Ribchester

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 53.8130
longitude= -2.5323
official_name= Ribchester
population =
shire_district= Ribble Valley
shire_county = Lancashire
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Ribble Valley
post_town= PRESTON
postcode_district = PR3
postcode_area= PR
dial_code= 01254
os_grid_reference= SD649353

Ribchester is a village in the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England, convert|6|mi|km|0 northwest of Blackburn and convert|12|mi|km|0 east of Preston. The village stands on the banks of the River Ribble.

The village has a long history with evidence of Bronze Age beginnings. It is well known as a significant Roman site being the location of a Roman cavalry fort called Bremetennacum; some parts of which have been exposed by excavation. In common with many towns and villages in East Lancashire its later history was dominated by cotton weaving; firstly in the form of hand loom weaving and later in two mills. Neither mill still operates and the village is primarily a dormitory village for commuters to the town of Blackburn and cities of Preston and Manchester.

The main access road into Ribchester is the B6245. From the north, this is the Preston Road, which merges into Church Street. From the east, it is the Blackburn Road, which, at its westernmost extremity, also links up with Church Street, albeit closer to the centre of the village.

History

The earliest evidence of occupation in Ribchester is from the Bronze Age.

Roman

The village was originally established as a Roman auxiliary fort named Bremetennacum or Bremetenacum Veteranorum. The first fort was built in timber in AD 72/73 by the Twentieth Legion. The fort was renovated in the late 1st century AD and was rebuilt in stone in the early 2nd century. During the life of the fort, a village grew up around it. A fort remained at Ribchester until the 4th century AD and its remains can still be seen around the present village.

A report on Roman remains at Ribchester was published in "Roman Britain in 1914" (Haverfield, 1915):

:"In the spring of 1913 a small school-building was pulled down at Ribchester, and the Manchester Classical Association was able to resume its examination of the Principia (praetorium) of the Roman fort, above a part of which this building had stood. The work was carried out by Prof. W. B. Anderson, of Manchester University, and Mr. D. Atkinson, Research Fellow of Reading College, and, though limited in extent, was very successful.

:"The first discovery of the Principia is due to Miss Greenall, who about 1905 was building a house close to the school and took care that certain remains found by her builders should be duly noted: excavations in 1906-7, however, left the size and extent of these remains somewhat uncertain and resulted in what we now know to be an incorrect plan. The work done last spring (1913) makes it plain (see illustration) that the Principia fronted — in normal fashion — the main street of the fort (gravel laid on cobbles) running from the north to the south gate. But, abnormally, the frontage was formed by a verandah or colonnade: the only parallel which I can quote is from Caersws, where excavations in 1909 revealed a similar verandah in front of the Principia. Next to the verandah stood the usual Outer Court with a colonnade round it and two wells in it (one is the usual provision): the colonnade seemed to have been twice rebuilt. Beyond that are fainter traces of the Inner Court which, however, lies mostly underneath a churchyard: the only fairly clear feature is a room (A on plan) which seems to have stood on the right side of the Inner Court, as at Chesters and Ambleside. Behind this, probably, stood the usual five office rooms. If we carry the Principia about twenty feet further back, which would be a full allowance for these rooms with their walling, the end of the whole structure will line with the ends of the granaries found some years ago. This, or something very like it, is what we should naturally expect. We then obtain a structure measuring 81 × convert|112|ft|m, the latter dimension including a verandah convert|8|ft|m wide. This again seems a reasonable result. Ribchester was a large fort, about convert|6|acre|m2, garrisoned by cavalry; in a similar fort at Chesters, on Hadrian's Wall, the Principia measured 85 × convert|125|ft|m: in the 'North Camp' at Camelon, another fort of much the same size (nearly 6 acres), they measured 92 × convert|120|ft|m."

The most famous artifact discovered in Ribchester, and dating from the Roman period, is the elaborate cavalry helmet found in Church Street in the 1700s and now held in the British Museum as the gift of Charles Towneley.

Post-Roman

Little is known about post Roman Ribchester although the presence of Saint Wilfrid's Church indicates that it retained some significance. When Henry VIIIs antiquary visited Ribchester in the 1540s he described it thus: 'Ribchestre ...hath been an auncient towne. Great squarid stones, voultes and antique coynes be found there...' When, a short while later, William Camden, author of "Britannia" (1586), visited the village, he recorded the saying that starts this section.

