The District of Lower Darwen, Blackburn in the County of -- Lancashire --

Lower Darwen, formerly called Nether Darwen, was once the more populated township of the Darwens. In acerage it totaled 2,677 at its conception. At the time of Henry VII, the property listed in Lower Darwen had more prosperity than Over Darwen. James Livesey, William Marsden, Ralph Waddington, Edmund Haworth, Peter Haworth, and Richard Haworth were the principal land holders in the township.

During the time of Queen Elizabeth (1562), the major land holders and merchants were the following: Thomas Aspinal, Lawrence Aspinal, Nicholas Grimshaw, Lettice Haworth, daughter of Lawrence Haworth, Richard Haworth, Peter Haworth, Piers Haworth of Highercroft, Lower Darwen, Giles Haworth of Newfield, Richard Livesey of Fernhurst, Richard Lomax, Christopher Marsden, James Pickup, Robert Pickup, Edward Pickup, Ralph Waddington, James Yate

The lands in Lower Darwen were once granted by Henry de Lacy to Robert Banastre in the time of Henry II. Two centuries later, the township was still in the Banastre family. When an Alice Banastre was married to Sir John De Langton, the lands became a part of the Langton family. Some parts were sold or given to other families such as the Ardens, Bradshaws and Talbots. By the time of Henry III, William Bradshaw owned 3/4 of the lands of Lower Darwen.

The Talbot family held the Lordship of Lower Darwen in the year 1499 to 1547. They lived in a manor called Fernhurst. On the 15th of April 1528, Thomas and James Livesey took over the manor by using bow and arrows to force their way in. The court was asked to remove them from the manor. In the later part of the 16th century, the manor house was sold to Sir Thomas Walmsley, Knight. He then sold the house to Lord Petre.

In the time of James I (1604), the Haworths held the manor house. Upon the death of Peter Haworth, who had no heirs, the house passed on to the Baron family of Oswaldtwistle.

During the times of James I, the following people were land holders and merchants in Lower Darwen: Giles Aspinall, Thomas Aspinall, Lawrence Aspinall, Robert Aspinall, John Aspinall, John Barker, Henry Cross, Jennet Ellison (widow) of the Hollins in Lower Darwen, Ralph Fish, John Gregson, Ralph Grimshaw, Edmund Harwood, Margaret Harwood, Richard Harwood, Alice Haworth in Newfield (widow), Lawrence Haworth of Hurcroft, Giles Haworth, Edmund Haworth, John Heap, Henry Livesey, Richard Marsden, Henry Marsden, Christopher Marsden, George Morris, Thomas Pomfret of Pomfret's, Richard Pomfret of Pomfret's, James Pickup, Christopher Walmsley, William Walmsley, and Lawrence Yate.