BURNLEY  , a

market town and municipal, county and parliamentary borough of Lancashire, England, at the junction of the rivers Brun and Calder, 213 M . N.N.W. of London and 29 M . N. of Manchester, on the Lancashire & Yorkshire railway and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal . Pop . (1891) 87,016; (Igor) 97,043 . The church of St Peter dates from the 14th century, but is largely modernized; among a series of memorials of the Towneley family is one to Charles Towneley (d . 18o5), who collected the series of antique marbles, terra-cottas, bronzes, coins and gems which are named after him and preserved in the British Museum . In 1902 Towneley Hall and Park were acquired by the corporation, the mansion being adapted to use as a museum and art gallery, and in 1903 a summer exhibition was held here . There are a large number of modern churches and chapels, a handsome town-hall, market hall, museum and art gallery, school of science, municipal technical school, various benevolent institutions, and pleasant public parks and recreation grounds . The principal industries are cotton-weaving, worsted-making, iron-founding, coal-mining, quarrying, brick-burning and the making of sanitary wares . It has been suggested that Burnley may coincide with Brunanburh, the battlefield on which the Saxons conquered the Dano-Celtic force in 937 . During the cotton famine consequent upon the American war of 1861—65 it suffered severely, and the operatives were employed on relief works embracing an extensive system of improvements .

The parliamentary borough (1867), which returns one member, falls within the

Clitheroe division of the county . The county borough was created in 1888 . The town was incorporated in 1861 . The corporation consists of a mayor, 12 aldermen and 36 councillors . By act of parliament in 1890 Burnley was created a suffragan bishopric of the diocese of Manchester . Area of the municipal borough, 4005 acres .