Oswaldtwistle is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England, 3 miles southeast of Blackburn, contiguous with Accrington. The town has a rich industrial heritage, being home to James Hargreaves, inventor of the spinning jenny, and Robert "Parsley" Peel of calico printing fame. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes through the town and was responsible for the export of much of the area's cotton produce. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 11,803.