Gisburn

Gisburn is first named in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it takes the form Ghiseburne. The name is next attested in the twelfth century, as Giselburn. The name is thus thought to originate in the reconstructed Old English word *gysel ('gushing') and the common Old English word burna ('stream'). It is possible, however, that the first element was originally an Old English personal name *Gysla. Thus the name once meant either 'gushing stream' or 'Gysla's stream'.[3]

The former spelling of Gisburne was phased out after the introduction of railways in the parish. Gisburn railway station was closed under the Beeching Axe in 1962. Gisburne and similar spellings were also sometimes used for Guisborough, also in Yorkshire (now in North Yorkshire), leading to Gisburn often being referred to as "Gisburn in Craven".

Gisburn lies within 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.

Gisburn's ancient parish, broken into its modern civil parishes, is shown here with purple boundaries, with Gisburn civil parish shaded blue. This map shows how Gisburn forms part of the Yorkshire territory which has been administered as part of Lancashire. Lancashire's ancient boundaries are in red, and administrative boundaries are in green.

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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6]

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 were 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.[5]

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. [7][8]

Gisburn was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, within the Deanery of Craven, and Wapentake of Staincliffe. 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.[9] 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,[10] and remained in Yorkshire in 1974 as part of the new county of North Yorkshire.

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.[9]

Along with Rimington, Middop, Gisburn Forest, Paythorne, Newsholme and Horton, the parish forms the Gisburn, Rimington ward of Ribble Valley Borough Council. [11][12] The ward had a population of 1287 in 2001,[13] rising to 1405 in 2011.[14] The ward elects a single councillor, who currently is Richard Sherras of the Conservative Party.[15]

• Richard Wright (1877–1942), cricketer and educator, was born in Gisburn

• Listed buildings in Gisburn

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gisburn.

• Gisburn Village Website
• Gisburn at GENUKI
• Gisburn Conservation Area Appraisal