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Bradford, Yorkshire, England. Geographical and Historical information from 1868.
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BRADFORD:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1868.
"BRADFORD, a parish and market town, municipal and parliamentary borough, in the wapentake of Morley, West Riding of the county of York, 10 miles to the W. of Leeds, 34 miles to the S.W. of York, and 201 miles by the Great Northern railway from London. It is a station on the Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax Junction railway, by which it is brought into connection with the Great Northern, Lancashire and Yorkshire, London and North-Western, and other important lines of railway. A short branch canal connects the town with the Leeds and Liverpool canal, which passes to the north, and thus opens communication with the German Ocean and the Irish Sea. The parish of Bradford, which lies on the south side of the river Aire, is of great extent, embracing an area of 34,146 acres, and comprises the chapelries of Bankfoot Bierley, Bowling, Buttershaw, Clayton, Daisy Hill, Denholme, Eccleshill, Girlington, Haworth, Horton, Laister Dyke, New Leeds, Low Moor, Manningham, Oxenhope, Shipley-with-Heaton, Stanbury, Thornton, Wibsey, and Wilsden-with-Allerton, and several hamlets. Bradford is an ancient town, and was included before the Norman Conquest in the parish of Dewsbury. It was afterwards the site of a stronghold of the Laceys, lords of Pontefract, and became by marriage part of the Duchy of Lancaster. During the civil war of the 17th century, the men of Bradford embraced the popular cause, and twice encountered and defeated bodies of royalist troops. Subsequently, the town was invested by the royalist army under the Earl of Newcastle, and was taken by storm, Fairfax, with a small body of horse, escaping to Leeds. Bradford was the scene of a terrible riot in 1812, which was provoked by the introduction of some novel machinery. The rioters were called "Luddites," and seventeen of their number were executed. Bradford is situated in a pleasant country, at the meeting of three beautiful valleys. The district abounds in excellent coal and iron-ore, and has long been the seat of an extensive iron trade. It is in the very heart of the manufacturing districts of Yorkshire and Lancashire, and Bradford is itself one of the most flourishing manufacturing towns of the north. Its chief trade is in worsted, alpaca and stuffs; this last branch of industry alone is stated to occupy not less than 20,000 of the inhabitants. A large number of persons are employed in the spinning and weaving of woollen and worsted yarns. There are some cotton mills and manufactories of combs and machinery. Near the town are extensive ironworks and foundries, at which great numbers of men are employed. From the discovery of a number of Roman coins in a mass of scoriæ near Bradford-a circumstance alluded to in Hunter's History of Sheffield- it is conjectured that iron was wrought here by the Romans. Bradford has recently attracted to it many merchants from Leeds and Manchester. The town has a pleasant and cleanly aspect, the houses being mostly built of freestone, and the streets paved and lighted with gas. The Bradford corporation has recently (1862) sanctioned a plan of street improvements which are estimated to cost £35,000, and it is proposed to borrow this sum on security of the rates of the borough, and to spread the repayment of it over a period of 30 years. Proceedings are to be taken almost immediately, under the 75th section of the Local Government Act, 1858, for the purpose of effecting these improvements. Warehouse property in the town has already been decidedly enhanced in value by this resolution of the corporation. A pile of buildings occupied by one firm (Messrs. Craven) was sold by auction for the sum of £15,000, being several thousand pounds more than was offered for the same property four years ago. The noblest of the public buildings in Bradford is St. George's Hall, a spacious and splendid structure of stone, of the Corinthian order of architecture, erected in 1853 at a cost of £28,000. The Piece Hall, the market for woollen goods, built in 1773, is in Kirkgate, and is 144 feet long by 36 feet wide. A handsome market-house of stone was erected in 1824. The Exchange buildings, also of stone, and in the Grecian style, include a newsroom and a library. A handsome court-house was erected in 1833. The Infirmary, a fine building in the Tudor style, was founded in 1844. There are also a dispensary, established about 20 years earlier, and several other charitable institutions. The town contains cavalry barracks and two prisons. In the pleasant environs are many handsome residences of the wealthy classes. Bradford received a charter of incorporation