Place:Low Bowland Forest, West Riding of Yorkshire, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Low Bowland Forest is now a civil parish in the Ribble Valley District of Lancashire, England, covering some 5500 acres of the Forest of Bowland. Before 1974, it formed part of Bowland Rural District in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Historically, Low Bowland Forest was in the ecclesiastical parish of Slaidburn in Staincliffe Wapentake. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 168.

The parish includes the hamlets of Whitewell and Cow Ark (both re-directed here). From northwards clockwise, it borders the civil parishes of Newton-in Bowland, Bashall-Eaves, Aighton Bailey and Chaigley, Bowland-with-Leagram and High Bowland Forest.

Governance

The civil parish of Low Bowland Forest was created from the township of Low Bowland Forest (in the ancient parish of Whalley) in 1866. In 1938, two geographically non-contiguous areas, called Harrop and Countess Flat (both re-directed here) were transferred to Grindleton and Slaidburn.

TD Whitaker writing in 1818 states: "Harrop, Countess Flat, near Slaidburn, part of Burholme, and Browsholme, are within the parish of Whalley; and the same part of Burholme, with Browsholme and Little Bowland, constitute the Chapelry of Whitewell." (from An history of the original parish of Whalley, and honor of Clitheroe, p234)

Research Tips

• GENUKI on Low Bowland Forest. The GENUKI page gives numerous references to local bodies providing genealogical assistance.
• The FamilySearch wiki on the ecclesiastical parish of Slaidburn provides a list of useful resources for the local area.
• A Vision of Britain through Time on Whitewell (which is acknowledged to be in the parish of Low Bowland Forest).
• A Vision of Britain through Time on Bowland Rural District. This section provides statistics on population and industry, as well as a listing of the civil parishes and the alterations to the municipal organization.
• A map of the West Riding of Yorkshire circa 1888 (before the existence of rural and urban districts) supplied by A Vision of Britain through Time
• A map of the southern part of the West Riding of Yorkshire circa 1931 supplied by A Vision of Britain through Time
• A map of the northern part of the West Riding of Yorkshire circa 1931 supplied by A Vision of Britain through Time (Bowland Rural Districts is divided in half horizontally between these two maps.)