Forced in West c.1852-2017

Anthony Silson BSc (Hons) MSc PGCE FRGS

Key words: forced rhubarb; Bramley; ; market gardeners; Osmondthorpe; ; ; Whitwell Introduction and aims (Leeds) artisans grew small quantities of forced rhubarb before 1850 in order to eke out their meagre incomes. Market gardeners who probably grew rhubarb commercially also worked at Osmondthorpe and in an area between Leeds and Wakefield before 1850. Output of rhubarb from all these gardeners was relatively low. But in the second half of the nineteenth century Leeds suddenly took off as a producer of forced rhubarb. Such large quantities were produced that Leeds came to dominate national markets by the end of the century. The reasons why Leeds (and district) became the centre for forced rhubarb production have been argued about ever since. The industry flourished until the outbreak of the Second World War when the acreage was near its maximum. Then for a short period the acreage fluctuated but about twenty years after the war ended the total area under forced rhubarb began to decline. Recently, this decline has been halted and there has been a limited revival. This study first aims to establish Leeds’ nineteenth century pre-eminence and then to examine the reasons why Leeds came to dominate the production of forced rhubarb. A second set of aims is to examine why Leeds and district continued to dominate production in the twentieth century and to examine the extent to which the distribution of forced rhubarb growth within West Yorkshire changed up to 1938. Finally this study examines the nature and causes of the changes that occurred after 1945. In order to achieve these aims this study is divided into three parts. Part one discusses the period c.1852-1895; part two 1896-1945; part three 1946-2017. Previous work Prior to 1938 many reports and articles about rhubarb appeared in the press. They are an invaluable source of information, and some of them discuss the reasons why West Yorkshire produced so much of the UK rhubarb. Dorothy Turner’s The Economic was published in 1938 (Turner 1938). Most of the article describes the varieties of rhubarb that developed over time. However, at the end of the article, she briefly discusses the growth of rhubarb in the West Riding. She mentions Joseph Whitwell, saying that he played a major role in enabling the West Riding to successfully compete in the markets. She also states many of the reasons why rhubarb is grown in the West Riding including the role of Hunslet artisans. And, in words, she delimits the area of growth but does not distinguish between forced and green top rhubarb. I have illustrated this area in Figure 1. An account of the rhubarb industry in Bramley was written by Riley D and Walker R in 1938 (Riley and Walker 1938 10-11).

Part Two Pg 1 of 7 The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries issued a booklet about rhubarb (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries 1949 25-26). This booklet is mostly about the growth of rhubarb but it does include a brief and valuable account of rhubarb growing in the West Riding. Shortly after, the Ministry of Agriculture published an article written by J Tasker on the West Riding Rhubarb industry but large sections are devoted to how rhubarb is grown and marketed (Tasker 1952). Nevertheless, Tasker includes the by then generally accepted reasons for rhubarb being grown in West Yorkshire. There are only a few lines on rhubarb in H Robinson’s textbook Geography For Business Students, but these words have been remarkably influential (Robinson 1965 5, 95). He seems to have been the first person to speak of the . But if he was, he introduced the concept purely as a teaching aid. He does not distinguish between forced and green top rhubarb. Robinson’s triangle is depicted in Figure 1. W Harwood Long in A Survey Of The Agriculture Of Yorkshire presents a very brief but balanced account of what was known up to 1969 about rhubarb growing in Yorkshire (Harwood Long 1969 135-137). It is still well worth reading as an introduction to the subject. Richard Giles Forced rhubarb in the examines in detail all aspects of rhubarb growing in the 1960s (Giles 1970). He has little new to add on the origin and maintenance of forced rhubarb growing before 1945. J M Hughes Rhubarb Industry Study in Depth, whilst including a variety of information, focuses upon the decline of the industry up to the mid-1970s (Hughes 1976). It is very valuable, being almost the only work on decline, but obviously presents no information for the last forty years. The Story of Rhubarb was written by John Goodchild and gives an historical account in a short article (Goodchild 1998). It repeats the well-known reasons, and includes case studies. It is, though, a very incomplete study as it virtually ignores Leeds. A copy of The Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle Growers submission (c.2008) to gain protected status for Yorkshire grown rhubarb is available on the internet. As might be expected, there is much on the growing of rhubarb, and it includes the standard environmental conditions under which the plant is grown in West Yorkshire. The area in which rhubarb is grown is presented in words but there is no date given for the delimitation. Using these words I have depicted the boundaries on Figure 1. A map: Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb triangle.png appears on Wikimedia Commons (2014). So far as I can tell, this map plots the Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle Growers depiction of the area in words. Accordingly it is not shown on Figure 1 as it would be the same as that which I have already drawn. Rhubarbaria written by Mary Prior is essentially a book of recipes (Prior 2009). However, it has an historical introduction, and she is probably the first person to state Joseph Whitwell introduced sheds to grow rhubarb in the late 1870s. No evidence has yet materialised to fully support this statement and the date is wrong but it now appears on several pieces about rhubarb on the internet. These pieces are a useful introduction to the study of rhubarb, but few are referenced. Lastly, Martin Parr’s The Rhubarb Triangle is primarily a book of superb photographs of people engaged in growing rhubarb (Parr 2016). It does, though, have a written introduction that includes brief historical information but repeats accepted wisdom. However, the introduction also includes a most informative account of the contemporary forced rhubarb industry.