That the site of the Roman fort remained the focus of the village is indicated by the later building of Saint Wilfrid's Church very nearly over the Principia or headquarters area of the Roman Camp. The [http://www.saintwilfrids.org.uk church's website] provides a detailed history of both Saint Wilfrid's and Saint Saviour's Church, which stands in the nearby settlement of Stydd and which is perhaps a remnant of a Knights Templar or Knights Hospitallers establishment.

In the 17th and 18th Centuries the village became, like many in East Lancashire, a centre for cotton weaving. Initially in the homes of the weavers and latterly in two mills (Bee Mill and Corporation Mill) built on the Preston Road on the northern edge of the village.

In 1838 William Howitt published his "Rural Life of England" in which he described the conditions of the weaving districts of East Lancashire. 'Everywhere extend wild, naked hills, in many places totally un-reclaimed, in others enclosed, but exhibiting all the signs of neglected spiritless husbandry ...Over these naked and desolate hills are scattered to their very tops, in all directions, the habitations of a swarming population of weavers... In Ribchester our chaise was pursued by swarms of [these] wooden-shod lads like swarms of flies and were only beaten off for a moment to close in upon you again, and their sisters showed equally the extravagance of rudeness in which they were suffered to grow up, by running out of the houses as we passed and poking mops and brushes at the horses heads. No one attempted to restrain or rebuke them; yet no one of the adult population offered you the least insult; and if you asked the way, gave you the most ready directions, and if you went into their houses, treated you with perfect civility and showed an affection for these little brats that was honourable to their hearts and wanted only directing by a better intelligence. The uncouthness of these poor people is not that of evil disposition, but of pressing poverty and continued neglect'

The weaving of cotton and other textiles continued in Ribchester until the 1980s when the last weaving business closed in Bee Mill.

Geography

The village is situated at the foot of Longridge Fell and on the banks of the River Ribble. The solid geography is of thick boulder clay deposits from the River Ribble over Sabden Shale. The area around the village shows signs of the river having moved with obvious terracing caused by the meanders.

The River Ribble is prone to extreme spates and this often leads to flooding in Ribchester during the winter months.The Office of National Statistics gives the following land use for the Ribchester ward.

Demography

In the year 2000 the Ribchester Millennium Projects Committee marked the millennium with the publication of a book entitled "Ribchester: A Millennium Record". Its main aim was to record events during 2000 but as an adjunct to that it carried out a statistical survey of the village.

The survey, which was conducted in January 2000, collected data from 500 households in the parish of Ribchester and produced data relating to 1244 people. The following demographic data is drawn from this survey.

81% of the sample were born in Lancashire; 4% were born in Yorkshire.

96% of the sample were born in England.

Approximately 75% of the sample travelled less than convert|10|mi|km|0 to work.

The UK Office of National Statistics shows a population estimate (in 2004) of 1,548 persons of whom 756 were male and 792 female.

The 2001 census for the Ribchester ward gives the following employment statistics:

Economy

The two mills that were the mainstay of the village in the early part of the 20th Century are closed. One, the Corporation Mill, was demolished in the 1980s. The other, Bee Mill, has been converted to small business units.

There are three popular public houses in the village, the White Bull, the Black Bull and the Ribchester Arms. There is also a Sports and Social Club.

Landmarks

Ribchester is a popular destination for visitors who are drawn not only by its picturesque setting on the River Ribble with views towards Pendle Hill but also by a number of interesting and attractive buildings.

aint Wilfrid's Church

Saint Wilfrid's Church is one of the most picturesque in the Ribble Valley. It stands by the River Ribble on what was the centre of the Roman Fort. It is believed to have been founded by Saint Wilfrid in the 8th Century.

aint Peter and Pauls Church and Stydd Alms Houses

Although properly in the neighbouring settlement of Stydd Saint Peter and Paul's Church is an early barn church. Nearby are alms houses and the Church of Saint Saviour.

The White Bull

The White Bull Pub stands in the middle of the village and is well known for its portico which is said to be supported by two pillars taken from the Roman fort. ["Time Team episode "On the Edge of an Empire"] Above the portico is a rustic wooden representation of a white bull. The pub was patronised by the members of "Time Team" during their three-day visit to the village in September 1993.

Weavers' Cottages

Opposite the White Bull Pub are a row of cottages noteworthy for their unusual configuration of windows. Built for the hand loom weavers they have three levels with a single window at the uppermost. Although it is commonly believed that the window in the top level is to illuminate the looms this may not be the case as the weaving would probably have been carried out in the lowest part of the house because of the size of the loom and the need for damp conditions to keep the cotton flexible.

