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Copies of Parish Records can be found at the Lancashire Record Office, Preston.
C 1562-1943, M 1562-1956, Bur 1562-1896
Also at Burnley library -
C 1562-1943, M 1562-1956, Bur 1562-1896, Banns 1773-1862, 1869-1900
Nelson library -
C 1653-1900, M 1653-1900, Bur 1653-1900

Also at Burnley, Colne and Nelson, a marriage index for the years 1813-1837.

The Church has a graveyard.

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Mel

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And published by the Lancs Par Reg Soc, 1599 to 1653, and 1653 to 1690.

Rex

Sorry, from 1562 !

Rex

Preston Guardian

Saturday 23 April 1853

Restoration of Burnley Church

The rev. the incumbent and the wardens of the parochial church of St. Peter, at Burnley, have issued a circular to be congregation and parishioners in reference to the repairs and restoration of that sacrdd edifice - the prolific mother church of this important chapelry - from which we make the following extracts:-
"They (the incumbent and churchwardens) have for some time been aware of the insecure state of the roof and other partt of the building, and having thought it their duty to call in the aid of an experienced architect, employed Mr. Thompson, of Kendal, for that purpose, who, after a careful survey, has pronounced the edifice to be in a very dilapidated and even dangerous state, many of the principal timbers of the roof being much decayed, and unfit to sustain the heavy weight of flag slates which rests upon them, and which having lost their bearing, admit the ran and external air into the church, and render it extremely cold and damp.
"I speak without exaggeration," he says, "when I say that the east end is in a very dangerous state, and unless it be immediately attended to, the consequences may be very serious." Having concluded his report of the present condition of the building, he proceeds to point out the alterations he considers necessary. These include the re-construction of the entire roof, with new timbers and light slates, the lowering of the pillars which divide the nave from the side aisles, and the erection of arches upon them, the insertion of clerestory windows to light the nave, and the removal of the organ and choir to a more appropriate position.
"The most casual examination of the plans and sections which accompany the architect's report will suffice to show, how greatly the external and internal appearance of the church would be improved, and the comfort of the congregation increased by these alterations, which, though they would necessarily (from the great size of the edifice) require a considerable outlay, may yet be left, it is hoped, to the good taste and right feeling of the parishioners, who have never been backward in co-operating with their pastor, and the welfare of the souls of men."
The estimated sum required, will be at least £1,500; towards which subscriptions amounting to £600 have already been promised. Upon the sum realized will depend the extent of alterations. We cannot - we will not, however, for the moment doubt, that the parishioners will cheerfully respond to the call of their deservedly esteemed incumbent and the wardens, and restore the church in a style of architecture more worthy of the wealth, trade, commerce, and position of the chapelry. During the incumbency of the Rev. Canon Master, no fewer than six additional new churches have been erected, in which architectural beauty and ritual propriety have gone hand in hand; and while the structures that have risen and are rising around, bear witness to the growing feeling of reverence towards all that concerns the things of God, the parishioners will not suffer a building, which is associated with so many events in the lives of those who have worshipped there, entirely to become a ruin. How many in that building, who are now blessed with the good things of this life, and are "dwelling in houses of cedar," were received by baptism into the body of Christ's visible church; - how many have there taken upon themselves the vows then promised for them by others, and have gratified and confirmed the same;" - how many have there "given and pledged their troth either to the other;" - how many have there joined in the holy communion, and have participated in those mysteries which are the emblems of a Saviour's love; - how many have there paid the last tribute of affection to those who were nearest and dearest to them; - above all, "how many true and faithful sons of the Church of England (to use the words of Bishop Taylor) have learnt to love and delight in the pleasures of the temple, the order of her services, the sweetness of her songs, the decency of her ministrations;" ? will also be anxious to rejoice in "THE BEAUTY OF HER HELPINGS." In a future number we shall probably be enabled to give a brief historical account of the "OLD CHURCH OF BURNLEY." - It is a fortunate circumstance that Benjamin Chaffer, Esq., who is not less distinguished for his sincere attachment to the church, than for his knowledge of architecture, is again appointed the senior warden for Burnley, - so that we may rest assured the work of restoration or re.edifying will be done in an efficient manner.