Part Two Pg 2 of 7 A summary of the reasons that have been previously suggested for the importance of Leeds and district for the growth of forced rhubarb is given in part one of this article.

Figure 1 The rhubarb area within West Yorkshire according to various authors

Methodology Parts 1 and 2 Press reports up to 1939 had named the area growing most forced rhubarb as Leeds or Leeds and district but very few writers apart from Turner had attempted to delimit the area with any degree of precision. Later writers selected different boundaries (Figure1). So it seemed that a more precise delimitation of the rhubarb growing area for particular times, along with any changes in the distribution that had occurred over time, would be hugely beneficial in this historical study.

Part Two Pg 3 of 7 The possibility that the task might be tackled either through statistical evidence or the use of directories was considered. Neither approach was feasible. There appears to be no complete run of figures for the acreage of all rhubarb, let alone for forced rhubarb, in West Yorkshire. From 1984, the only figures available for forced rhubarb are for and Wales as a whole. Even in earlier times the smallest unit seems to be for The West Riding of Yorkshire-far too large a unit for most of this study. Most directories, and especially those prior to 1936, only give the names of market gardeners. Some of these undoubtedly grew rhubarb, but there is no indication which. Later directories (1938-1967) also list rhubarb growers, but the lists are incomplete. Land utilisation maps were also considered. The 1930s 1: 63360 land utilisation maps show arable but do not include market gardening as a separate category let alone show rhubarb. The 1960s Land Utilisation maps show market gardening but they also do not specify rhubarb (Second Land Utilisation Survey 1962- 68; 1963-66; 1963-67). Furthermore, the 1960s published sheets cover only a small part of West Yorkshire. That said, statistics, directories and maps were all used so far as possible to check or supplement the main method adopted. The best solution to these problems appeared to be to use large scale, 1:10560 (or larger) Ordnance Survey maps to identify as accurately as possible rhubarb sheds. Even this approach is not without some difficulties. Large-scale maps sometimes show a large, often rectangular, building in a field. The purpose of these is un-named on the map whereas for the majority of large buildings shown on the map their function is given. These buildings, without a function named, are probably rhubarb sheds especially so when the map shows a track leading to them (Dickinson 1993 25,39). If you are not familiar with rhubarb sheds it is helpful to visit some and compare those in the field with those on the map. But with some practice, many of these buildings shown on the map are unmistakeable as rhubarb sheds. For evidence, examine Ordnance Survey sheet 1:10560 CCXVII N.E. (Bramley-) revised 1933 with additions in 1938. If there is a track but the building is small then it is also very probable that it is a rhubarb shed. However, with a small building and no track it can be more difficult to decide; two workers might come to different decisions. The difficulties of identification may be illustrated from the area. Even in the 1960s market gardening was important in this area (Second Land Utilisation 1963-66). Liquorice was traditionally the main crop. In 1958, a market gardener called E. Carter had a postal address that was The Rhubarb Sheds, Baghill Lane (Classified Telephone Directory 1958). The only buildings that might have been the sheds as shown on the 1:10560 1956 Ordnance Survey Map, were also shown on the 1930, revised in 1938, map. Yet these buildings do not resemble those of typical rhubarb sheds, and the 1936 directory does not list market gardening on Baghill Lane so I rejected those buildings as sheds for the pre-war years. Another 1936 Pontefract market gardener, Depledge, was based at Stellar House where the Ordnance Survey map shows a small rectangular building. It might be a shed but then again it might not so I also rejected that building. As a result of these decisions there is no entry for Pontefract in Appendix 2. Greetland presents a different issue. In October 1931, Thomas Fielding gained consent to erect a rhubarb shed on Briscoe Lane (Fielding 1931). The 1:10560 Ordnance Survey Map for 1933 does not show a shed but the 1955 map does. I could find no further information about Fielding. Had he built for a tenant? Had he retired or died? Given the gaps in knowledge, I decided in this revision to exclude Greetland. In view of these uncertainties, in the text I have used expressions such as: ‘almost three quarters’ rather than precise percentages. But if all

