[Barrie Yates]

Originally Posted by Bob Dobson

I have just found an 1823 encyclopedia in which Ossie is spelled as Oswaltwistle ( ie no letter 'd') / It reads:

Oswaltwistle, a township of Lancashire. In 1801, the population was 2710, with 951 employed in manufactures: six miles North-east of Blackburn.....

It credits Cruttwell's Gazeteer for this information

Depends where you take the geographical centres to be but I would suggest East rather than North East - perhaps not only the spelling............