The name Pendle comes from "Penhill", combining the Cumbric "pen" meaning hill and the Saxon "hill", also meaning hill. The name was used for Pendle Hill (literally "hill hill hill"), a prominent outlier of the Pennines. The name was then also used for the ancient Forest of Pendle around the hill, and for Pendle Water, a river which rises on the hill and flows into the River Calder.[2] The name also became associated with the Pendle witches, tried for witchcraft in 1612, as the accused were all from the area.[3]
History
The modern local government district of Pendle was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It covered the whole area of seven former districts and parts of another two, all of which were abolished at the same time:[4]
The Barnoldswick, Earby and Skipton elements were in the West Riding of Yorkshire prior to 1974. The term West Craven is often used for the area transferred from Yorkshire to Lancashire in 1974. The new district was named Pendle after the hill, forest and river.[5] The district was awarded borough status on 15 September 1976, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[6]
The borough is entirely covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Barnoldswick, Brierfield, Colne, Earby and Nelson take the style "town council".[9]
↑ Farrer, William; Brownbill, J., eds. (1911). "Townships: Goldshaw Booth". A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6. London: Victoria County History. pp.514–518. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
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