Part Two Pg 4 of 7 the dubious cases were to be included they would only alter the proportions by about 1%. Another difficulty that may sometimes arise is that of reconciling documentary evidence with that of maps. A case in point is that of the Area. The British Geological Survey Memoir for and Halifax (1930 8) states that the cultivation of rhubarb is ‘especially distinctive of the shale areas of the Coal Measures more particularly around Mirfield’. I seem to remember rhubarb being grown in this area in the 1950s, and even perhaps seeing one shed. Yet the Ordnance Survey maps for the 1930s do not show any sheds in this area. So it must have been green top rhubarb that was grown and therefore Mirfield was not included in my list or shown on Figure 2. Similarly, whilst rhubarb was grown at Scholes (Leeds) no evidence was found that the rhubarb was forced. Despite these issues, I counted all the rhubarb sheds, which I could identify, on the 1:10560 Ordnance Survey maps for West Yorkshire, and I did this at least three times for each sheet. Nevertheless, slight errors might have arisen in counting. I did this for the 1888-92 revision and for the 1930s revisions. Different sheets have a different revision date for the 1930s. In addition, I used larger scale maps revised between 1905 and 1916 for supplementary information. The results for 1888-92 and for the 1930s are given in Appendix One and Two. The sheds counted on the maps were then used to calculate the proportions of forced rhubarb grown in different parts of West Yorkshire. Along with the Ordnance Survey maps, they were also used to construct a map of the distribution of forced rhubarb in West Yorkshire in 1938 (Figure 2). This map was partly subjective. I estimated where there was a high density of sheds and where (excluding built areas) these gave way to low densities or no sheds at all. In this way, it was also possible to recognise centres of between one and four sheds that occurred well away from the main areas. Having thus identified the distribution in 1892 and 1938 and any changes between these years, the reasons for these patterns and changes were obtained by searching the usual sources such as books, censuses, directories, maps and newspapers. The sources used are more fully given in the references. Rhubarb sheds are an invaluable source of information for parts one and two. However, they are very little help in studying the decline of the industry in part three. This is because sheds may linger in the landscape for years after rhubarb growing ceased. Part three therefore relies primarily on documentary sources. In part 3, Ordnance Survey maps continued to be useful, especially to check whether buildings or mining had replaced fields that were growing rhubarb in 1938. As in part 2 any individual sheet could include a wide range of years under which revision had occurred. The Second Land Utilisation Survey sheets were really useful in showing where market gardening was still taking place but the information was restricted to the Sixties. Official statistical data was very limited (see earlier comments relating to part 2) but was used where possible. Given the limitations of maps and statistics, much use has been made of telephone directories, especially Classified Telephone, Post Office Classified, and its successor Yellow Pages. They have the merit of providing a record of market gardening from 1949 to 2007/08. Between 1949 and 1967, they also identify some rhubarb growers. Names of these growers are sometimes duplicated in the market gardening section, sometimes given only under one heading. Like all sources, telephone directories have their limitations. The entries for market gardeners cover a large part of Yorkshire and many may not be rhubarb growers. I have tried to overcome this problem by ignoring entries located well away from the 1938 areas

Part Two Pg 5 of 7 where forced rhubarb was grown. In addition many of the names chosen in this way were familiar from other sources as forced rhubarb growers. A related problem was that some people were listed as market gardeners when they had ceased to grow rhubarb but were still in business as market gardeners. A case in point is Lavan of Whitecote, Bramley who ceased growing rhubarb in1983, but continued to be listed as a market gardener until 1995 (Silson A 2016-17a). In compiling a list of the numbers of growers in different years, I ignored any such extra information to try to be consistent, but I did include such extra information in discussing spatial changes. The other major limitation of telephone directories is the omission of some growers. This is vividly portrayed in Table 1. Marshall was employed in the industry in 1961 so his list is likely to be accurate (Silson A 2016-7 b)

