Sawley is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the Borough of Ribble Valley 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 Lancash ...

, England. The population of the civil parish was 305 at the 2001 Census, rising to 345 at the 2011 census. It is situated north-east of

Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...

, on the River Ribble. It was historically part of the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

. The parish adjoins the Ribble Valley parishes of Bolton-by-Bowland,

Paythorne Paythorne is a small village and civil parish in Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is situated alongside the River Ribble, north-east of Clitheroe, and on the boundary with North Yorkshire. Other parishes adjacent to Paythorne are Halton ...

Gisburn Gisburn (formerly Gisburne) is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley borough of Lancashire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies northeast of Clitheroe and west of Skipton. The civil parish had a pop ...

Rimington Rimington is a rural village and civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. The population of the civil parish was 382 at the 2001 Census, however at the 2011 Census Middop was included with Rimington giving a total of 480. It is e ...

Downham Downham is a district of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It borders the London Borough of Bromley, and is located north of Bromley and south of Catford. Downham was named in honour of Lord Downham, who was ...

, Chatburn and Grindleton.

History

Historically, Sawley fell under the Earl of Northumberland's Percy fee rather than being part of the powerful neighbouring

Lordship of Bowland The Lordship of Bowland is a feudal barony associated with the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, England. The lordship fell into disuse between 1885 and 2008, during which time it was widely believed to have lapsed; it was revived in 2008. In 1 ...

Sawley Abbey Sawley Abbey was an abbey of Cistercian monks in the village of Sawley, Lancashire, in England (and historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire). Created as a daughter-house of Newminster Abbey, it existed from 1149 until its dissolution in 1 ...

, a ruined

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The con ...

of Cistercian monks, is in the village. The abbey was founded in 1147 and dissolved in 1536. By the early 17th-century, the manor had come into the possession of

James Hay James Hay may refer to: *James Hay (bishop) (died 1538), Scottish abbot and bishop * James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle (c.1580–1636), British noble * James Hay, 2nd Earl of Carlisle (1612–1660), British noble * James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll (172 ...

, who in 1615 was created Lord Hay of Sawley, and later 1st

Earl of Carlisle Earl of Carlisle is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England. History The first creation came in 1322, when Andrew Harclay, 1st Baron Harclay, was made Earl of Carlisle. He had already been summoned to Parliamen ...

Governance

Sawley was an

extra-parochial area In England and Wales, an extra-parochial area, extra-parochial place or extra-parochial district was a geographically defined area considered to be outside any ecclesiastical or civil parish. Anomalies in the parochial system meant they had no ch ...

in the

Staincliffe Wapentake Staincliffe, also known as Staincliff, was a wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, ...

of the West Riding of Yorkshire. This became a

in 1858, forming part of the Bowland Rural District from 1894 to 1974. The civil parish previously had a detached area on the southern side of Gisburn with a smaller part of that parish on the western side of Sawley. In 1938 these areas were joined with the respective parishes. It has since become part of the Lancashire borough of

Ribble Valley Ribble Valley is a local government district with borough status within the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The total population of the non-metropolitan district at the 2011 Census was 57,132. Its council is based in Clitheroe. ...

. Sawley shares a parish council with two other parishes, Bolton-by-Bowland and Gisburn Forest. Along with Waddington, West Bradford and Grindleton, the parish forms the Waddington and West Bradford

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

of Ribble Valley Borough Council.

Media gallery

File:SawleyAbbey.jpg, The ruins of

. File:Bridge spanning R. Ribble at Sawley - geograph.org.uk - 1382134.jpg, Sawley Bridge on the River Ribble. File:Former Sawley School - geograph.org.uk - 759840.jpg, Former Sawley School, now the Village Hall. File:The Spread Eagle, Sawley - geograph.org.uk - 759826.jpg, The Spread Eagle. File:Sawley War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 759841.jpg, War Memorial. File:Sawley Grange - geograph.org.uk - 164802.jpg, Sawley Grange Farm.

References

External links

Sawley Conservation Area Appraisal
Geography of Ribble Valley Villages in Lancashire Civil parishes in Lancashire History of Yorkshire {{Lancashire-geo-stub

History

Governance

Media gallery

See also

References

External links