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Mel

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Preston Guardian

Saturday 7 May 1853

Restoration Of Burnley Church

A fortnight ago we announced the intention of the worthy incumbent of Burnley to restore the parish church, or at least the parochial chapel of that town (for Burnley is a portion of the parish of Whalley). the church, like the town, is of high antiquity. Burnley is situated on the Roman road from Ribchester to Almondbury, and though not named in any of the itineries as a station, yet the discovery of Roman remains, as well as other evidence, attests its having been a settlement of the ancient conquerors of Britain. Its traditions recount also of its having been in existence in Saxon times, for the forefathers of "Brunlia" have told from sire to son, from the days of the Heptarchy downwards, how one of the bloodiest of the encounters which marked that barbarous era was fought in their little town, on a spot which yet bears the name of Saxifield. The predatory Danes too, were located here, antiquarians say, and if no other record of their reign be known, Danes or Danser House in the neighbourhood is said to afford a sufficient clue. Among its antiquities the town possesses an ancient Saxon cross, said to be of the time of Paulinus, and, like the similar crosses at Whalley, erected to celebrate the preaching of that missionary. Another tradition of Burnley is, that where this cross stands, and where the fathers of the place attended to offer up their prayers, it was intended in days of yore to erect a church, and some little progress was made with the work. All at once some invisible hand removed the masonry to where the church now stands, and though it was taken back to the cross it was again removed. This course was repeated nightly a few times, until the builders of the church, seeing the favour of heaven exerted in favour of another spot, abandoned their own site and adopted the chosen one of, we presume, its guardian angel. The church thereafter proceeded without difficulty. When this took place, of course, the people of Burnley don't say. It is hard enough sometimes to fix the date of written history, and it would be difficult indeed to be obliged to give dates to traditional lore. At all events the old legends say it did take place, and that is quite enough for history. When built, the church was one of the first in the large parish of Whalley - a parish perhaps more interesting to the Lancashire antiquary than any other in the kingdon, if only for the fine history of its antiquities and its associations from the pen of its good old vicar. That it was one of the earliest churches in Whalley is known from the fact that in the reign of Henry the First there were only three "chapels" in the parish - Burnley, Colne, and Clitheroe. Of this building, perhaps not the first erected here, the present edifice contains no traces, though Dr. Whittaker says both Colne and Clitheroe churches contain some part of their old buildings. In the reign of Edward the Third the church was rebuilt, and the Doctor allows the choir, the rooof, and the east window to be of that period. In the year 1575 the present church was built, and the contract made on the occasion is now existing. It was between Thos. Sellers and Nicholas Craven of the one part, and certain gentlemen of the town of the other, by which the former undertook within four years to rebuild the north and south "hylings" with eighteen buttresses, &c., for £60! The south "hyling" was not rebuilt at the timem but in 1789 a faculty was obtained to "pull down and re-edify the south aisle," which was done in so unsatisfactory a manner that Doctor Whittaker is "unwilling to relate" how it is done. At that time the taste for church building was at a very low ebb; it was about the same period that the nave of the parish church of Preston was rebuilt, and some other architectural abortions appeared in the land. There are several monuments in the church of members of the distinguished family of Towneley, among others of charles Townley, the noted antiquary and collector of the Townley marbles, in the British museum. Having given this brief outline of the history of the church, we need only remind our readers that the roof which formed a portion of the ancient structure of Edward the Third's reign is now insecure, and some other portions of the building need repair, as was stated in the Chronicle of the 23rd ult. The appeal for aid has already been liberally responded to, and we hope to see further subscriptions from the inhabitants of the town, to place the venerable fabric in a proper condition of repair, and to render its appearance worthy of the town and congregation. That the necessary funds will be raised it cannot well be doubted.

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Mel

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Preston Guardian

Saturday 25 May 1844

Confirmation

On Tuesday last, Burnley was visited by the right Rev. Dr. Bird Summer, Bishop of Chester, for the purpose of administering the rite of confirmation at St. Peter's Church, Burnley. A considerable number of young persons, of both sexes, presented themselves to his lordship, and were confirmed. They were from the townships of Burnley, Habergham Eaves, Padiham, Cliviger, Worsthorne-with-Hurstwood, and Briercliffe-with-Extwistle.

