Keighley, Yorkshire, England. Geographical and Historical information from 1829.

KEIGHLEY:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1829.

"KEIGHLEY, anciently written Kighley, is a market and parish-town in the Craven district of the west riding, in the wapentake of Staincliffe, and the liberty of Clifford's fee, 202 miles from London, 39 from Manchester and York, 20 from Leeds, 12 from Halifax, 10 from Skipton and Bradford, and four from Bingley. The town is nearly all built of stone, and is situated in a deep valley, at the junction of two small brooks, which discharge themselves, about three quarters of a mile below into the river Aire. The worsted trade is the principal manufacture of the town and neighbourhood, but cotton goods are also manufactured with considerable spirit. The Leeds and Liverpool canal passes within about a mile of the place, by which navigation a communication is opened with the counties of York and Lancaster, from the eastern to the western sea. The town is abundantly supplied with water from two fine springs, to the west and east, and under an act obtained in 1816. The places for divine worship here are the parish church, dedicated to St. Andrew, and a chapel each belonging to the independent, Wesleyan and new connexion of Methodists, Swedenborgians and Baptists. The church, which was rebuilt in 1805, is spacious and handsome, having a fine tower steeple of octagonal form, containing eight fine toned bells, and a curious clock, of exquisite workmanship. The living is a rectory, in the gift of the Duke of Devonshire, and incumbency of the Rev. Theodore Dury, whose curate is the Rev. Thomas Plummer, the master of the free grammar school here, founded, in 1716. A mechanics' institute was established about two years since; the members meet in the grammar school room, and they have a good library. A manor court is held here under Lord George Henry Cavendish, by the steward of that nobleman, on the Thursday of every third week, for the recovery of debts under five pounds. The appearance of the country around Keighley is in general pleasing, the land hilly, and for the most part fertile; and the neighbourhood is graced by many genteel and handsome residences. The market day is on Wednesday, and the annual fairs are May 8th and November 7th. Keighley parish, which has no dependent township, contained, by the Census of 1811, 6,864 inhabitants, and by that of 1821, 9223."

[Transcribed from Pigot's National Commericial Directory for 1828-29 ]
by Colin Hinson ©2007