Burnley is a market town in Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It is 21 miles (34 km) north of Manchester and 20 miles (32 km) east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun.
The town began to develop in the early medieval period as a number of farming hamlets surrounded by manor houses and royal forests, and has held a market for more than 700 years.
During the Industrial Revolution it became one of Lancashire's most prominent mill towns; at its peak it was one of the world's largest producers of cotton cloth, and a major centre of engineering. Burnley now has a post-industrial economy and landscape, and is increasingly a dormitory town for Manchester, Leeds and the M65 corridor. In 2013 Burnley was received an Enterprising Britain award by the UK Government for being the 'Most Enterprising Area in the UK'.
The town's name is derived from Brun Lea meaning "clearing beside the River Brun".
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