Burnley is probably best known as an industrial town, but it is surrounded by beautiful Pennine moorland and it is here that the remains left by the first, prehistoric inhabitants of the area are to be found. The town itself had its origins in a Saxon settlement and in 1994 it celebrated the 700th anniversary of the granting of its market charter. However, the old town was transformed during the 19th century into a major centre of industry. By the turn of the century, Burnley could claim to be the cotton-weaving capital of the world, with 100,000 looms in the area producing a greater length of cloth each year than in any other place.