Hellifield - A Brief History

The history of the village of Hellifield is a story that finds its origins in the place name itself. Numerous suggestions have been put forth, but it seems that the Norse or Saxons had an influence in this area, and the name 'Helgeflet' is recorded in the Doomsday Book in the year 1086. The Saxon translation of 'Helgeflet' is 'Holy Marsh or Stream', but it is also suggested that the settlement could have been dedicated to the Saxon Goddess 'Hel'. The Norse theory is that the name means 'The Farm of Helgi'. The village name changes over the years, and in the 12th Century, documents of the time refer to 'Nether Hellifield'. In the 17th and 18th Centuries the village is named Hellifield Pele (after Hellifield Peel), and slightly later, 'Hellifield Cochins' or 'Cochins'. The latter refers to the Black Horse Hotel, where in years gone by, coaches and horses were changed and cockfights were also held.

The modern spelling of Hellifield appears in the mid-19th Century, on maps and drawings. In mediaeval times it seems that the area between Hellifield and Long Preston was notorious for wolves. Men were employed to guide travellers between the two settlements, and livestock suffered until the Grey Wolf was finally hunted to extinction. In the mid - 19th Century, the settlement was nothing more than a hamlet, its local workforce mainly concentrated within agriculture and associated trades.

Cotton Weaving by hand did take place in cottages down Gisburn Road. This is by far the oldest section of the village, and weaving sheds were also constructed in this area. Hellifield Peel, a fortified Manor House, was home to the Hamerton family. The family and their descendents had resided there since the 15th Century and the 'Lords of the Manor of Hellifield' owned much of the land hereabouts. The last male heir, Chisnall Hamerton, died in 1908.

During the 19th Century, the Railway Revolution reached the village. The railways were the industry that affected growth and population changes, previously undreamed of in a small hamlet. The original Railway Station was located on Haw Lane, but by 1880 a new station was built in its present position. This coincided with the opening of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company's new line from Blackburn to Hellifield. This line and the Midland Railway's Settle to Carlisle Railway (opened 1876), turned Hellifield into a major passenger and freight interchange. By the early years of the 20th Century, many of the streets and houses built to house a large railway population had been constructed. St Aidan's Church was consecrated in 1906, and services were transferred from the Institute (built 1864), which served as the schoolroom. Still a largely agricultural area, the Hellifield Auction Mart Company opened its premises in 1887, and was an important market for livestock dealing, well into the 20th Century.

With the rationalisation of the Railways under Dr Beeching, the village's importance as a railway centre demised. Regular passenger services to Blackburn were cut in 1962, and the Motive Power Depot closed in 1963. New houses now stand on what was previously auction mart and railway land, and the heart and soul of Hellifield today is proudly based on the past legacies of an important agricultural and transport Heritage.

© 2006 Ken Leak