Table 1 , , and Pudsey market gardens, 1961 Rhubarb growers according to G Market gardeners according to Post Marshall Office Classified Telephone Directory Ellis Forster Forster Gill Gill Goodall Halliday Harper G Harper G Harper JF Harper JF Hitchcock Horn Horn (or Thompson Horn) Hudson Illingworth Overend Overend Proctor Robertshaw Robertshaw Sharpe Simpson Sutcliffe Sutcliffe Tomlinson Tomlinson Wheatley Wheatley Woodhead

If the absolute numbers using telephone directories are not completely accurate, the trends illustrated on Figure 3 are fairly represented. Furthermore, by combining information from telephone directories, maps and memories, I believe the spatial changes described are also accurate. The reasons for the changes I identified rely on documentary sources, information acquired from growers and my own memories. Telephone directories ceased to list market gardeners in the early years of this century, so for the period from 1998 to 2017 other documentary sources (including newspapers and magazines) were also used. Information from the internet was used selectively as often authors were not named and sources not given, nevertheless, accounts of individual growers were sometimes useful. But it was in this last section that field work carried out by me became a very important source. I attended both

Part Two Pg 6 of 7 Oldroyd’s and Dobson’s open days, and I had discussions with people who worked or had worked in the industry. And I was aware that all our memories might not be fully clear. Above all, on foot, I observed and recorded as many aspects of rhubarb growing, especially the fields where it was and is grown in 2016 and 2017.

Figure 2 Areas growing forced rhubarb within West Yorkshire in 1938 (centres are shown on figure 1)

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Part 1 c.1852-1895

The land now named West Yorkshire became the largest producer of forced rhubarb in the in the second half of the nineteenth century ( 1904; Turner 1938). Within West Yorkshire, production was concentrated at Leeds. The Liverpool Daily Post reported in 1869 that the growth of large quantities of forced rhubarb was a Leeds speciality (Liverpool Daily Post 1869). This is several years earlier than generally recognised. The industry grew after 1869 but remained anchored in Leeds. This is clear from the number of forced rhubarb sheds in West Yorkshire shown on Ordnance Survey maps, resurveyed c. 1890 (Ordnance Survey 1888-92). Three quarters of the sheds were located in Leeds. And all were in its southern Townships of Bramley, Beeston, , Hunslet and Osmondthorpe. The remaining quarter was between the cities of Leeds and Wakefield, in an area approximately bounded by Pudsey, , Stanley and .

Plate 1 Rhubarb roots on a tractor that will transport them to the forcing shed

Rhubarb is grown out of doors for two to three years before being forced (Plate1). Many attempts to account for Leeds pre-eminence have focused upon the advantages of the area for outdoor growth (Giles 5-7; Harwood Long 135-137; Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries 25;Tasker 386-387;Turner 362-363;Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle Growers c.2008). Some reasons, such as the presence of a smoke laden atmosphere and the occurrence of autumn frosts were shown by Stockbridge House to be incorrect fifty years ago. Rather it is the accumulated daily temperature of the soil (at a depth of 10cm) below 100C that is significant. High rainfall has been

Part Two Pg 1 of 6 said to be a reason, but rainfall is actually low with mean annual values of 600- 750mm in the main rhubarb area (Meteorological Office 1977). Often soils have been claimed to be advantageous. Yet the natural glei (heavy) soils in which much of the rhubarb is grown are not unique to Leeds. Far from it: glei soils are widespread throughout England. Moreover, people changed the natural glei soils by adding ashes, night soil and shoddy (Beresford and Jones, 1967 67-69). Growers created a soil type to promote the growth of rhubarb, and growers could have done so near several other towns including and . Other advantages possessed by the area, including coke to heat the rhubarb sheds, and railways to transport both coke and rhubarb, were, like soils and climatic conditions, not unique to Leeds. One advantage possessed by Leeds over London was Leeds’ proximity to shoddy, another was Leeds’ slightly cooler autumns (Meteorological Office 1969). But these advantages are insufficient to account for Leeds’ dominance. So why did Leeds become so significant for rhubarb production? The answer lies during the second half of the nineteenth century when new varieties of rhubarb were brought to Leeds, new production methods to force rhubarb were introduced and the success of the Whitwell family encouraged others in Leeds and district to enter the industry.

