Other current and historical names
Location and coordinates are for the approximate centre of Darwen within this administrative area. Geographic features and populated places may cross administrative borders.
Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887). John Bartholomew
Darwen, Over, mun. bor., market and manufacturing town and township, Blackburn par., NE. Lancashire, 3½ miles S. of Blackburn by rail and 206 miles NW. of London -- bor., 5918ac., pop. 29,744; township, 5134 ac., pop. 27,626; P.O., T.O., called Darwen, 2 Banks, 1 newspaper. Market-day, Saturday. Until about the middle of the 19th century, Over Darwen was an insignificant hamlet; it is now a populous and thriving town. It was incorporated in 1878. The staple mfr. is cotton, which employs numerous mills, but there is also a considerable variety of industries, including iron-castings, earthenware, and bleaching and calico printing. At Over Darwen, also, are the Darwen Paper Mills. The vicinity abounds with coal and stone.