MANY people wonder where the street and place names of their locality come from.

An article written in 1908 by G A Stocks after examining Lang's 1739 plan of Blackburn gives some intriguing insights into their origins.

The essay, reproduced on the Cotton Town local history website, reveals many names have religious roots and that that near to the Parish Church, now Blackburn Cathedral, are many such roads.

The include Cleaver Street named after the Bishop of Chester from 1788 to 1800.

The article reveals: "In the same neighbourhood we find Manner Sutton Street, perpetuating the name of the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time of the re-building of the Parish Church between 1821and 1826.

"Another Archbishop of Canterbury, previously Bishop of Chester, has given his name to Sumner Street.

"Starkie Street reminds us of Thomas Starkie, our mathematician-vicar, 1780-1818.

"The Hallows, Upper and Lower, took their name from Hallows Spring.

"Stony Butts was a field-name somewhere between the railway station and Darwen Street. It is just possible these butts may have been the place where the Blackburn bowmen shot.

"Bastwell is a name found more or less disguised by spelling. I have seen it spelled Baddestwysel about 1280. Richard de Baddestwysel had a mill on or near the Blakewater.

"Bastwell bears the same relation to Bastwisle as Birtwell to Birtwistle.

"The name ending—twisle—is held to mean an angle formed by the meeting of two streams of water. This explains the first 't' in names like Oswaldtwistle, Entwistle. The second 't 'is introduced upon a false analogy with “whistle.”

"Is it possible that our 'Wrangling' can be the old-time wrestling ground?

"The name Revidge still remains unexplained."