In Victorian times the demand for forced rhubarb gradually increased as it was found to be a tasteful winter alternative to apples – the only winter fruit then available in large quantity (The Gardener’s Chronicle 1878). Hunslet was growing forced rhubarb, probably using such methods as rhubarb pots, before 1850 (Prior 32). About that year, a new variety of rhubarb called Victoria reached nurseries at Woodhouse Hill (Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 1931). Paradoxically, this variety was developed in London, and London was the main market, but it, along with Prince Albert and Royal Albert varieties, was the basis of Leeds success. This was because these new varieties proved to be very popular and demand for rhubarb, therefore, rose. Rhubarb forcing sheds Leeds met this demand by forcing rhubarb in purpose-built sheds that were introduced between 1852 (when no forcing sheds were shown on the Ordnance Survey map) and the mid-Sixties (Ordnance Survey 1852). That sheds were used by 1869 is evident from the Liverpool Daily Post report, which stated that rhubarb is forced in long low hothouses in Leeds. (Despite modern definitions, a hothouse need not be made of glass.) That times were changing is supported by an 1871 sale of 200 rhubarb pots by a Hunslet person who suggested they could be used as chimney pots (Leeds Mercury 1871).

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Plate 2 Rhubarb sheds: low enough to minimise heating costs; tall enough for carts to unload rhubarb roots inside the sheds

Newspaper and other accounts of the period from 1869-1895 reveal that the use of sheds to grow forced rhubarb was a distinctively Leeds method of production (Cornishman1890; Leighton Buzzard and Linslade Observer 1885). It was the use of this method that was the prime reason for Leeds becoming the main producer of forced rhubarb. Partly this is because sheds enable rhubarb to be forced in total darkness and this produces the best quality rhubarb, which then commands a high price. And partly because even one shed could produce large quantities of rhubarb, and many growers had more than one shed (Plate2). An analogy may be useful here. Henry Ford did not invent motorcars but his Model T revolutionised the industry opening up mass markets. In the same way, Leeds was but one of a number of areas commercially producing forced rhubarb before 1852; but Leeds was the first to use purpose-built sheds to mass-produce rhubarb. In so doing, it acquired major markets throughout the country and put many other areas out of business. Jesse Ramsden produced forced rhubarb in 1886 both in Beeston (where there was an enormous shed, possibly the largest in the world) and at Brandy Carr (Kelly’s Leeds 1888). Perhaps this dual location helped spread the Leeds method of cultivation to the area between Leeds and Wakefield. Certainly, some sheds had been erected south of Leeds by 1892, but more were built within Leeds than beyond so Leeds retained its premiere position.

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Plate 3 Inside a rhubarb shed The Whitwells A James Whitwell was born in 1803 at Birstall (Census Returns 1841). He became a schoolmaster, taught at Welton in 1841 and then moved (with his family) to Halton where he was headteacher of the National School (Pigot 1841; Slater 1848). In 1849, he was a schoolmaster based at 81 Wellington Street, where his eldest son, Alfred, was a gardener and seedsman (Charlton and Archdeacon 1849). A couple of years later Alfred had moved to Osmondthorpe (Census returns 1851). It must have been through Alfred that James, in 1853, set up in business as a seedsman on Pontefract Lane (Osmondthorpe) whilst keeping his teaching going at Wellington Street. (White 1853). Shortly after, James cast aside school-mastering and became a gardener and seedsman at Pontefract Lane (White 1857-8).

Meanwhile, Joseph Sidney, the second brother, was learning to be a linen draper (Census Returns 1851). He married Sarah Ann Spink in 1860, and very shortly afterwards he too had become a gardener, possibly growing forced rhubarb, on Pontefract Lane (Marriages Transcriptions 1837-2008; Census Returns 1861). During the Sixties, he and his younger brother partner, Elijah Cecil, were showing great entrepreneurial drive. In 1867, Joseph and Elijah had a brick works in Milthorpe Street and had recently completed the building of houses off Road on part of the former Black Bank Farm (Kelly’s Leeds 1867; West Riding Register of Deeds 1867). Whitwell Street was even named after them. They had also established gardens at , and as they were still living at Pontefract Lane they must have commuted to the gardens (Kelly’s West Riding 1867; Register of parliamentary elections 1867). It is quite possible that the partners with so many irons in the fire, or even the whole family, may have invented rhubarb sheds. If it was any of the Whitwells, it is rather odd that neither Riley and Walker (1938) nor Turner (1938), who were all writing within the then living memories of people with knowledge of the nineteenth century, make no mention of this. It was not unknown for Victorians to radically change their occupation (Silson 2009 90). But for both James (in middle age) and

