Wiswell

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 53.833126
longitude= -2.388943
population=
official_name= Wiswell
shire_district= Ribble Valley
shire_county = Lancashire
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Ribble Valley
post_town= CLITHEROE
postcode_district = BB7
postcode_area= BB
dial_code= 01254
os_grid_reference= SD745375
static_

static_image_caption =

Wiswell is a small village and civil parish in Ribble Valley, within the county of Lancashire, England. It is close to the towns of Whalley and Clitheroe at the foot of Wiswell Moor.

Name

The name Wiswell is commonly spoken as wizel. The true pronunciation is more like 'wize-well’ consistent with the original spellings of "Wyswell" or "Wiswall". There are several theories about origins of the name. It is said to take its name from Old Molly’s Well, a local landmark later to become known as Wise Woman’s Well (Wise Well). Alternatively, it is thought by some that 'Wis' was the name or part of the name of a pre-Christian chieftain and the hamlet was developed because of a well which provided essential water, hence Wiswell.

History

Wiswell was not always the affluent area it is today. It is believed that it was the residence of many of the servants of the Old Abbey in Whalley and later on a stop off point on the way from Yorkshire to West Lancashire.

The Vicarage House in Wiswell is of medieval origin and one of the finest sections of Roman road to be seen in Lancashire lies between Lamb Roe and Wiswell. The town also had a preaching cross and this can still be seen to the right of the road into the town. The shaft of the cross is modern but the site is ancient.

Wiswell Farm, on the outskirts of the village was constructed on the site of Old Wiswell Hall, which was the birthplace of John Paslew. He went on to become the 25th and last of the Abbots of Whalley.

The nearby Barrow Print Works or cotton mill was considered part of Wiswell and many people around Barrow and Wiswell worked there.

Amenities

Today the village only boasts a pub (Freemasons Arms), however, there used to be a small corner shop, school and church. The names of each still stand on the original buildings but they are now prominent houses in the village.

The property on which the pub operates was not originally designed as a public house. It was formerly three small cottages one of which was a “freemason’s lodge”.

This is how the current pub acquired its name. The original village pub was located adjacent to the public phone box. “The Lamb Inn” no longer exists and is now a small cottage on the corner of Coronation Gardens.

The Lamb Inn closed its doors over 150 years ago. At this time about forty percent of the people who lived in Wiswell left to live elsewhere. This was probably related to job losses (through the temporary closure of the Barrow mill) and significant employment opportunities elsewhere. Wiswell was without a pub for some time as the Freemasons did not open its doors until considerably later on.

The British census figures taken each ten years from 1801 to 1871 tell a story. The census uses the highway from Whalley to Pendleton to describe Wiswell as “West” and “East”:

West: Wiswell township (part of) in the parish of Whalley. All that part of the township of Wiswell which lies on the Western side of the highway leading from the town of Whalley to the village of Pendleton and which passes through the town of Wiswell [and includes Barrow] .

East: All that part of the township of Wiswell which lies on the Eastern side of the Highway leading from Whalley to Pendleton including Briggs farm, Busskens Hill, Wiswell Hall, Wiswell Eaves and the remaining cottages on the Eastern side of the Highway.

In the censuses from 1801 to 1841, the population rose sharply and stabilized between 1841 and 1851 at about 750 people. Following this the population declined sharply to about 420 in 1871.

The change in population in the 1850’s was dramatic. It seems likely that the Barrow Print Works closed for a time after 1851 or at least significantly reduced its workforce. Notes in the 1861 census highlight “a decrease in the population of the Townships of Wiswell and Whalley which is attributed to the discontinuance of employment in the Printworks.”