in 1847, under which it is divided into eight wards, and is governed by a mayor, 14 aldermen, and 42 councillors, with the style of the "mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of Bradford." The borough returns two members to the imperial parliament. The mayor is the returning officer. The bounds of the municipal coincide with those of the parliamentary borough, and include, besides the township of Bradford, those of Bowling, Great and Little Horton, and Manningham, containing, according to the census of 1861, 22,537 houses, inhabited by a population of 106,218, against 103,778 in 1851, showing an increase in the decimal period of 2,440. Bradford is the seat of a Poor-law Union, and the head of a County Court district. It is a polling-place for the West Riding, and quarter sessions for the Riding are held here. The Union poorhouse is at Little Horton. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Ripon, of the value of £600, in the patronage of the trustees of the late Rev. C. Simeon. The church, which was rebuilt in the reign of Henry VI., is chiefly in the perpendicular style, with a tower of somewhat later date, and is dedicated to St. Peter. It contains several mural monuments, among which is a fine work by Flaxman. Christ Church was founded as a chapel of ease in 1813. The living is a perpetual curacy, worth £200, in the patronage of the vicar. The living of St. Jude's, erected in 1843, is a perpetual curacy,* worth £150, and in the same patronage. Three new churches have been subsequently erected, the livings of which are perpetual curacies, varying in value from £250 to £100. Besides these, no fewer than 21 district churches have been erected of late years in the various townships of this parish, as enumerated above. There are about 30 chapels belonging to the various sections of Dissenters, Independents, Baptists, Presbyterians, Wesleyans, Unitarians, Society of Friends, and Roman Catholics. A free grammar school was founded here as early as the reign of Edward VI. It received a fresh charter and endowment from Charles II. in 1633, and has now an income of more than £400 per annum. The school-house was rebuilt in 1818. The school is one of twelve which send candidates for Lady Elizabeth Hastings' exhibition at Queen's College, Oxford. There are several colleges in the neighbourhood of Bradford belonging to the Dissenters. Airedale College, founded in 1665, is at Undercliffe. It is for the education of students for the ministry among the Independents, and is now connected with the University of London. It has an income from endowment of about £500 per, annum. At Rawdon is a college of the same nature, belonging to the Baptists. It was founded in 1805, and has an income of £1,200 per annum. The building is newly erected, the college being formerly at Horton. A school for the sons of Wesleyan ministers was established at Woodhouse Grove in 1812. There are many National, British, Industrial, and other schools, in Bradford and the vicinity. There are mechanics' and Odd Fellows' literary institutions, each with its library and reading-rooms. The charitable endowments of the parish amount to about £900 a year. Abraham Sharpe, who distinguished himself as a mathematician and astronomer, was a native of Little Horton. There is a monument to his memory in Bradford church. He died in 1742. John Sharp, Archbishop of York, a member of the same family, was born at Bradford in 1644, and received his education at the grammar school. It is to him the saying is attributed that "the Bible and Shakspeare had made him Archbishop of York." At Bradford the first English temperance society was established, and here alpaca cloth was first manufactured. Bishop Blaze, as the inventor of wool-combing, is honoured here by a commemorative festival every seven years. Thursday is the market day. Fairs are held on the 17th June and two following days, the 9th December, lasting the same time, and the 3rd and 4th March. The latter is for the sale of cattle."
"ALLERTON, a township in the parish of Bradford, and wapentake of Morley, in the West Riding of the county of York, 3 miles to the N.W. of Bradford. It includes eight hamlets, one of which is Allerton Lanes. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the collieries and factories. The living is a perpetual curacy united with that of Wilsden, in the diocese of Ripon."
"APPERLEY BRIDGE, a village in the township of Eccleshill, and parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, in the West Riding of the county of York, 8 miles to the W. of Leeds. It is situated in a most beautiful part of Airedale, and the Liverpool canal passes through it. It is a station on the Midland railway. Here is a school for the sons of Wesleyan ministers, which was founded in 1812, and is similar to that at Kingswood, in Gloucestershire."