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Mel

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Preston Chronicle

Saturday 20 May 1843

To the Editor of the Preston Chronicle

Sir,
As I am not acquainted with the Wardens of Burnley, will you oblige an old correspondent and subscriber, by inserting the following in your widely circulated paper:-
I am, sir, youre, &c.,
A LAYMAN
Burnley May 2nd 1843

TO THE CHURCHWARDENS OF THE PARISH CHURCH OF BURNLEY

Gentlemen,
Having paid this morning a visit to your Parish Church, I cannot refrain from expressing my approbation of the very respectable, clean, and sober appearance of the venerable edifice; but having done this, I am sorry to add that all the rest of my remarks are of a condemnatory nature. As churchwardens, I conceive that one of your duties is to take heed that church accommodation is preserved for the poor of your parish, and for all the parishioners of Burnley who like to attend the Parish Church. This accommodation you are bound to find, as all persons belonging to the parish have an equal right to the benefits arising from the public services of this church. This seems to have been admitted by the early consorvators of the building, for the whole body of it, judging from its appearance, has been originally supplied with benches, doubtless at the expense of the parish. These benches are becoming gradually of no avail to the parish, for I am sorry to find that to some of the benches doors are being attached; to others, boards are nailed round, and they are made into comfortable pews, and are actually claimed by different parties as their private property, if we may believe the evidence of the different brass plates screwed upon them. Now, as there is little doubt that these benches were originally purchased by the parish, why do you allow that which belongs to all, that which is the public property of the parish, to be thus transferred to private individuals? I cannot understand it, and as a churchman am very much grieved to see it. Is it reasonable, or right, that any parishioner shall sit in the body of the Parish Church upon the sufferance of any private person? Surely, that which all are called upon to support, should be used for the benefit of all. Our country is justly proud of the piety and usefulness of her church; but if the ruinistrations of her services are not afforded to the public, if those buildings, which have cost the country or our ancestors so much, in order that all should have the gospel preached to them, are allowed to become matters of traffic, then indeed may the clergy of the church lament the prevalence of dissent, and in too many instances the entire neglect of religion. From the names of some of the gentry placed upon these "transferred benches," I feel pretty certain that they would not for a minute hold possession of them at the expense of the parish, if the injustice of so doing was properly shown to them. You are appointed the trustees of this public property, and it becomes your duty, though perhaps and unpleasant one, to guard with vigour the rights of your church, which in truth is not the church of the rich or poor exclusively, but the church of every Englishman who thinks proper to avail himself of her services. I believe you will find, upon enquiry, that the doors upon the benches are a trespass upon the rights of the parish. If this be the case, it becomes your duty to take them off, and those offended at such proceeding will then have an opportunity of proving their right, through the interference of the Bishop or Chancellor of the Diocese. Painful as these remarks are, they are not more applicable to your church than to many others; nor are they written for the purpose of creating angry or party feelings, but from a sincere wish that these bulwarks and safeguards of our land may be preserved, as they were intended, not only the ornaments but the choicest possessions of every Englishman. In conclusion, I beg to remind you of a scared canon of scripture, "It is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer." You know the fearful context of this passage, and, I forbear repeating it.
I am, Gentlemen, yours very respectfully,
A LAYMAN
Burnley May 3rd 1843

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Mel

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Burnley Church

To the Editor of the Preston Chronicle.

