Aspden is the historic name of a valley a mile west of

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

and a mile north of

Oswaldtwistle Oswaldtwistle ( "ozzel twizzel") is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England, southeast of Blackburn, contiguous with Accrington and Church. The town has a rich industrial heritage, being home to James Hargreaves, inventor of the s ...

, between

Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...

and

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

, in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England. The modern name of this location is Aspen. By 1990, there were three houses there: Aspen Cottage, a large ruinous farm, and a large house, apparently Elizabethan, which has in its grounds a small plain house, said to be older. The valley is bounded on three sides by a loop of the

Leeds and Liverpool Canal The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , crossing the Pennines, and including 91 locks on the main line. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal has several small branc ...

, and on the fourth by a high railway embankment (Aspen Viaduct). On the other side of the canal, overlooking the valley, is the

Accrington and District Golf Club Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...

. The road into the valley is now called Lower Aspen Lane upon which is located Lower Aspen Farm. The OS grid reference is . The postcode is BB5 4NY. A map of the location may be foun
here
Aspen Colliery (disused by 1930) is now a scheduled ancient monument. The national and international significance of Aspden is that it is the source of the

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

Aspden which is common in east Lancashire and has now spread elsewhere in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and the

English speaking world Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...

.''A Dictionary of Surnames'' P Hanks and F Hodges (1988) s.v. Aspden. Adam de Aspden is seen witnessing charters through a period beginning in 1262. By the 1380s the Aspden estate (inherited by Elizabeth, daughter of Roger de Aspden and wife of John Grimshaw) amounted to some , of which 40 was land, 40 was meadow, 20 was wood and 200 was pasture.

References

* Articles by Arthur Howarth in the quarterly magazine of the ''Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society'' ** August 1990 "A Lancashire Family: Aspden of Aspden, Burnley and Cliviger" (pp 25–31) ** November 1989 "Aspden/Astin of Habergham Eaves and Worsthorne" (pp 34–36) {{Authority control Geography of Hyndburn