"BANKFOOT, a chapelry in the parish of Bradford, in the West Riding of the county of York. The living is a perpetual car.* in the diocese of Ripon, value £120, in the patronage of J. Hardy, Esq."
"BOWLING, a township and chapelry in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, in the West Riding of the county of York, 2 miles from Bradford. It is a station on the Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax branch of the Great Northern railway. The township includes the village of Dudley Hill. This place participates in the general trade and manufactures of the district. Many persons are employed in the neighbouring coal and iron-works. There are good stone quarries. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Ripon, value £150, in the patronage of the Vicar of Bradford. The church is dedicated to St. John. Bowling Hall, a fine old seat, was occupied by the Earl of Newcastle as his headquarters, in 1642, and from it he set out to meet Fairfax, whom he defeated on Adwalton Moor."
"BUTTERSHAW, a chapelry in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, in the West Riding of the county of York, not far from Bradford. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Ripon, value £200, in the patronage of Charles Hardy, Esq. The church is dedicated to St. John."
"CARR LANE, a hamlet in the township of North Brierley, parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, in the West Riding of the county of York."
"CHELLOW, a hamlet in the parish of Bradford, in the wapentake of Morley, in the West Riding of the county of York, 2 miles N.W. of Bradford."
"CLAYTON, a township in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, in the West Riding of the county of York, 3 miles W. of Bradford, its post town. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the woollen manufacture. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Ripon, value £100, in the patronage of the Vicar of Bradford. The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was erected in 1851. It is a handsome structure in the middle pointed style. The Wesleyan Methodists and Baptists have chapels, and there are National schools for both sexes. The parochial charities produce about £7 per annum."
"CROSLEY HALL, a hamlet in the township of Allerton, in the parish of Bradford, West Riding of the county of York, 3 miles N.W. of Bradford. The inhabitants are engaged in the collieries and neighbouring factories."
"CULLINGWORTH GATE, a hamlet in the township of Wilsden, parish of Bradford, in the West Riding of the county of York, 5 miles N.W. of Bradford. It is situated on the river Aire."
"DAISY HILL, a hamlet and chapelry in the township of Manningham and parish of Bradford, in the West Riding of the county of York, near Bradford. The living is a curacy in the diocese of Ripon, and in the patronage of the vicar."
"DENHOLME, a hamlet in the chapelry of Thornton and parish of Bradford, in the West Riding of the county of York, 4 miles W. of Bradford."
"DUDLEY HILL, a village in the township of Bowling and parish of Bradford, in the West Riding of the county of York, 2 miles S. of Bradford. It is a station on the Gildersome branch of the Great Northern railway. The inhabitants are employed in the worsted mills and in the collieries. The Primitive Methodists and Wesleyans have chapels. Fairs for horses and cattle are held on the 3rd November and 8th March."
"ECCLESHILL, a township in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, West Riding county York, 3 miles N.E. of Bradford, and 10 W. of Leeds, its post town. The Apperley station on the Leeds and Bradford line is 1½ mile distant. It is situated near the river Aire, and includes the hamlets of Apperley Bridge, Eccleshill Moor, Green Gates, and Fagley. The living isa perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £100, in the patronage of the Vicar of Bradford. The church is a modern stone structure, dedicated to St. Luke. There are some small charities for the poor. The Independents, Wesleyan Methodists, Wesleyan Association, Primitive Methodists, and Moravians have each a chapel. There are National and British schools for both sexes, and Sunday-schools in connection with the various places of worship. The principal business of the place is in the manufacture of woollen stuffs. The collieries, quarries, and tile and brick making also give employment to many of the inhabitants. There is a mechanics' institute, with an excellent library."
"FAIRWEATHER GREEN, a hamlet in the township of Allerton and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 3 miles N.W. of Bradford."
"FAR OXENHOPE, (and Near Oxenhope), hamlets in the chapelry of Haworth and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 3 miles S.W. of Keighley. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the worsted-mills and in agriculture. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £150, in the patronage of the crown and bishop alternately. The church is a modern structure."
