634 play The Late Lancashire Witches.-References:...
of Wheatley Lane reported that he had been taken by a Witch to a barn at Hoarstones where he had seen 40 witches engaged in various devilish activities. He subsequently identified 19 witches and they were sent to trial in 1634, including Jenet Davies, a witness at the 1612 trial, and the daughter-in-law of Alice Nutter (one of the previous Pendle Witches). However, the judge deferred sentence and sent 7 of them to London for further examination. Only 3 survived the ordeal. After an enquiry all 19 were acquitted, and Edmund Robinson later admitted that the story was a fabrication.