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Rothwell Supplementary

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In 1822, the following places were in
the Parish of Rothwell:


"CARLTON, in the township of Loftus with Carlton, and parish of Rothwell, liberty of the honour of Pontefract; 4 miles N. of Wakefield, 5 from Leeds. Pop. included in Loftus."


"LOFTHOUSE, in the parish of Rothwell, Agbrigg division of Agbrigg and Morley, liberty of Pontefract; (Lofthouse Hall, the seat of Benjamin Dealtry, Esq.) 3¾ miles NW. of Wakefield, 6 from Leeds. Pop. including Carlton, 1,396, which being united, form a township."


"MIDDLETON, in the parish of Rothwell, Agbrigg-division of Agbrigg and Morley, liberty of Pontefract; (the seat of William Walker, Esq,) 4½ miles S. of Leeds, 5 from Wakefield. Pop. 1,096."


"NEW HALL, (the residence of W.W. Walker, Esq.) in the township of Middleton, and parish of Rothwell, Morley-division of Agbrigg and Morley; 3½ miles from Leeds, 6 from Wakefield."


"OULTON, in the township of Woodlesford with Oulton, and parish of Rothwell, Agbrigg-division of Agbrigg and Morley, liberty of Pontefract; (Oulton House, the seat of John Blaydes, Esq.) 5 miles N. of Wakefield and Leeds. Pop. included in Woodlesford.

Here was born, 1661, the celebrated Critic, Mr. Richard Bentley, who was Chaplain to Bishop Stillingfleet. He was the first who preached the lecture, founded by Mr. Boyle. He is advantageously known as a Critic, by his editions of Horace, Terence, Phaedrus, &c. He died in 1742. --Biog. Brit."


"ROTHWELL HAIGH, in the township and parish of Rothwell, Agbrigg-division of Agbrigg and Morley, liberty of Pontefract; 4 miles from Leeds, 5½ from Wakefield. Pop. included in Rothwell.

This place adjoins to Rothwell, and had been an ancient Park of the Lacies; and given by Henry VIII. to Thomas Lord Darcy. It afterwards relapsed into a state of nature, and became a mere common. It contains about 543 acres, and is now become a fertile and productive tract."


"ROYDES GREEN, in the township and parish of Rothwell, Agbrigg-division of Agbrigg and Morley, liberty of Pontefract; 4½ miles from Wakefield, 5½ from Leeds. Pop. included in Rothwell."


"THORPE ON THE HILL, in the parish of Rothwell, Agbrigg division of Agbrigg and Morley, liberty of Pontefract, (the seat of William Fenton, Esq.) 4 miles S. of Leeds and 4½ from Wakefield. Pop. 80."


"THWAITE MILLS, a hamlet in the township and parish of Rothwell; 2½ miles from Leeds, 7 from Wakefield."


"WOODLESFORD, in the parish of Rothwell, Agbrigg-division of Agbrigg and Morley, liberty of Pontefract; 4½ miles SE. of Leeds, 5 from Wakefield. Pop. including Oulton, 1,526, which being united, form a township.

(A previous name for Woodlesford seems to have been Wriglesworth. There is a long list of alternative spellings over time. It was recorded in the twelfth century as 'Wridlesford'. apparently from Old English 'wridels', a hypothetical adjective from 'wrid', bush or thicket, together with 'ford', (the ford presumably the Aire, now superseded by Swillington Bridge). The gradual change can be traced until in 1596 the use of Wriglesford only requires the change of the final element. (see Hanks and Hodges, Dictionary of Surnames, OUP 1988 and A. H. Smith, The Place-Names of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Part 2, CUP, 1961). Frank Lake 2002 )"

[Description(s) edited from various 19th century sources by Colin Hinson © 2013]