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Rothwell, Yorkshire, England. Geographical and Historical information from 1868.

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ROTHWELL:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1868.

"ROTHWELL, a parish in the lower division of Agbrigg wapentake, West Riding county York, 4 miles N. of Wakefield, and the same distance S.E. of Leeds. This parish, which is of large extent, is situated on the river Aire and near the Leeds canal and North Midland railway. It includes Rothwell manor and the townships of Lofthouse, Middleton, Oulton, Rothwell, Thorpe, and Royd's Green. In the early Saxon times it was included in the parish of Morley, and soon after the Norman conquest was given with the castle of Pontefract to the Lacys, who had a baronial residence here, of which some traces are still visible near the church. The town, which is ancient and irregularly laid out, is situated in a fertile vale, and has recently been much improved. In 1861 the parish contained 8,072, and the township of Rothwell, 3,220 inhabitants. The principal public building is the gaol for the hundred of Pontefract, formerly used as the debtor's prison. The working classes are chiefly employed in agriculture and in the collieries, and in the woollen cloth and hair sieve manufactures. There are also establishments for the making of rope and twine. The district abounds with coal of excellent quality, of which several extensive mines are in operation. The living is a vicarage,* in the diocese of Ripon, value £850. The parish church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is an ancient structure with a square embattled tower; it was repaired and enlarged in 1826. There are besides three district churches, viz: Christ Church, near Lofthouse; Middleton and Oulton-cum-Woodlesford, the livings of which are all perpetual curacies,* varying in value from £120 to £300. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have places of worship. The parochial charities produce about £15 per annum. There are National and other schools."


"CARLTON, a hamlet in the parish of Rothwell, wapentake of Agbrigg, in the West Riding of the county of York, 4 miles to the N. of Wakefield. It is a joint township with Lofthouse, and the seat of a Poor-law incorporation."


"LOFTHOUSE WITH CARLTON, a township and ecclesiastical district in the parish of Rothwell, lower division of the wapentake of Agbrigg, West Riding county York, 3 miles N. of Wakefield, its post town, and 6 S. of Leeds. It is a station on the West Yorkshire section of the Great Northern railway. The village is situated on the main road between the above towns. The ecclesiastical district includes the townships of Carlton and Thorpe-on-the-Hill, with the hamlets of Ouzlewell Green and Robin Hood. A large portion of the land is laid out as market gardens. The substratum abounds with coal and freestone of good quality. Many of the people are employed in the stone quarries, and in the manufacture of twine and bandings. The commons were enclosed under an Act obtained in 1836. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £120, in the gift of the vicar of the parish. The church, dedicated to Our Saviour, is a structure of the present century. The Wesleyans have a chapel. There is a National school. Joseph Charlesworth, Esq., is lord of the manor. Loft-house House and Lofthouse Hall are the principal residences."


"MIDDLETON, a township in the parish of Rothwell, lower division of the wapentake of Agbrigg, West Riding county York, 4 miles S. of Leeds, its railway station and post town, and 6 N. of Wakefield. The township contains the hamlet of Bell Isle, and is wholly agricultural. There are numerous coal mines, from which is a tram-road to the Bradling wharf at Leeds, also quarries of excellent building stone. About a quarter of the township is covered with indigenous wood. The village, which is considerable, is built upon an eminence commanding extensive views of the surrounding country. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £126, in the patronage of the Vicar of Rothwell. The church, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, is a stone edifice with a spired tower, and was erected in 1846. There is a school for both sexes, in which a Sunday-school is also held. The principal residence is Middleton Lodge."


"OULTON WITH WOODLESFORD, a township in the parish of Rothwell, lower division of Agbrigg wapentake, West Riding county York, 5 miles N.E. of Wakefield, and 5 E. by S. of Leeds, its post town. It is a station on the Midland railway. The village, which is large, is situated on a branch of the river Aire. A portion of the inhabitants are engaged in the stone quarries, which are very extensive. The surface is varied, and the soil fertile. The Hall is situated in a well-wooded demesne. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £300. The church, dedicated to St. John, is a modern structure, with a square embattled tower, crowned with pinnacles, and surmounted by a spire. The chancel, which is hexagonal, is embellished with stained windows. It was erected in 1830, at the cost of £12,000, left by John Blayds, Esq., in 1827. There is a school for children of both sexes. The Wesleyans have places of worship. John Calverley, Esq., is lord of the manor and principal landowner."


"OUZLEWELL GREEN, a hamlet in the township of Lofthouse-with-Carlton, parish of Rothwell, West Riding county York, 4 miles N. of Wakefield."


"RHODE'S GREEN, a hamlet in the parish of Rothwell, wapentake of Lower Agbrigg, West Riding county York, 5 miles N. of Wakefield, near the river Aire and the Leeds canal."


"ROTHWELL HAIGH, a township in the parish of Rothwell, lower division of Agbrigg wapentake, West Riding county York, 5 miles N. of Wakefield."


"THORPE, a township in the parish of Rothwell, lower division of Agbrigg wapentake, West Riding county York, 4 miles N.W. of Wakefield."


"WOODLESFORD, a township in the parish of Rothwell, lower division of Agbrigg wapentake, West Riding county York, 4½ miles S.E. of Leeds, and 5 N.E. of Wakefield. It is a station on the Midland railway. The village is situated on a populous manufacturing district on the S. bank of the river Aire. There are extensive stone quarries, paper and earthenware manufactories, and a brewery."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2013