SIR,
In your paper of the 20th May, appeared a letter bearing the signature of a "Layman," addressed "To the Churchwardens of Burnley," which, as it is temperately written, (though, I trust, I shall be able to prove, under a mistaken idea or from wrong informtion in this particular case,) demands, and deserves, a reply.
In the first place, the Church of Burnley is not a Parish Church, but simply a Parochial Chapel; however, as this does not materially affect the question, I shall let this mistake pass.
Secondly, that with a few exceptions which shall be noticed hereafter, the benches and seats in the body of the church are attached to the same estates, halls, mansions, farms, and houses, as in the year 1634, — two hundred and nine years since, as appears by a roll still existing and deposited in the archives of the Church at Burnley.
This roll contains a list of all the seats in the north, south, and middle "alleys" as they still exist, every seat being numbered in it, and the names of all the farm houses or lands having cottages upon them, then existing, to which seats were appropriated, are most minutely recorded. Now these seats are inalienable, that is, they cannot be alienated from the the respective houses or farms to which they were then attached; nor has the attempt ever been made lo sell one of them, or to "transfer them to private individuals." It is true that to some of them "doors have been attached," but this has been done either at the sole expense of the parties to whose farms or houses they are appropriated, or by persons who may in some cases rent them from individuals who attend perhaps the recently erected churches at Worsthorn, Habergham Eaves, or Briercliffe, all in the ancient chapelry of Burnley, but which is now divided into several district chapelries.
Thirdly, in reference to the gentry "whose names are placed upon these transferred benches," none of them receive a single penny from those seats; but their names are placed there simply as the landowners of the various farms to which they were appropriated at the time above stated.
Fourthly, all the additional accommodation which has since been obtained, has been done not at the expense of the parishioners, but by voluntary subscription. For instance, it was found, in the beginning of the last century, that since the division of seats alluded to, several new mansion houses and farm houses had been erected, and a faculty was obtained to erect the western or old gallery as it is called; but the expense of such erection was defrayed by the individuals whose heirs now occupy the pews in that gallery; there being at the same time pews also reserved in the back of the same gallery, for the use of the servants of the respective families who obtained the faculty. Again, in the year 1790, the south gallery was erected; the church being re-roofed and the south wall brought several yards forward and raised so as to admit of that gallery (there having been a clear story before), and also of an additional row of pews on the ground floor, commonly called the "Royal Dozen;" but this improvement was also effected by public subscription, and the parties subscribing had pews allotted to them in proportion to their respective subscriptions. In the year 1803, the tower of the church was raised ten or twelve yards, a new peal of bells being placed therein. The chancel also was raised, and a new organ purchased. The north gallery was erected, by which additional accommodation was afforded for 500 persons, and all this was done by a voluntary subscription, and not by a parochial rate; and although the expense amounted to several thousand pounds, there was a surplus of £400, which was invested in the Burnley and Todmorden road, and, the interest appropriated to the payment of the organist for ever. In conclusion, I would remark that no seats or benches have been "transferred" from the use of the poor to the benefit of those whose names appear on the "plates," but that in order the better to provide the children who attend the Sunday schools with accommodation, P. E. Towneley, Esq., has kindly allowed the Towneley chapel to be thrown open and furnished with seats; and additional accommodation has been afforded for the operative classes not only in Burnley, but also at Habergham Eaves, Worsthorn, and Briercliffe. Additional services are held (particularly designed for those who are not sufficiently furnished with apparel to attend on Sundays) not only in the church, but also in the infant school situated in the centre of the town, in the school room at Cheapside, near Padiham, and also at Burnley Lane Head.
Trusting to your impartiality for the insertion of this simple statement of facts, I beg to subscribe myself,
Most respectfully yours,
THOMAS CHAFFER,
June 21st, 1843.
Churchwarden of Burnley.

