Editing Accrington (section)

==History==

===Etymology===
The name "Accrington" likely has Anglo-Saxon origins. The earliest known recording of the name is found in the Parish of Whalley records from 850, where it is written as "Akeringastun". In subsequent records, the name appears in various forms, including "Akarinton" in 1194, "Akerunton", "Akerinton", and "Akerynton" in 1258, "Acrinton" in 1292, "Ackryngton" in 1311, and "Acryngton" in 1324.<ref name="Ekwall 89">{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/placenamesoflanc00ekwauoft#page/89/mode/1up |title=Accrington |work=Place Names of Lancashire |first=Ellert |last=Ekwall |page=89 |access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref> The name may derive from the Old English words "æcern", meaning "acorn", and "tun", meaning "farmstead" or "village", thus possibly meaning "acorn farmstead".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924088434620 |title=Accrington |work=The Victoria History of the County of Lancaster |first1=William |last1=Farrer |first2=J. |last2=Brownbill |page=423 |access-date=28 April 2015}}</ref> However, some sources argue that this interpretation is not definitive and that alternative explanations may exist.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The etymology of 'Accrington' |first=David |last=Postles |journal=Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society |year=1998 |volume=96 |pages=13–20}}</ref>

New Accrington, the southern part of the town, was historically part of the Forest of Blackburnshire. The area's abundance of oak trees can be inferred from local place names such as Broad Oak and Oak Hill. Acorns, a product of oak trees, were once a crucial food source for swine, which may have led to the naming of a farmstead after this resource.<ref name="The Literary Club">{{cite book |title=A Glossary of the Lancashire Dialect |first1=John H. |last1=Nodal |first2=George |last2=Milner |location=Manchester |publisher=The Literary Club |year=1875 |page=7 |ol=7247738M}}</ref> In the Lancashire dialect, "acorn" is pronounced "akran", which might have influenced the name's development.

No known Old English personal name corresponds to the first element in "Accrington". Nevertheless, the Frisian names "Akkrum" and "Akkeringa", as well as the Dutch name "Akkerghem", are believed to derive from the personal name "Akker". This finding suggests the possibility of a related Old English name from which "Accrington" could have originated.<ref name="Ekwall 89"/> It is also worth noting that "Ingas" is the Old Norse word for "tribe", which may be relevant to the name's origin.

Overall, the etymology of "Accrington" is complex and there are several theories about its origin. While the "acorn farmstead" interpretation is the most commonly accepted explanation, further research and analysis may be needed to confirm or refute this theory, or to identify alternative possibilities.

===Early history===
There appears to be no mention of Accrington from the Roman period. The area typically appears to be heavily forested, with very few established settlements. According to folklore, a tall Danish tribal leader named Wada invaded the area between 760 and 798;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wade |first=Stuart Charles |url=https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/download/TheWadeGenealogy_10298686.pdf |title=The Wade Genealogy |date=27 September 2015 |isbn=978-1-332-21040-4 }}</ref> who seems to have founded Waddington, Paddington (Padiham) and Akeringastun (Accrington). Descendants of the Wada held much of the lands until the sixteenth century. In 1442, the [[Waddington (surname)|Waddingtons']] hold leases on Berefeld (Bellfield), and in 1517 it is recorded that Thomas Waddington transferred the lands Scaytcliff (Scaitcliffe) and Peneworth (Pennyworth) to Nicholas Rishton and to his Son Geoffrey.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Early Grimshaw Family History, Anonymous – Grimshaw Origins and History |url=http://grimshaworigin.org/miscellaneous-grimshaw-individuals/early-grimshaw-family-history/ |access-date=2022-10-26 |website=grimshaworigin.org}}</ref>
 
Accrington covers two [[Township (England)|townships]] which were established in 1507 following disafforestation; those of Old Accrington and New Accrington; which were merged in 1878 with the incorporation of the borough council.<ref name=BHO>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53146|title='Townships: Old and New Accrington'; A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6|publisher=William Farrer & J. Brownbill|access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref> The William Yates map of The county Palatine of Lancaster printed in 1786 shows Old Accrington included the area of Oaklea and also the intersection of the Winburn River (now the River Hyndburn) and Warmden Brook. New Accrington included the area of Green Haworth and Broadfield.<ref>{{Cite web |title=View map: Centre south east sheet - The county Palatine of Lancaster - Counties of Scotland, 1580-1928 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/220113073#zoom=6&lat=4909&lon=4341&layers=BT |access-date=2022-10-26 |website=maps.nls.uk}}</ref> There have been settlements there since the medieval period, likely in the Grange Lane and Black Abbey area,<ref name=BHO /><ref name="Assessment">{{cite web|url=http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/documents/historictowns/AccringtonComplete_LowRes.pdf |title=Accrington Historic Town Assessment report |publisher=Lancashire County Council and Egerton Lea Consultancy with the support of English Heritage and Hyndburn Borough Council |access-date=18 June 2011 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001073738/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/documents/historictowns/AccringtonComplete_LowRes.pdf |archive-date=1 October 2012 }}</ref> and the King's Highway which passes above the town was at one time used by the kings and queens of England when they used the area for hunting when the [[Royal forest|Forest of Accrington]] was one of the four forests of the [[Hundred (administrative division)|hundred]] of [[Blackburnshire]].

