Barden is a township in the parish of Bolton Abbey and union of Skipton, situate 3 miles north from Bolton Abbey, and 1,400 feet above the sea. Attached to the ruins of Barden tower is a domestic chapel, re-pewed in 1859, served by the rector of Bolton Abbey; here also, situated on the Wharfe, are the ruins of an ancient tower, formerly the residence of the Clifford family, which, according to an inscription over the doorway, was restored, after lying in ruins from the year 1589, by Lady Annie Clifford, Countess Dowager of Pembroke, Dorset and Montgomery, Baroness Clifford of Westmorland and Vesie, Lady of the Honour of Skipton-in-Craven and High sheriff of Westmorland in the year 1658—9, this having been her birthplace. The Duke of Devonshire is lord of the manor and owner of all the land. The area is 7,338 acres; and the population in 1871 was 380; rateable value £1,919 9s. 6d.