Darwen

Darwen, a municipal borough of Lancashire, on the river Darwen, 3½ miles S. of Blackburn, and 9 N. of Bolton. Cotton is the staple manufacture; then come paper-making and paper-staining; and to these and other industries, with its water facilities, and the neighbouring coal-mines and stone quarries, Darwen owes its rapid growth and its well-being. It was incorporated in 1878. Chief buildings are the free library, market hall, co-operative hall, and the public baths, erected in memory of Sir Robert Peel. Pop. (1851) 7020; (1881) 29,744; (1891) 34,192. See History by Shaw (1891).