Whalley

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WHALLEY, a village, a township, and a sub-district, in Clitheroe district, and a parish partly also in Blackburn, Haslingden, and Burnley districts, chiefly in Lancashire, but partly also in W. R. Yorkshire. The village stands on the river Calder, and on the Clitheroe railway, 3¾ miles S by W of Clitheroe; is a polling place; and has a post-office under Blackburn, a r. station with telegraph and a hotel. The township comprises 1,890 acres. Real property, £4,107. Pop. in 1851, 945; in 1861, 806. Houses, 163. The decrease of pop. arose from discontinuance of employment in print-works. The manor belongs to J. Taylor, Esq. Moreton Hall is the seat of J. Taylor, Esq., and Clerk Hill, of the Whalleys. A Cistertian abbey was founded here in 1296; was purchased, at the dissolution, by the Asshetons and the Braddylls; and has left splendid ruins in early, decorated, and later English architecture. The sub-district contains four townships of W. parish and one of Mitton. Acres, 9,000. Pop., 2,963. Houses, 605. The parish contains forty-eight townships in Lancashire and one in Yorkshire; and is ecclesiastically cut into the sections of Whalley-St. Mary, Accrington, A.-Christchurch, A.-St. John, Altham, Bacup, B.-Christchurch, B.-St. Saviour, Briercliffe, Burnley, B.-St. James, B.-St. Paul, B. -St. Andrew, Chatburn, Church-Kirk, C.-K.-St. Paul, Clayton-le-Moors, Clitheroe, C.-St. James, Colne, C.-Christchurch, C.-Barrowford, Downham, Fence-in-Pendle, Goodshaw, Habergham-Eaves, H.-All Saints, Haslingden, Heyhouses, Holme, Lumb, Great Marsden, Little Marsden, Newchurch-in-Pendle, Newchurch-in-Rossendale, Tunstead, Oswaldtwistle, Padiham, Rawtenstall, Trawden, Whitewell, and Worsthorne. Acres, 105,249. Pop. in 1851, 134,196; in 1861, 167,456. Houses, 32,094. The living of W.-St. Mary is a vicarage in the diocese of Manchester. Value, £310. Patrons, Hulme's Trustees, The church is ancient, and was repaired in 1855. Three ancient crosses are in the churchyard. There are a Wesleyan chapel, an endowed grammar-school with £51 a year and with a share of scholarships at Oxford, a national school, and charities £63. The other livings are noticed in their own several places.

John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)

Archives and libraries

Local studies information is held at Clitheroe library.

Cemeteries

Census

Details about the census records, and indexes for Whalley.

Church History

Church Records

You can also perform a more selective search for churches in the Whalley area that are recorded in the GENUKI church database. This will also help identify churches in nearby townships and/or parishes. You also have the option to see the location of the churches marked marked on a map.

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Civil Registration

The Register Office covering the Whalley area is Ribble Valley.

Gazetteers

Ask for the gazetteer for a calculation of the distance from Whalley to another place.

Historical Geography

In 1835 the parish of Whalley contained the townships of Whalley, Leagram, Little Bowland, Clitheroe, Chatburn, Mearley, Worston, Downham, Twiston, Pendleton, Goldshaw Booth, Barley with Wheatley Booth, Roughlee Booth, Barrowford Booth, Colne, Foulridge, Wiswell, Read, Heyhouses, Simonstone, Padiham, Higham with West Close Booth, Old Laund, Ightenhill Park, Reedley Hallows, Great and Little Marsden, Wheatley Carr, Trawden, Burnley, Briercliffe and Extwistle, Clayton le Moors, Altham, Huncoat, Habergham Eaves, Worsthorne with Hurstwood, Cliviger, Dunnockshaw, Church, Accrington, Henheads, Higher Booths, Lower Booths, Newchurch in Rossendale, Oswaldtwistle and Haslingden.

Maps

View maps of Whalley and places within its boundaries.

A map of Whalley around 1890.

Probate Records

For probate purposes prior to 1858, Whalley was in the Archdeaconry of Chester, in the Diocese of Chester. The original Lancashire wills for the Archdeaconry of Chester are held at the Lancashire Record Office.