Part Two Pg 4 of 6 Joseph (not long out of an apprenticeship) to change to work that was more physically demanding, and possibly less secure than their previous occupations must have had a good reason. And that reason may well have been because James saw the potential in recently invented purpose-built sheds to force rhubarb. If this is the case, then it seems likely that someone else was already using them at Osmondthorpe and this led James to move from Leeds to Osmondthorpe. Unfortunately virtually no evidence relating to rhubarb growing during that crucial period between 1852 and 1866 has yet surfaced, and in particular it is not known who actually invented purpose-built sheds. If it was the brothers’ intention to specialise in the commercial production of rhubarb by using sheds from the outset at Kirkstall, and I believe it was, then they could not have chosen a better site. A large plot of land (70 acres was recorded in 1871) was available; it was a flood plain of alluvial soils and so easy to work, and had a railway station on the doorstep (Census Returns 1871; British Geological Survey 1991). Trains speedily moved perishable rhubarb to distant markets such as . These Kirkstall gardens were all in the Township of Bramley, and were divided into two halves by railway lines. In 1871 the brothers were employing 28 persons so it was a significant enterprise (Census Returns 1871). Later in that decade Joseph was selling rhubarb purely under his own name, and he was said to be the largest grower of the finest quality of forced rhubarb from any one place (Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society 1880). Meanwhile Elijah had formed a new partnership with the youngest brother, Arthur Edward, though Elijah continued to share Hollybush House with Joseph until he (Elijah) married in 1880 (Plate 4;West Riding Register of Deeds 1874; 1875; Register of parliamentary elections 1880; Leeds Mercury 1881). Arthur and Elijah established gardens off Intake Lane, (in Bramley) in 1875. Previously, Arthur had worked a market garden at Pontefract Lane. Joseph’s business flourished; he had a stand in , and also sold his rhubarb in Manchester (Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society 1880; Whitwell 1890). He almost certainly contributed to the supply of Leeds rhubarb sent to Covent Garden (The Gardeners Chronicle 1878). But his family life was marred by a series of events. The worst was when an express from Leeds killed his wife Sarah, when trying to cross the railway lines from one garden to another, in 1876 (Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 1876). Joseph married a Maria Alfredina du Vernien in 1884 (Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 1888). She was installed in a second home at Church Fenton Hall (Leeds Mercury 1888). Not the present Hall, but another building at the eastern extremity of the village. Joseph then spent half his time at Church Fenton and half at Kirkstall. This second marriage created ill feeling in the family. Someone unknown, but possibly a family member, posted anonymous letters stating Joseph visited a house of ill-repute when he was in Leeds. Relations were further soured when, in 1889, James unsuccessfully challenged Elijah’s second will as only half his estate had been left to Arthur E. Whitwell the other half went to Elijah’s wife. Elijah in his first will of 1876 had left all to Arthur (Leeds Mercury 1889). Perhaps the most significant aspect of Elijah’s will was the huge size of his estate: over £6000. Almost sixty years later (in 1945) Leonard Guy, of Guy and Bretherick, major rhubarb growers, only left about £3000 when he died (Lancaster Guardian 1948). A tidy enough sum to be sure, but only half that of Elijah. Already, The Leighton Buzzard and Linslade Observer in 1885 had written ‘it is not unlikely that fortunes have been made’ from growing forced rhubarb in Leeds. And certainly it is evident from their wills that the brothers were financially successful. As a most important consequence and especially when the size of Elijah’s estate became known,

Part Two Pg 5 of 6 others in South and West Leeds, such as George Riley of Bramley, decided to become forced rhubarb growers (Riley D 2005 45). By 1892, there was a zone of rhubarb growing from Kirkstall, Lower Bell Lane, Whitecote, Intake Lane and , to Bramley Town End (Ordnance Survey 1888-92). Indeed, at that time, half the number of rhubarb sheds in West Yorkshire occurred in the Townships of Bramley and Osmondthorpe. These were the very townships where the Whitwells had been or still were market gardeners.