"FOLLY HALL, a village in the township of North Bierley and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 3 miles S.E. of Bradford."
"FOUR LANE ENDS, a hamlet in the township of Manningham and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 2 miles N.W. of Bradford."
"FRIZINHALL, a hamlet in the townships of Heaton and Shipley and parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, West Riding county York, 2 miles to the N. of Bradford, within which borough it is included."
"GREAT HORTON, a township and ecclesiastical district in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, West Riding county York, 2½ miles S.W. of Bradford market-place. It contains the hamlets of Great Horton, Lidget-Green, and Scholes-Moor. The woollen and cotton manufactures are extensively carried on, giving employment to a large portion of the inhabitants. It is mentioned in Domesday Survey as a berewick of the manor of Bradford, and subsequently formed part of the possessions of the Lacys, earls of Lincoln. In the reign of Henry II. the manor of Horton was granted by Robert de Lacy to the ancestor of the Horton family, and after passing through several families, is now the property of Captain Rhys. The village, which is very populous, forms the southern suburb of Bradford, and is included within that borough. The substratum abounds with coal and freestone, which have been worked for several centuries. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £300, in the patronage of the Vicar of Bradford. The church is of modern date. The parochial charities produce about £53 per annum. Little Horton Hall, an ancient mansion consisting of a square massive tower in the centre and two wings, was for many generations the seat of the family of Sharp, of whom John Sharp, for his services to the Commonwealth in the reign of Charles I., received a gold medal, with the figure of Fairfax on the obverse, and his son Abraham was one of the most eminent mathematicians of his time. A cattle fair is held on 5th September."
"HALLAS BRIDGE, a hamlet in the township of Wilsden and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 5 miles N.W. of Bradford."
"HARROP EDGE, a hamlet in the township of Allerton and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 3 miles N.W. of Bradford."
"HAWORTH, a township and chapelry in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, West Riding county York, 3 miles S.W. of Keighley. This chapelry, which is very extensive, comprising above 10,000 acres, includes the manors of Haworth, Oxenhope, and Stanbury. It adjoins the county of Lancaster on the W., and is nearly one-half in uncultivated heath and moorland. The village, which is of ancient origin, consists chiefly of one street, from which several smaller streets diverge. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in the worsted and cotton manufactures. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £170, in the patronage of the Vicar of Bradford and certain trustees. The church, dedicated to St. Michael, was originally founded at the commencement of the 14th century, but was wholly rebuilt in the reign of Henry VII., and has been subsequently enlarged. It is a neat structure with a square embattled tower. There are places of worship for Baptists, Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists. The charities, exclusive of school endowments, produce about £40 per annum. There is a free grammar school, founded by Charles Scott, Esq., in 1638, who endowed it with lands now producing £80 per annum, also a school at Stanbury with a small endowment. Fairs are held on the 22nd July and 22nd October."
"HEATON, a village and township in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, West Riding county York, 2 miles N.W. of Bradford, its post town, and 1½ mile S. of Shipley. The village, which is considerable, is situated on an acclivity near the canal. The township contains the hamlets of Heaton-Royds, Frizinghall, Chellow, and Shaw. A portion of the inhabitants are employed in the worsted mills. The land is chiefly pasture, with some arable and 50 acres of woodland. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £150. Divine service is performed in the church schoolroom, the district church being situated at Shipley. There are four chapels, two of which belong to the Wesleyan Methodists, and two to the Baptists. Heaton Hall, the principal residence, is situated in an extensive park. The Earl of Rosse is lord of the manor."
"HILL TOP, a hamlet in the township of North Bierley, parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 2 miles from Bradford."
"LEE, a hamlet in the township of Allerton, and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 3 miles N.W. of Bradford. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the collieries and factories."
"LEVEN THORPE, a hamlet in the chapelry of Thornton, and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 3 miles W. of Bradford. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the worsted mills and in neighbouring mines. Leventhorpe Hall is the principal residence."