[[Robert de Lacy]] gave the [[Manorialism|manor]] of Accrington to the monks of [[Kirkstall Abbey|Kirkstall]] in the 12th century. The monks built a [[Monastic grange|grange]] there; removing the inhabitants to make room for it. The locals got their revenge by setting fire to the new building, destroying its contents and in the process killing the three lay brothers who occupied it.<ref name=BHO /> An area of the town is named 'Black Abbey', a possible reference to the murders. Regardless of whatever happened, Accrington did not remain under monastic control for long before reverting to the [[de Lacy]]s.

It is thought the monks of Kirkstall may have built a small chapel there during their tenure for the convenience of those in charge residing there and their tenants, but the records are uncertain.<ref name=BHO /> What is known is that there was a chapel in Accrington prior to 1553<ref name=BHO /> where the vicar of Whalley was responsible for the maintenance of divine worship. However it did not have its own minister and it was served, when at all, by the curate of one of the adjacent chapels. In 1717 Accrington was served by the curate of Church, who preached there only once a month.<ref name=BHO /> St. James's Church was built in 1763, replacing the old chapel<ref name=BHO /> however it did not achieve parochial status until as late as 1870.<ref name=Assessment />

===Industrial Revolution===
<!-- *Historical importance *Economic Significance *Industrial Gorwth *Pre and Post industrial Accrington -->

Until around 1830, visitors considered Accrington to be just a "considerable village".<ref name=BHO /> The [[Industrial Revolution]], however, resulted in large changes and Accrington's location on the confluence of a number of streams made it attractive to industry and a number of mills were built in the town in the mid-18th century. Further industrialisation then followed in the late-18th century and local landowners began building mansions in the area on the outskirts of the settlement where their mills were located while their employees lived in overcrowded unsanitary conditions in the centre.<ref name=Assessment />

Industrialisation resulted in rapid population growth during the 19th century, as people moved from over [[North West England]] to Accrington,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.localpopulationstudies.org.uk/PDF/LPS30/LPS30_1983_28-34.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.localpopulationstudies.org.uk/PDF/LPS30/LPS30_1983_28-34.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Patterns of Migration of Textile Workers into Accrington in the Nineteenth Century|publisher=William Turner|access-date=18 June 2011}}</ref> with the population increasing from 3,266 in 1811 to 10,376 in 1851 to 43,211 in 1901<ref name=Assessment /> to its peak in 1911 at 45,029.<ref name=Frith>{{Cite book|author=H Barrett & C Duckworth|title=Accrington Old & New|publisher=Frith Book Company Ltd|year=2004|isbn=1-85937-806-4}}</ref>

This fast population growth and slow response from the [[Church of England|established church]] allowed [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|non-conformism]] to flourish in the town. By the mid-19th century, there were Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist, United Free Methodist, Congregationalist, Baptist, Swedenborgian, Unitarian, Roman Catholic and Catholic Apostolic churches in the town.<ref name=BHO /> The [[The New Church (Swedenborgian)|Swedenborgian church]] was so grand that it was considered to be the 'Cathedral' of that denomination.<ref name=Frith />

For many decades the textiles industry, the engineering industry and coal mining were the central activities of the town. [[Cotton mills]] and [[dye]] works provided work for the inhabitants, but often in very difficult conditions. There was a regular conflict with employers over wages and working conditions. On 24 April 1826 over 1,000 men and women, many armed, gathered at Whinney Hill in [[Clayton-le-Moors]] to listen to a speaker from where they marched on Sykes's Mill at Higher Grange Lane, near the site of the modern police station and [[magistrates' court]]s, and smashed over 60 looms. These riots spread from Accrington through Oswaldtwistle, Blackburn, Darwen, Rossendale, Bury and Chorley. In the end, after three days of riots 1,139 looms were destroyed, 4 rioters and 2 bystanders shot dead by the authorities in Rossendale and 41 rioters sentenced to death (all of whose sentences were commuted).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cottontimes.co.uk/1826-03.htm |title=Cotton Times |publisher=Doug Peacock |access-date=17 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604221023/http://www.cottontimes.co.uk/1826-03.htm |archive-date=4 June 2011 |url-status = dead|df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Turner|first=William|title=Riot! Story of East Lancashire Loom Breakers in 1826|publisher=Lancashire County Books|year=1992 |isbn=978-1-871236-17-0}}</ref>

