Until around 1800 the growth of Barlick was almost entirely due to local factors but two major events outside the town had their effect. The first was the building of the Leeds-Liverpool canal. Originally intended to by-pass Barlick, it was re-routed by the promoters to take advantage of good sources of water near us to supply the summit level, the life-blood of any canal. By 1800 Barlick had been opened up to the Yorkshire coal fields and shortly afterwards with the completion of Foulridge tunnel was opened up to Lancashire as well enabling the export of limestone and road-building setts from the Tubber Hill quarries.
Prior to this the textile trade underwent a revolution with the changeover from Wool and Flax weaving to Cotton as Liverpool started importing cotton from America to feed the demand for new, lighter cloths previously brought into the country in small quantities from India. This in turn sparked innovations in spinning and weaving and every available water power site was exploited to use the new machinery. We know now that contrary to what was believed before, Barlick never went for the new Arkwright Water Frame but used older technologies for making roving, the essential first stage of hand spinning. There was one exception, Midge Hole Mill on County Brook but the other water powered sites in Barlick kept to the older technology and supported the cottage industry. Prior to this water power had only been used in the corn mills at Bracewell, in Barlick and two on County Brook. Again, there was one exception, Ouzledale Mill was a saw mill as late as 1853 and when it ceased to do that became an iron foundry.
The water powered trade did well in Barlick because we had good becks running down this side of Whitemoor, one mill at Coates, run by the Bracewell family successfully made the transition to water powered weaving as well. This new branch of textiles prospered, mills were improved and there was more employment, both the manufacturers and the domestic textile workers did well and population started to rise. This in turn led to the Enclosures on the lower slopes of Whitemoor bringing in new productive farm land. Cottages and new farm buildings started to appear on the new enclosures.
The canal and earlier improvements in road transport completely altered trade and the supply of essential goods. A wood and peat burning economy suddenly had access to coal at a reasonable price and this led to a new trade, the coal merchants based on the two canal wharves in the town at Salterforth and Coates. Increased activity in the quarries led to extensions, even more employment and another new trade, building canal boats and transporting stone into Lancashire where rapid expansion meant there was a demand for lime and road-building materials.
While all this was happening there was another technical revolution, the perfecting of the rotative steam engine. The Lancashire textile trade immediately took advantage of this to drive new and bigger mills and the news of this trickled through to Barlick.
40 tons of stone setts en route from Salterforth to Burnley.
