The village of Roughlee is situated 6 miles north of Burnley in the Borough of Pendle. The village is probably most famous for its links with the Pendle Witches, one of whom - Alice Nutter - allegedly lived at Roughlee Old Hall, but is more likely to have lived at nearby Crowtrees. In 1612 she was taken to Lancaster Castle for sentencing and subsequent hanging. Roughlee is situated in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Roughlee has the second smallest School in Lancashire; a Public house and a thriving Village Centre building which hosts a variety of social functions throughout the year. There are two caravan parks in the village;- the newly-named Forest of Pendle Leisure Park and the award winning Pendle Valley Caravan Park which is locally owned by the Hartley family. The former mill lodge is now a trout fishing lake. Bed & breakfast accommodation is situated at Dam Head Barn and at Thorneyholme.
Roughlee Chapel was demolished in 1967. It is believed that the founder of Methodism John Wesley was a frequent visitor. The nearest places of worship are at Newchurch, Barley, Blacko & Barrowford.
In 2006 the Village was awarded the Best Kept Small Village in Lancashire and in 2007 was voted Champions Class Winner. The 2008 result was 'Highly Commended'. Responsibility for entering the competition lies with the Parish Council, but day to day maintenance is overseen by a voluntary group of residents under the banner of Friends of Roughlee’s appearance- FORa - headed by Alistair McGeorge.
Roughlee was formed into a Civil Parish (CP) in 1866. In 1974 on the change of local government boundaries, Roughlee Booth - to give it its official CP title - ceased to be governed by Burnley Rural District and administratively became part of the newly formed Pendle Borough Council.
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