Accrington, a town of Lancashire, England, 19 m. N. of Manchester, divided into Old and New, the latter the larger and of recent growth; pop. in 1861, 19,688; in 1851, 9,747. It is situated in a deep valley, is the centre of the Manchester cotton-printing business, and has besides several cotton factories, dyeing, bleaching, and chemical works, and coal mines. The streets are well paved and lighted.