In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Ribchester like this:
RIBCHESTER, an ancient small town, a township, and a parish, in Preston district, Lancashire. The town stands on the river Ribble, 3¼ miles N W of a station ofits own name on the Blackburn and Clitheroe railway, and 5½ N N W of Blackburn; occupies the site of the Roman station Coccium or Rigodunum; was reached, inancient times, by the tide coming up the Ribble; has yielded multitudes of ancient relics, including Roman altars, columns, statues, marbles, coins, and armour, besides anchors and part of a vessel's hull; carries on hand-loom weaving; and has a post-office under Preston, and fairs on 16 March, 16 April, the Monday before Holy Thursday and 5 Nov. ...
The township comprises 2,093acres. Real property, £3, 459; of which £89 are inquarries. Pop. in 1851, 1, 650; in 1861, 1, 357. Houses, 261. The decrease of pop. arose from the removal of hand-loom weavers to towns. The manor belongs to J.and J. Fenton, Esqs. A workhouse of Preston districtis here; and, at the census of 1861, had 113 inmates. The parish contains also the townships of Hothersall, Dutton, Alston, and Dilworth. Acres, 8, 150. Pop., 3, 885. Houses, 751. The property is much subdivided. Cotton-spinning and varions manufactures are carried onat Longridge and Knowl-Green. The living is a vicarage, united with the p. curacy of Stidd, in the diocese of Manchester. Value, £175.* Patron, the Bishop of Manchester. The church is ancient but good; consists of nave, aisles, chancel, and chapel, with a tower; and once had two chantries. The vicarage of Longridge is a separate benefice. There are an Independent chapel at Knowl-Green, places of worship at Longridge, an endowed school with £20 a year, and charities £52.
Ribchester through time
A Vision of Britain through Time includes a large library of local statistics for administrative units. For the best overall sense of how the area containing Ribchester has changed, please see our redistricted information for the modern district of Ribble Valley. More detailed statistical data are available under Units and statistics, which includes both administrative units covering Ribchester and units named after it.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Ribchester, in Ribble Valley and Lancashire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/10773
Date accessed: 19th June 2013
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