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Mel

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Preston Guardian

Saturday 7 May 1853

Restoration of Burnley Church

A fortnight ago we announced the intention of the worthy incumbent of Burnley to restore the parish church, or at least the parochial church of that town (for Burnley is a portion of the parish of Whalley). The church, like the town, is of high antiquity. Burnley is situated on the Roman road from Ribchester to Almondbury, and though not named in any of the itineries as a station, yet the discovery of Roman remains, as well as other evidence, attests its having been a settlement of the ancient conquerors of Britain. Its traditions recount also of its having been in existence in Saxon times, for the forefathers of "Brunlia" have told from sire to son, from the days of the Heptarchy downwards, how one of the bloodiest of the encounters which marked that barbarous era was fought in their little town, on a spot which yet bears the name of Saxifield. The predatory Danes too, were located here, antiquarians say, and if no other record of their reign be known, Danes or Danser House in the neighbourhood is said to afford a sufficient clue. Among its antiquities the town possesses an ancient Saxon cross, said to be of the time of Paulinus, and, like the similar crosses at Whalley, erected to celebrate the preaching of that missionary. Another tradition of Burnley is, that where the cross stands, and where the fathers of the place attended to offer up their prayers, it was intended in days of yore to erect a church, and some little progress was made with the work. All at once some invisible hand removed the masonry to where the church now stands, and though it was taken back to the cross it was again removed. This course was repeated nightly a few times, until the builders of the church, seeing the favour of heaven exerted in favour of another spot, abandoned their own site and adopted the chosen one of, we presume, its guardian angel. The church thereafter proceeded without difficulty. When this took place, of course, the people of Burnley don't say. It is hard enough sometimes to fix the date of written history, and it would be difficult indeed to be obliged to give dates to traditional lore. At all events the old legends say it did take place, and that is quite enough for history. When built, the church was one of the first in the large parish of Whalley — a parish perhaps more interesting to the Lancashire antiquary than any other in the kingdom, if only for the fine history of its antiquities and its associations from the pen of its good old vicar. That it was one of the earliest churches in Whalley is known from the fact that in the reign of Henry the First there were only three "chapels" in the parish — Burnley, Colne and Clitheroe. Of this building, perhaps not the first erected here, the present edifice contains no traces, though Dr. Whittaker says both Colne and Clitheroe churches contain some part of their old buildings. In the reign of Edward the Third the church was rebuilt, and the Doctor allows the choir, the roof, and the east window to be of that period. In the year 1575 the present church was built, and the contract made on the occasion is now existing. It was between Thos. Sellers and Nicholas Craven of the one part, and certain gentlemen of the town of the other, by which the former undertook within four years to rebuild the north and south "hylings" with eighteen buttresses, &c., for £60! The south "hyling" was not rebuilt at the time, but in 1789 a faculty was obtained to "pull down and re-edify the south aisle," which was done in so unsatisfactory a manner that Doctor Whittaker is "unwilling to relate" how it is done. At that time the taste for church building was at a very low ebb; it was about the same period that the nave of the parish church of Preston was rebuilt, and some other architectural abortions appeared in the land. There are several monuments in the church of members of the distinguished family of Towneley, amony others of Charles Townley, the noted antiquary and collector of the Townley marbles, in the British museum. Having given this brief outline of the history of the church, we need only remind our readers that the roof which formed a portion of the ancient structure of Edward the Third's reign is now insecure, and some other portions of the building need repair, as was stated in the Chronicle of the 23rd ult. The appeal for aid has already been liberally responded to, and we hope to see further subscriptions from the inhabitants of the town, to place the venerable fabric in a proper condition of repair, and to render its appearance worthy of the town and congregation. That the necessary funds will be raised it cannot well be doubted.

_________________
Mel

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The house I grew up in Burnley was in an area called 'the island' it was called this because there were four streets cut off from elsewhere by a railway at one side and the canal at the other, the four streets were Daneshouse, Saxon, Norman and Dane. Just a little point of interest.


Stephanie.

Stephanie, would the area known as the island include Granville St? It was off Daneshouse Rd. near Elm St., if I'm remembering accurately.

Joan

You are remembering correctly Joan, but Granville Street wasn't part of 'the island', it contained just those streets I have mentioned and one other named Cronkshaw Street, and that was it.


Stephanie.

Isn't Monk Hall St amongst them as well? You can see them if you go into multimap.
Joan, Granville St is on the other side of the canal.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Yes, thanks, Gloria, I just looked at multimap. I see what you mean about an island, Stephanie. I just hadn't heard any part of the area referred to in that way.

I was born in Granville Street, that's why I'm interested. In those long ago days babies were born at home with the help of a midwife and grandmother.

Joan

On the multimap it shows Monkhall Street as if it is a street with dwellings, but there were no houses on the part of Monkhall street that ran along the side of Daneshouse, Saxon, Norman, Dane and Cronkshaw street, it was just a walkway we used to call it the 'top'. There were just the streets I have mentioned, with houses on them.


Stephanie.