Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, it had a population of 29,135 in the 2011 Census. Nelson is …Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, it had a population of 29,135 in the 2011 Census. Nelson is 3 miles north of Burnley and 2 miles south-west of Colne. Nelson developed as a mill town during the Industrial Revolution.