Accrington, a municipal borough and an important manufacturing town in Whalley parish, Lancashire. It was incorporated in 1878, and a commission of the peace was granted in 1880. The borough includes the townships of Old and New Accrington, and the greater part of Baxenden. The town adjoins the E Lancashire railway, near the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, 4 miles by road and 5 1/4 by railway E of Blackburn, and is 211 miles from London by the M.R. It is large and thriving; has sprung up within the present century; is a seat of petty sessions and county courts; publishes three weekly newspapers; carries on industry in calico print-works, extensive turkey-red dye-works, several large chemical works, foundries, breweries, collieries, and quarries. It is, well supplied with water from reservoirs; has a head post and telegraph office, four banks, and several good hotels; a market-hall, opened in 1869 at a cost of about .£22,000; a town-hall, which is a handsome building in the Italian style, erected in 1857; a mechanics' institute, with reading and news-rooms, library, and laboratory; and also a free library for the blind, established in 1878; Conservative and Liberal clubs, and a dispensary. A cemetery of 20 acres was opened in 1864, and is under the control of a Burial Board, which is the town council. New abattoirs, which cost £15,000, were opened in 1891. The borough is divided into the five ecclesiastical parishes of St James', Christ Church, St John's, St Peter's, and St John's, Baxenden. The livings are vicarages in the diocese of Manchester, of the respective values of £620, in the gift of Hulme's trustees, £298 in the gift of five trustees, and £400 and £118 in the gift of the Vicar of St James'. St John's, Baxenden, value £335, is in the gift of the Bishop of Manchester. There are also other churches, seventeen dissenting chapels, a Roman Catholic church, and several schools. The market days are Tuesdays and Saturdays, and two annual fairs are held in the months of April and August. There is a large Industrial Cooperative Society, formed by the inhabitants of this place and of Church, consisting of nearly 7000 members. Part of the profits are devoted to the maintenance of science and improvement classes. The society has besides nine news-rooms, with two libraries containing over 6000 volumes. Broad Oak and, Spring Hill are the chief residences in the neighbourhood. Tramways belonging to the corporation connect this place with Church, Clayton, and Baxenden. The manor belongs to the Duke of Buccleuch, K.T. Population of the municipal borough, 38,603; area of the borough, 3425 acres.
Accrington Parliamentary Division was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885, and returns one member to the House of Commons. Population, 75,712. It includes the following parishes:—Accrington—Altham, Church, Clayton-le-Moors, Huncoat, Oswaldtwistle (part); Blackburn (Lower, part of)—Eishton, Oswaldtwistle (part);, Blackburn (Higher, part of)—Hapton; Accrington, municipal borough.
