Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/295

Rh BLACKBULL. 285 BLACKBURN. B .CKBULL, a vil. in the bar. of Dunboyne, in thi co. c Heath, prov. of Leinster, Ireland, 2 miles from Dun iyne. BACKBUEN, a par., municipal and parliamentary boro.h, and important scat of manufacture, in the hunt of Blackburn, in the co. palatine of Lancaster 23 m:s to the N.W. of Manchester, and 209 miles from Loma by road, or 177j miles by the North-Western raihv. It may also be approached vlii, the Greal Nort m and Midland railways. It is a station on the . vest i div. of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway, a bra :h of which also runs from Blackburn to Clitheroe. By ti Leeds and Liverpool canal, which passes near the towu:ommunication is opened with the principal, rivers of th country, and the eastern and western seas. The par., hich is of great extent, being about 14 miles in and 10 miles in breadth, is situated on the river it, and comprises the chplries. of Balderston, Bridge, Over Darwen, Lower Darwen, Fenis- Great Harwood, Langho, Mellor, Salesbury, "Samlbury, Tockholcs, Walton-le-Dale, and Witton, and o tnshps. of Blackburn, BUliugton, Clayton-le- - Dale.Cuerdale, Dinldey, Eccleshill, Little Harwood, Li L v, Osbaldeston, Pleasington, Eamsgrave, Kishton, and r ilpshire. The surrounding couutrj-, forming
 * y the district calleABlackburwhire, which included
 * i--nt hund. of Blackburn, is for the most part bar-

1 remained till recently uncultivated. A ridge of -iund runs through the parish in a direction from ist to north-west, extending from Whalley to tilliie Hill, at which point it has ail elevation of about t. That part of the parish which lies on the vest side of the hills, sloping to the river Eibble, best soil and most agreeable scenery. Clay soils jiate, and rest chiefly on sandstone. Coal is I in abundance, and some limestone. A mine of ne, which was formerly worked, has long been d. The staple business of Blackburn is the cot- .ufacture, which has long been established there. 1 7th century the " Blackburn checks," a united t linen and cotton, were well esteemed ; and sub - ly the manufacture of "Blackburn greys," a i Jt bleached before printing, nourished here. The . ' of hand-loom weavers is comparatively small, y are employed mostly in the cheap muslin nianu- From ten to eleven thousand persons are engaged < irious processes of making, printing, and bleaching he C' on and muslin goods ; and the spinning of cotton said to employ about 100,000 spindles. Thein- uf the spinning-jenny, the introduction of which - violently resisted by the workmen, and which has ved of such vast importance, was due to James ves, a native of Blackburn, and originally a car- -The manufacture of weaving machinery is now ie most flourishing trades of the town, large orders piently received from Germany, France, Russia, Spai:, md other parts of Europe. There are also several 1 brass foundries, four breweries, two corn mills, isive bobbin manufactory, besides works for gas- . retortnaking, and several brick and tile yards. Previous to thcotton famine of 1862, Blackburn was conspicuous amon t the many thriving manufacturing towns of are for its progress and wealth. The town, parts of which are irregularly built, stands in .a plea^nt situation, sheltered by the ridge of hills which crossc the parish, and on the banks of a small rivulet caliul he Blackwater, or Blackburne, a branch of the srwent. There are many good houses of modern , and great improvements have been made in ots and public establishments. The town is now with gas, well paved, and has a good water supply, ificent townhallwas erected in 1856, at the cost of river erect i the st lighte Air.ai 30,0'| ; it is in the Italian style, and was designed by Pattein. One side faces the market-place, which is sur- round! by lofty and well-built shops and public buildings. There a large cloth hall in Fleming-square, in which the sa i of woollen cloth take place. The town contains _sma theatre, two banks, the Blackburn Union Club, with j >d billiard and news-rooms a public subscription library, and a mechanics' institution. A savings-bank, a dispensary, and some other charitable institutions are established. The suburbs of the town are becoming dotted over with villa residences, chiefly inhabited by merchants, mill-owners, and wealthy shopkeepers. A public park has been recently formed at a short distance from the town, on the Preston New-road, embracing 50 acres of undulating ground, diversified with rocky hills, lakes, waterfalls, and four fine fountains. These latter are the munificent gift of the late mayor, William Pilkington, Esq. The horticultural shows, which take place in June and September, are held in the assembly- rooms of the towiihail. Blackburn was created a borough by the Reform Act, returning two members to parliament, and was incorporated by royal charter in September, 1851. The number of registered voters in 1857 was 1,518. The bounds of the parliamentary and municipal boroughs coincide with those of the township, which contains, according to the census of 1861, 11,314 houses, inhabited by a population of 63,125, against 46,536 in 1851, showing an increase of no less than 16,589 in the decennial period. Blackburn is also the seat of a Poor-law Union, the head of a County Court district, and a polling place for the north division of the county. Petty sessions for the hundred are held here. The town contains the Union poorhouse. Two weekly newspapers are published here, called the Weekly Times and the Blackburn Standard. The living is a vie. * in the dioc. of Manchester, of the val. of 893, in the patron, of the bishop. The church, a handsome structure, erected in 1826 on the site of the old grammar school, and re- stored, after partial destruction by fire, in 1831, is partly in the perpendicular style of architecture, and has a richly decorated tower, with crocketed pinnacles. The plan of the interior is greatly admired. The building, which was entirely redecorated in 1857, is dedicated to St. Mary. The original parish church was of earlier date than the Conquest, and belonged to the monastery of Whalley. It was twice rebuilt, and was taken down in 1819, the tower and the Duncan chapel alone remaining. The register dates from 1568. There are six other churches in the town, of recent erection, viz., those of St. John, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Michael, and the Holy Trinity, and Christ Church, the livings of which are perpet. curs.,* varying in val. from 50 to 217, and in the patron, of the vicar. The places of worship for Dissenters are numerous, including two each for Roman Catholics, Baptists, and Independents, and one each for Wesleyan, Primitive, and Association Metho- dists, Presbyterians, Quakers, Unitarians, and Sweden- borgians. The charitable endowments of the parish are of the annual value of 526. The principal foundations are the following : The free grammar school, founded by Queen Elizabeth for 30 boys, managed by 50 gover- nors who are incorporated, and having a 'revenue of 120 ; and a free school for 90 children, founded and en- dowed by William Ley land in 1765, and further endowed by other benevolent persons since that time. There are also a very large National and numerous other schools. There are many gentlemen's seats in the neighbour- hood, the principal of which are Feniscowles, the resi- dence of Sir W. Fielden, Bart. ; Witton, Woodfold, &c. Audley Hall, the ancient manorhouse, and old Samles- bury Hall, are among the most noteworthy of the older buildings. The Independent Theological Academy for- merly established here has been united with the college near Manchester. The markets are held on Wednesday and Saturday. Fairs are held annually in Easter week, and on the 12th May, and the 17th October; and cattle fairs once a fortnight from February till Michaelmas. BLACKBURN, a limit, in the tnshp. of Kimberworth, md par. of Rotherham, wap. of Straiforth and Tickhill, n the West Riding of the co. of York, 1 mile from itotherham. BLACKBURN, a vil. in the par. of Livingstone, in -he co: of Linlithgow, Scotland, 3 miles to the S. of Bathgate. It is situated on the banks of the Almond iver. The cotton and flax manufactures are carried on icre. An Independent chapel was built here in 1825.