"LIDGET GREEN, a village in the chapelry of Horton and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 2 miles from Bradford. It is a populous village, chiefly inhabited by factory workers and weavers."
"LINGBOB, a hamlet in the township of Wilsden, and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 4 miles N.W of Bradford. It is situated near the river Aire. Part of the inhabitants are engaged in the collieries, and in cotton spinning."
"LOW MOOR, a hamlet in the township of North Bierley, parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 4 miles from Bradford. The Lancashire and Yorkshire railway and the Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax Junction of the Great Northern railway have stations here. The inhabitants are employed in the collieries, stone quarries, and iron mines."
"MANNINGHAM, a township in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, West Riding county York, 1 mile N.W. of Bradford, its post town. It contains the hamlets of Daisy Hill, Four Lane Ends, and Whetley, forming part of the north-western suburbs of Bradford. A portion of the inhabitants are engaged in the worsted and stuff manufactures. The soil of the arable land is fertile. The living is a perpetual curacy,* in the diocese of Ripon, value £150. The district church, dedicated to St. Paul, erected in 1842 from a design of Mr. Walker Rawstorne, is in the Norman style of architecture. The Primitive Methodists have a place of worship. Manningham Hall, the principal residence, is a modern mansion, situate in the midst of a park. The other seats are Clock House, Wheatley Hill, and Bolton Royds."
"MANYWELLS, hamlets in the township of Wilsden and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 2 miles S.W. of Bingley, and 6 N.W. of Bradford. It is situated near the river Aire. Some of the inhabitants are engaged in weaving and in the collieries."
"MOOR HEAD, a hamlet in the township of Shipley and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 2 miles N. of Bradford."
"MOOR HOUSE MOOR, a hamlet in the township of Allerton, and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 3 miles N.W. of Bradford. The inhabitants are employed in the collieries and factories."
"NEW LEEDS, a village in the parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 2 miles from Bradford. It is a modern place situated near the source of the river Aire, and is a suburb of Bradford. The living is a curacy in the diocese of Ripon, value £100, in the patronage of the vicar."
"NORTH BIERLEY, a township in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, in the West Riding of the county of York, not far from Bradford, its post town. It includes the hamlets of Bierley Lane, Wibsey, and several others. Coal and iron are obtained here, and the mines and works employ many of the inhabitants. The woollen manufacture is carried on, and there are some good stone quarries. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £130, in the patronage of Miss Currer. The parochial charities amount to £12 per annum. The chief residence is Bierley Hall, in the grounds of which stands one of the finest cedars of Lebanon in the country."
"ODSALL MOOR, a hamlet in the township of Bierley and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, near Bradford. It is situated on the canal near the source of the river Aire. Some of the inhabitants are engaged in the collieries and iron mines."
"PIKELEY, a hamlet in the township of Allerton and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 3 miles N.W. of Bradford."
"QUEEN'S HEAD, a village and ecclesiastical district in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, West Riding county York, 4 miles S.W. of Bradford, and 32 S.W. of York. It is situated near the head of the river Aire, partly in the township of Clayton and partly in North Owram. The village stands on the summit of a bold eminence, surrounded by wild moorland country. The population are chiefly employed in the manufacture of worsted goods and in weaving. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Ripon, value £160, in the patronage of the crown and bishop alternately. The church is a modern structure. There are also places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans within the township of Clayton."
"SALTAIRE, a hamlet in the parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 5 miles N.W. of Bradford. It is a station on the Midland railway"
"SCHOLES MOOR, a village in the chapelry of Horton and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 2 miles S. of Bradford. Some of the inhabitants are engaged in the manufacture of woollens and worsteds."
"SCHOOL GREEN, a village in the chapelry of Thornton and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 3 miles W. of Bradford."
"SHAW, a hamlet in the township of Heaton, and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 2 miles N.W. of Bradford."
