Borough of Pendle
Pendle is a local government district and borough of Lancashire, England. It adjoins the Lancashire boroughs of Burnley and Ribble Valley, the North Yorkshire district of Craven and the West Yorkshire boroughs of Calderdale and Bradford. It has a total population of (). Early history. The name Pendle comes from the Cumbric word 'Pen' meaning hill (or head), a reference to Pendle Hill. Hence the name of the modern district derives from the prominent landmark at the west of the district, which already in the Middle Ages gave its name to the royal forest which spread to its  east. Pendle Forest is still the name of a significant rural part of the district, though it has long ago ceased being a forest. The ancient lordship of Pendle Forest has been under the Honour of Clitheroe since medieval times, and a title continues to be held by a modern version, the Barons Clitheroe. Witch trials. The area is closely associated with the trials of the Pendle witches, among the most notorious such trials in English history. Creation of the modern district. The current district with this name was created in 1974 as a result of local government reorganisation from  the former Municipal Boroughs of Nelson and Colne, the former urban districts of Barnoldswick, Barrowford, Brierfield, Earby and Trawden, and from parts of Burnley Rural District and Skipton Rural District. The Barnoldswick, Earby and Skipton parts are historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire. They are today referred to collectively as West Craven. Politics. MP. The Pendle constituency is represented in Parliament by the Conservative Member of Parliament, Andrew Stephenson, since 2010. Since its creation in 1983 its boundaries have been coterminous with those of the borough, however the constituency boundaries were redrawn in 1997 due to local government boundary  changes in the 1980s. Borough. Elections to the borough council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the seats on the council being elected at each election. Following a review of the ward boundaries, the total number of Councillors was reduced in 2021 from 49 to 33. Since the election in 2021, the Conservative Party have had overall control of the council and, as of the election of 2021, the council is composed of the following councillors:- Economy. The three main employers in the borough are Rolls-Royce plc, Silentnight and the Daisy Group . Freedom of the Borough. The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Pendle.