Long ago in the mists of time, there roamed a mighty Anglo-Saxon warrior king called Bernulf who ...
Nah!
Although some people believe that the town of Barnoldswick (Bernulfesuuic in the Domesday Book) takes its name from such a romantic hero, we think it’s likely that Bernulf was a down-to-earth, honest, no-nonsense character (pretty much like many present day Barlickers) who discovered this great area back in the 6th or 7th century - and decided to make it his home. (The town is often called “Barlick” by the locals, just to complicate matters.)
Scholars say that the Anglo-Saxon word “wick” signifies a dairy farm, so we reckon Bernulf was probably a humble cowman. Quite honestly, no one knows for sure.
A couple of hundred years later when the Domesday Book came to be compiled (in 1086 AD), Bernulf’s wick was well established and the village even had its own wooden church.
So when, in 1147 or thereabouts, a group of Cistercian monks were sent to establish a monastery in the area, the locals were not overjoyed ... especially as it seems the brothers tore down the Barlickers’ church to make way for a far grander structure.
(At least, this is how the legend has evolved over the centuries ... )
We can guess that the locals complained and made life difficult for the monks. (We might even dare to say that the same independent spirit survives in present day Barlickers - especially when offcomed ‘uns tried to build a 21st century shopping cathedral very near that original spot just a couple of years ago.)
Perhaps it was the climate, or some other reason, but the monastery project wasn’t a success and the monks upped sticks, eventually building their abbey at Kirkstall, near Leeds.
We reckon Barnoldswick got the better deal. All that remains at Kirkstall is a pile of old stones (thanks to Henry VIII) whereas we have a very nice modern housing development on what we now call Monkroyd. Far more useful and practical...
Since time began, Barnoldswick has stood at the far western outpost of God’s Own County, Yorkshire ... despite being bundled into that splendid place called Lancashire by the penpushers and paperclip managers at Westminster in 1974. OK, so for administrative purposes Barlick is now in the red rose county but the original parish boundaries were never altered. So you could say (and many Barlickers do) that technically Barnoldswick is still in the West Riding of Yorkshire. End of.
So why’s our band called Bernulf?
Well, when Heather returned to her home town after many years in the wilderness (Manchester) she was musing on Barnoldswick’s origins while slapping a bit of emulsion on the living room wall. Suddenly the words If it were reight enough for Bernulf, it’s reight enough for me popped into her head and before she knew it, she’d written the following lighthearted song:
Bernulf
Well, long ago there was a Saxon
And Bernulf was his name
He said “I want to settle down
And never roam again.”
So he farmed the land beneath a hill
We call it Weets today
He said “It’s reight enough for me
By gum I think I’ll stay.”
Chorus:
Us locals call it Barlick
It’s a very fine place to be
If it were reight enough for Bernulf, well
It’s reight enough for me.
Some monks they came and they looked around
“Now here’s the very spot!
We’ll build ourselves a monastery.”
But the Barlickers said “You wot?
We like the place just as it is
No abbey built aloft
Barnoldswick’s reight for all of us
So please, just b*ggar off!”
Now Earby is our neighbour
And Salterforth and Sough
There’s Kelbrook and there’s Bracewell
All Yorkshire sure enough
Some men in suits put a red rose sign
On the border of our town
But every Saturday night you’ll find
The Barlickers pull it down.
Now there’ll allus be a Barlick
Owd Bernulf would be chuffed
Offcomed ‘un or born and bred
Barnoldswick’s reight enough
Well there’s many a place that’s grander
On that I will agree
But it were reight enough for Bernulf so
It’s reight enough for me.
From then on, Bernulf seemed to be a handy title for anything that cropped up in Heather and Elaine’s lives ... their canal boat, their band and if they had a dog, no doubt it would be called Bernulf too.
