Gisburn

History

The old Roman road from Ribchester to Ilkley passes to the south of the modern civil parish, with the remains of a 4th-century Romano-British farmstead known as Bomber Camp located just over the boundary with Bracewell and Brogden.

The layout of this linear village, with properties facing the main street and tenement plots running down to a back lane, is common of many established in the tenth century.

Historically Gisburn was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, within the Deanery of Craven, and Wapentake of Staincliffe. It touched the historic county of Lancashire on the south.

In 1612 a village resident, Jennet Preston, was tried at the Lancashire witch trials, accused of causing the death of Thomas Lister by witchcraft. Her trial took place in York as the village then lay within Yorkshire. Preston was found guilty and was hanged at York Knavesmire.

Markets where held on Main Street until 1911, when the livestock market moved to its present site at the western end of the village next to the former railway station.

In summer 2010, the village controversially featured in a television advertisement for the Renault Mégane.

Ancient parish

Gisburn was the centre of a large ancient parish, which also included the townships of Gisburn Forest, Paythorne, Newsholme, Horton, Rimington, Middop, Nappa and Swinden. All these townships became separate civil parishes in 1866, and all except two became part of Bowland Rural District when it was formed in 1894. Gisburn and the other parishes of Bowland Rural District were transferred from Yorkshire to Lancashire in 1974. Nappa and Swinden became part of Settle Rural District in 1894, and remained in Yorkshire in 1974 as part of the new county of North Yorkshire.

Non-conformism in Gisburn

In 1759 Gisburn established the first place of Methodist worship in the district. On 18 April 1784 John Wesley, then aged 81, preached to a large congregation. The original Methodist chapel on Mill Lane later became part of the village smithy. A new chapel was built in 1871 but closed in 1948 due to falling attendance. The building was then used as a garage and is now the site of three houses known as "The Old Chapel".

In nearby Horton-in-Craven a Congregational chapel was founded in 1670. At Paythorne there is a Wesleyan chapel built in 1830 and in Rimington there is a Congregational chapel dated 1817.

Governance

The civil parish previously had a detached area on the western side of Sawley, with a larger part of that parish on the southern side of Gisburn. In 1938 these areas were joined with the respective parishes.

Along with Rimington, Middop, Gisburn Forest, Paythorne, Newsholme and Horton, the parish forms the Gisburn, Rimington ward of Ribble Valley Borough Council. The ward had a population of 1287 in 2001, rising to 1405 in 2011. The ward elects a single councillor, who currently is Richard Sherras of the Conservative Party.

Geography

Gisburn is a rural area, surrounded by hilly and relatively unpopulated areas, with Bowland Forest to the west, Pendle Hill to the south, and the Yorkshire Dales and Pennines not far to the north and east. The relatively flat Ribble valley runs through the parish with the A59 running parallel.

The Pennine Bridleway National Trail and Ribble Way pass through the parish, with former crossing Gisburne Park and the latter following roads through the village.

Gisburne Park

To the north of the village, between it and the River Ribble is a 68 hectares (168 acres) 18th-century former deer park and country house, today used as a private hospital, equestrian centre and the Ribblesdale Holiday Park.

The present Grade I listed house, was originally constructed between 1727 and 1736 by Thomas Lister and has been since extended. The Lister family produced a number of Members of Parliament for Clitheroe and later Barons Ribblesdale, and had been previously based at Arnoldsbiggin (Westby Hall). Although the Manor of Gisburne was first acquired by the Lister's in 1614, the family only moved to this site, then called Lower Hall, in 1706. In the mid-18th century, the park was roamed by wild white cattle and deer, and the estate continues outside it, with an unusual tree nursery enclosure known as the ‘Great Nursery’ situated on Coppy Hill to the west. The park is listed in Register of Historic Parks and Gardens and contains a number of notable buildings including the gate lodges at the principal entrance from the village which are listed Grade II*.

The Church of St Mary the Virgin

The ancient church at the centre of the village is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. It is thought, however, that at one time it also had a dedication to St Andrew, possibly as a deliberate means of avoiding the displeasure of invading Scots. A more likely explanation lies with the one time patrons of the living, the prioress and nuns from Stainfield Nunnery in Lincolnshire, which was itself dedicated to St Mary the Virgin and St Andrew. Indeed, the prioress had a manor house at Rayhead in Gisburn Forest, and the Percy family, who founded the nunnery, were very generous to Gisburn Church. The connection with Stainfield, however, was the source of a bitter dispute between the nunnery and the nearby Sawley Abbey.

Early charters give the priest of Gisburn, between 1140 and 1146, as one Renulf, and it has been suggested that the foundations of the church date from 1135. The large cylindrical pillars at the front of the church are of 12th-century origin. The date of the other pillars is later, perhaps as late as the 16th century, when it is thought that the church was restored. Part of the archway originated from Sawley Abbey following its destruction at the Dissolution.

A further restoration in 1872 involved re-roofing the church, new pews and a new pulpit. Other modifications were also carried out and the work was paid for by a grant from Queen Anne's Bounty, the repayment of which took until 1925.

In the graveyard lies buried one of England's greatest writers of hymn tunes, Francis Duckworth (1862–1941). His most famous tune is "Rimington", to which several hymns including Jesu Shall Reign Where’er the Sun may be sung. The opening lines of the tune are inscribed on his gravestone.

The church is a Grade II* listed building. The south porch has a wide outer entrance with moulded round arch and moulded imposts. The inner door, probably C13th, has a pointed arch with two orders of sunk quadrant moulding. The porch roof has two short king posts rising from collars.

In May 2015 it was announced that a rare King James Version of the Bible, printed in 1611, had been found at the church.