In 1842 [[1842 General Strike|'plug riots']] a [[general strike]] spread from town to town due to conditions in the town. In a population of 9,000 people as few as 100 were fully employed.<ref>"An alarming statement of distress", the Newcastle Courant, 1 July 1842</ref> From 15 August 1842 the situation boiled over and bands of men entered the mills which were running and stopped the machinery by knocking out the boiler plugs. This allowed the water and steam to escape shutting down the mill machinery.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Newbigging|first=Thomas|title=History of the Forest of Rossendale|publisher=Rossendale Free Press|year=1893}}</ref> Thousands of strikers walked over the hills from one town to another to persuade people to join the strike in civil disturbances that lasted about a week.<ref>"Riot in Accrington", the Preston Chronicle, 3 September 1842</ref><ref>"Disturbances in the Manufacturing Districts", the Liverpool Mercury, 19 August 1842</ref> The strike was associated with the [[Chartism|Chartist]] movement but eventually proved unsuccessful in its aims.<ref>"State of Trade", the Preston Chronicle, 12 November 1842</ref>

In the early 1860s the [[Lancashire cotton famine]] badly affected Accrington, although less so than the wider area due to its more diverse economy,<ref>"The Distress in Lancashire", The Leeds Mercury, 25 October 1862</ref> with as many as half of the town's mill employees out of work at one time.<ref>"State of Employment", The Preston Guardian, 3 December 1864</ref>

Conditions were such that a Local Board of Health was constituted in 1853 and the town itself incorporated in 1878 allowing the enforcement of local laws to improve the town.<ref name=BHO /><ref name=Assessment />

===Accrington Pals===
{{further|Recruitment to the British Army during World War I}}

One well-known association the town has is with the '[[Accrington Pals]]', the nickname given to the smallest home town [[battalion]] of volunteers formed to fight in the [[World War I|First World War]]. The [[Pals battalion]]s were a peculiarity of the 1914-18 war: [[Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum|Lord Kitchener]], the [[Secretary of State for War]], believed that it would help recruitment if friends and work-mates from the same town were able to join up and fight together. Strictly speaking, the 'Accrington Pals' battalion is properly known as the '11th [[East Lancashire Regiment]]': the nickname is a little misleading, since of the four 250-strong companies that made up the original battalion only one was composed of men from Accrington. The rest volunteered from other east [[Lancashire]] towns such as [[Burnley]], [[Blackburn]] and [[Chorley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pals.org.uk/pals_e.htm|title=The Accrington Pals|first=Andrew C|last=Jackson|year=2009|access-date=14 April 2013}}</ref>

The Pals' first day of action, 1 July 1916, took place in [[Serre-lès-Puisieux|Serre]], near [[Montauban-de-Picardie|Montauban]] in the north of France.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/somme/serre.html |title=Serre|publisher=World War I Battlefields|access-date=2 January 2021}}</ref> It was part of the 'Big Push' (later known as the [[Battle of the Somme (1916)|Battle of the Somme]]) that was intended to force the [[German Army (German Empire)|German Army]] into a retreat from the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], a line they had held since late 1914. The German defences in Serre were supposed to have been obliterated by sustained, heavy, British shelling during the preceding week; however, as the battalion advanced it met with fierce resistance. 235 men were killed and a further 350 wounded – more than half of the battalion – within half an hour. Similarly, desperate losses were suffered elsewhere on the front, [[First day on the Somme|in a disastrous day]] for the British Army (approximately 19,000 British soldiers were killed in a single day).

Later in the year, the East Lancashire Regiment was rebuilt with new volunteers – in all, 865 Accrington men were killed during World War I. All of these names are recorded on a war memorial, an imposing white stone cenotaph, which stands in Oak Hill Park in the south of the town. The [[cenotaph]] also lists the names of 173 local fatalities from [[World War II]]. The trenches from which the Accrington Pals advanced on 1 July 1916 are still visible in John Copse west of the village of Serre, and there is a memorial there made of Accrington brick.

After the war and until 1986, Accrington Corporation buses were painted in the regimental colours of red and blue with gold lining. The mudguards were painted black as a sign of mourning.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Maconie |first1=Stuart |title=Hope and Glory: A People's History of Modern Britain |date=10 May 2012 }}</ref>