Excavated Roman Buildings

Adjoining the churchyard of Saint Wilfrid's Church are the excavated remains of the granaries which belonged to the Roman fort. A short distance east of the village are the remains of the Roman baths.

Roman Museum

Near to Saint Wilfrid's Church is the Roman Museum which has recently been refurbished and remodelled. The Museum houses many of the finds from the Roman fort.

Ribchester Bridge

Two miles upstream of Ribchester lies Ribchester Bridge. Rebuilt in the 1770s, after severe flooding damaged it, the bridge gives it name to a hornpipe published by a Thomas Marsden in his "Collection of Original Lancashire Hornpipes, Old and New", issued in 1705.

Religion

Census returns for Ribchester show that 86.7% of the population expressed themselves to be Christian with the majority of the remaining population professing no religion.

There are three places of worship in Ribchester. They are Saint Wilfrids (which incorporates Saint Saviours, Stydd) which is a Church of England Church within the Diocese of Blackburn. Saint Peter and Paul's Church in Stydd is a Catholic Church coming under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford. There is also the Mission Church.

ports and Recreation

Although Ribchester is a small community it has a number of local sports and recreational groups and facilities. Many of these are focussed on playing fields situated to the west of Church Street (alongside a lane called Popes Croft). These were the gift of a notable local family, the Openshaws. Ribchester Tennis Club have a pavilion and two hard tennis courts on the playing fields. There is a football pavilion which is the headquarters of the Ribchester Junior Football Club. The playing fields also hold a large, well equipped, children's adventure play area.

Ribchester and District Angling Club (RADAC) leases fishing on the Rivers Ribble and Hodder in the surrounding area.

The Ribchester Amateur Theatre Society (RATS) performs plays and pantomimes in the Parochial Church Hall.

Events

Field Day

On the third weekend of June each year the village celebrates its annual Field Day. Such an event is common to the villages in the area where they are variously known as Club Days or Gala Days. The event consists, on the Saturday, of a parade of decorated floats and fancy dress classes around the village. Led by local brass bands the parade makes its way to playing fields at the side of the village where marquees and stalls provide entertainment for villagers and visitors and a location for art and craft competitions. Many streets in the village close themselves off at the end of the afternoon and have street parties. On the Sunday afternoon a village tea party takes place in the marquee.

May Day Market

Each year the village organises a 'May Day Market' on the Spring Bank holiday when most of the village clubs, churches and charitable organisations set up and manage stalls as a means of raising funds to support their activities through the year. The market takes place on 'The Hillock' which is the small triangle of land outside the White Bull pub.

Gallery

Notes

References

* Buxton, K. and Howard-Davis, C. (2000) "Bremetenacum: excavations at Roman Ribchester 1980, 1989-1990", Lancaster imprints, no. 9, Lancaster University Archaeological Unit, ISBN 1-86220-083-1
* Haverfield, F. (1915) "Roman Britain in 1914", British Academy supplimental papers III, Oxford University Press, ( [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/19115 Online Text] ,Project Gutenburg)
* Smith, T. C. and Shortt, J (1890) "The history of the parish of Ribchester, in the county of Lancaster", London: Bemrose & sons, 283p
*Edwards, B.J.N. (2000) "The Romans in Ribchester, Discovery and Excavation", Centre for North-West Regional Studies, University of Lancaster, ISBN 1-86220-085-8

External links

* [http://vindolanda.csad.ox.ac.uk/exhibition/history-3_to.shtml Vindolanda Tablets mentioning Ribchester] Vindolanda Tablets Online
* [http://www.ribchestermuseum.org Ribchester Museum]
* [http://www.saintwilfrids.org.uk Saint Wilfrid's Church]
* [http://www.ribchesterpc.co.uk Ribchester Parish Council]
* [http://www.ribchesterhistory.org Ribchester Local History Society]
* [http://www.radac.org.uk Ribchester and District Angling Club]
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53184 'The Parish of Ribchester', A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 7 (1912), pp. 36-44. British History Web Site]
* [http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/RRTuneBk/gettune/000004eb.html Music for The Ribchester Bridge Hornpipe]

Image links

* [http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/explore/highlights/highlight_image.aspx?
]
* [http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/explore/highlights/highlight_image.aspx?
]