"SHIPLEY WITH HEATON, a township and ecclesiastical district in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, West Riding county York, 11 miles from Leeds, its post town, and 3 N.W. of Bradford. It is a station on the Leeds and Bradford branch of the Midland railway. It is an extensive and populous village, situated on the S. side of the river Aire, at the junction of the Leeds and Bradford with the Bradford, Skipton, and Colne railway, also near the confluence of the Bradford and Leeds and Liverpool canals. It comprises, besides the village of Shipley, the hamlets of Shipley-Fields, Moor-Head, and Heaton Royds. The village, which is well built, contains a mechanics' institute, erected in 1855. It is lighted with gas, and partially paved. There is a local board of health. A portion of the inhabitants are employed in the woollen and paper mills. In the vicinity are numerous quarries of freestone, and collieries producing coal of excellent quality. Adjoining the township of Shipley is the hamlet of Saltaire, with an extensive weaving mill, covering an area of 5½ acres, and employing 3,000 hands. It was built by Titus Salt, Esq., who also founded the hamlet for the factory operatives, and which now contains over 500 houses. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £100, in the patronage of the Vicar of Bradford. The church, dedicated to St. Paul, has a tower containing six bells. There is a National school for both sexes, also a Church Sunday-school. The Baptists, Wesleyans, Primitive and Reformed Methodists, have each a place of worship. A fair for cattle is held on the third Monday in October."
"STANBURY, a hamlet in the chapelry of Haworth and parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 4 miles S.W. of Keighley, on a branch of the river Aire, near Stanbury Moor."
"THORNTON, a township and chapelry in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, West Riding county York, 5 miles W. of Bradford, its post town. The township is situated on the S. side of the valley of Bradford Dale, and the lower grounds are watered by a rivulet that has its source in this township, and flows through the town of Bradford into the river Aire. There are stone quarries, collieries, and worsted mills. The township includes the village of Scholes Green, and the hamlets of Thornton Heights, Denholme, Leventhorpe, and Clayton. The arable land is fertile and in good cultivation, but the pasture is chiefly moorland, let out in dairy farms. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £160, in the patronage of the Vicar of Bradford. The church is dedicated to St. James. The parochial charities produce about £22 per annum. A free grammar school was erected in 1831 at Scholes Green, and is endowed with £60 per annum. The Independents, Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists have chapels and day and Sunday schools. A mechanics' institution was founded in 1837."
"TOPITT, a hamlet in the township of Clayton, in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, in the West Riding of the county of York, 6 miles N.W. of Barnsley."
"UNDERCLIFFE, a hamlet in the parish of Bradford, West Riding county York."
"UPPER GREEN, a hamlet in the township of Allerton, parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 3 miles N.W. of Bradford. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the neighbouring collieries and factories."
"WHETLEY, a hamlet in the township of Manningham, parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 1½ mile N.W. of Bradford."
"WIBSEY, a village and chapelry in the township of North Bierley, parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 2 miles S.W. of Bradford. It is situated in the heart of a populous mining district, and has the extensive ironworks belonging to the Low Moor Iron Company. Most of the inhabitants are employed at the coal and ironstone mines, or in the numerous foundries and worsted-mills."
"WILSDEN, a township and ecclesiastical district in the parish of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, West Riding county York, 5 miles from Bradford, and 3 from Bingley station on the Leeds and Bradford railway. This place, which forms part of the honour of Pontefract, is situated on the river Aire, and contains the villages or hamlets of Cullingworth Gate, Lingbob; Manuels, Manuels Heights, and Hallas Bridge. The ecclesiastical district also includes part of the townships of Allerton and North Bierley. Worsted spinning and the manufacture of stuffs are carried on, and there are extensive collieries. The population of the ecclesiastical district in 1861 was 4,426, and of the township 2,888. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Ripon, value £150, in the patronage of the Vicar of Bradford. The district church is dedicated to St. Matthew. The Independents, Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists have chapels. W. B. Ferrand, Esq., is lord of the manor and chief landowner."
"WOODHOUSE HILL, a hamlet in the township of North Bierley, parish of Bradford, West Riding county York, 3 miles S. of Bradford."
[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2013