Wheatley Lane is a village in Pendle,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England. It is close to

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

Barrowford Barrowford () is a village and civil parish in the Pendle district of Lancashire, England, north of Nelson, near the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Barrowford is on the Marsden–Gisburn–Long Preston turnpike. One of ...

and

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

. It lies to the north of the A6068 road, known locally as the

Padiham Padiham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Calder, Lancashire, River Calder, in the Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, Lancashire, England. It is located north west of Burnley, and north ea ...

bypass, or "The New Road". Wheatley Lane is an extended village consisting of a ribbon development along 'Wheatley Lane Road' and abuts the sister village of

Fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or net (textile), netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its ...

. The present village has now effectively absorbed the original hamlets of Wheatley Lane and Higher & Lower Harpers. Historically, it lies in

Old Laund Booth Old Laund Booth is a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Pendle, Pendle district of Lancashire, England. It has a population of 1,459, and contains the villages of Fence, Lancashire, Fence and Wheatley Lane. Old Laund Boo ...

, in the Hundred of Blackburn. Up until Late Mediaeval times it lay in the

Forest of Pendle The Forest of Pendle is a hilly area to the east of Pendle Hill in eastern Lancashire, roughly defining the watershed between the River Ribble and its tributary the River Calder. The area is not a forest in the modern sense of being heavily w ...

, the hunting preserve of the King. The older properties on the village consist largely of small stone-built cottages, with some later Victorian terraces and some 1950s council properties. Since the 1960s the remaining open fields on either side of the road have been developed for housing. There is unbroken countryside with walking country to the North to

Pendle Hill Pendle Hill is in the east of Lancashire, England, near the towns of Burnley, Nelson, Colne, Brierfield, Clitheroe and Padiham. Its summit is above mean sea level. It gives its name to the Borough of Pendle. It is an isolated hill in the Pe ...

and surrounding areas. There is a Methodist Chapel and attached primary school in the village, and to the east, on the edge of the village, one of the few remaining Inghamite Chapels, which has an extensive graveyard. It is the burial place of Thomas Whitham who won the Victoria Cross in 1917. Local tradition has it that the Harpers Inn, a local hostelry, was also originally built as a Methodist Chapel, but when the money ran out, it was sold and completed as a pub. The original name was the 'Who'd have thought it'. Sports are catered for b
Pendle Forest Sports Club
Wheatley Lane has links with the

Pendle Witches The trials of the Pendle witches in 1612 are among the most famous witch trials in English history, and some of the best recorded of the 17th century. The twelve accused lived in the area surrounding Pendle Hill in Lancashire, and were charged ...

. In 1633, Edmund Robinson of Wheatley Lane reported that he had been taken by a witch to a barn at HoarstonesHoarstones was a stone circle, the site of which is now occupied by the house of the same name, although unconfirmed reports suggest that some stones were still visible up to the 1950s where he had seen 40 witches engaged in various devilish activities. He subsequently identified 19 witches and they were sent to trial in 1634, including Jenet Davies, a witness at the 1612 trial, and the daughter-in-law of Alice Nutter (one of the previous Pendle Witches). However, the judge deferred sentence and sent seven of them to London for further examination; only three survived the ordeal. After an enquiry all 19 were acquitted and Robinson later admitted that the story was a fabrication.

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External links

{{Borough of Pendle geography Towns and villages in the Borough of Pendle

See also

References

External links