Forest of Pendle facts for kids
The Forest of Pendle is a special area of hills and countryside in eastern Lancashire, England. It's found to the east of the famous Pendle Hill. This area helps separate the waters flowing into the River Ribble from those flowing into the River Calder.
Even though it's called a "forest," it's not covered in lots of trees today, and it hasn't been for hundreds of years! Long ago, it was a "royal forest." This meant it was a protected area used for hunting by kings and nobles. Today, parts of it are recognized as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which means it's a beautiful landscape that is protected for everyone to enjoy.
Pendle's Early History
Back in 1086, when the Domesday Book was created (a big survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror), the Forest of Pendle was part of a huge forested area in Blackburnshire. William the Conqueror gave this land to a powerful person named Roger the Poitevin. He then gave most of it to the de Lacy family, who built Clitheroe Castle nearby. The Forest of Pendle was part of their large estate called the Manor of Ightenhill.
The de Lacy family managed two main forest areas: Bowland and Blackburnshire. The Blackburnshire forest had four separate parts, and Pendle was one of them. The others were Trawden, Accrington, and Rossendale.
Life in the Medieval Forest
Even in the Middle Ages, the Forest of Pendle wasn't just for hunting. The de Lacy family started allowing cattle to be kept there. This led to more farming and settlements growing in the area. They also bred horses and had a special deer park at Ightenhill.
By the early 1500s, the forest was divided into different areas called "vaccaries." These were places where cows were grazed. Some of the names of these old vaccaries are still used today as names for villages and areas, like:
- Higham
- Barley
- Goldshaw Booth
- Old Laund
- Barrowford
- Roughlee
The area faced tough times after the Battle of Bannockburn, when Scottish armies attacked parts of England. Pendle suffered even more because its lord, Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, was executed for rebelling against the king.
Pendle in Later Times
From the Tudor times onwards, the royal forests began to be sold off to private owners. This meant that areas like Pendle Forest could be developed even more than before.
Originally, the entire Forest of Pendle was part of a very large ancient church parish called Whalley. Over time, Newchurch in Pendle became the main church for the forest area and eventually became the center of its own parish.
Other villages and towns that grew up within the old forest include:
- Barley
- Barrowford
- Blacko
- Fence
- Reedley
- Roughlee
- Higham
- Wheatley Lane
Pendle Today
Today, the Forest of Pendle is no longer a royal hunting ground. What remains of its beautiful landscape is now a protected area. It's a detached part of the "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" (AONB) known as the Forest of Bowland.
Many of the most populated parts of the ancient forest are not within this modern AONB. For example, the towns along the road from Higham to Barrowford, and areas like Reedley and Ightenhill, which are now suburbs of Burnley, are outside the protected AONB.
However, some less populated areas to the north and east, like Sabden, Twiston, and Downham in the Ribble Valley district, have been added to the forest AONB. Villages that were part of the original forest and are still within the AONB today include Newchurch, Barley, and Roughlee.