Plate 4 Hollybush House, Kirkstall. The sometime home of Joseph and Sarah Whitwell and their children and Elijah Whitwell

Part Two Pg 6 of 6 Part 2 1896 to 1945

In 1914, Leeds was described as ‘ the greatest rhubarb-growing centre in the world’ (Yorkshire Evening Post 1914). It had become pre-eminent between about 1852 and 1895 by a new technique using sheds to force rhubarb. The Osmondthorpe Whitwells were probably amongst the first to use this method, and certainly Elijah and Joseph Whitwell greatly influenced other Leeds people to become forced rhubarb growers (Silson 2016). Notwithstanding some losses there was a vast increase in the number of rhubarb sheds in West Yorkshire from 1896 to1938. This growth was sufficiently large for Leeds and areas just to the south to retain their dominant role in forced rhubarb production within the United Kingdom. The main reasons for the continued dominance of West Yorkshire Trains were used to transport rhubarb to London markets from at least the late 1870s (The Gardeners Chronicle 1878). The Gardeners Chronicle states ‘In former seasons the earliest supply has always come from the growers for market round London, but this year the first consignments came from Leeds and Manchester’. Previous writers have interpreted this as: Leeds and Manchester first sent rhubarb to London in 1878. But the sentence may be read as in1878 Leeds and Manchester sent rhubarb to London before local growers. If the latter interpretation is correct then it is uncertain when Leeds began to send rhubarb to London except it was before 1878. It has not been possible to establish when the Great Northern Railway Company (GNR) introduced the first special expresses, carrying only rhubarb, from Leeds to London. The first written record so far discovered is in 1905 (Leeds Mercury 1905). It would take time for sufficient growers to grow enough rhubarb to justify a special train, and this possibly occurred between 1896 and 1905.Whatever the exact year, these special expresses, run by the GNR and later by the LNER, were very important in maintaining the industry in West Yorkshire. Other areas, distant from London, would find it difficult to compete without these expresses, as it was essential that perishable rhubarb arrived at the main London market quickly. In the fifty or so years in which the industry had developed there had been time for West Yorkshire rhubarb growers to successfully alter their soils and to acquire skills to give them an advantage over anyone seeking to grow forced rhubarb elsewhere. Heavy, sometimes waterlogged soils had been changed by the addition of ashes, night soil and shoddy into soils that were excellent to grow rhubarb out of doors before it was taken into the sheds (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries 25). Not all rhubarb is and was grown on heavy soils; some is and was grown on lighter soils and town waste did more harm than good if added to such soils. By 1906, a generation of growers had, possibly through trial and error, acquired skills that they could pass on to younger members of the family or perhaps to neighbours (Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 1922; 1930). These acquired skills conferred an advantage on the Leeds region, as they were lacking in other parts of the country and so made it harder to establish new regions growing rhubarb. Another problem for anyone attempting to grow forced rhubarb outside West Yorkshire was that in Edwardian times there was rather a stagnant market. So much so that it was stated in 1911 that Leeds area growers were having no little difficulty in

Part Two Pg 1 of 5 selling rhubarb (Yorkshire Evening Post1911). Indeed as early as 1893 there was more rhubarb grown than could be used within the UK so some had been exported to Paris (Cheltenham Chronicle 1893). By 1905 some was also being exported to Hamburg (Leeds Mercury 3 April 1905). In the latter case it was rumoured that the rhubarb was used to make cheap champagne that was then imported into Great Britain. Later, when disease attacked some of the rhubarb, several growers were relieved that scientists had not found a cure as a glut was prevented that would have lowered prices (Yorkshire Evening Post 1912). During the Great War, some new growers were established, almost certainly in response to food shortages, but production actually fell as some existing rhubarb plots had, by government order, to be converted to grow corn and potatoes (Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 1922). The GNR special rhubarb trains were suspended during the war. The rhubarb expresses, the man-made soils, and the skills of the growers all helped to keep the industry rooted in West Yorkshire until 1918. During the inter-war period these factors still applied but there were additional advantages that maintained the significance of the Leeds region. One of these was the founding of The Leeds and District Market Gardeners’ Association in 1912 (Yorkshire Evening Post 1914). In 1914 this group held the first Rhubarb Show in the country. After The Great War annual shows continued and these encouraged growers to produce high quality rhubarb (Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 1931). This was because prizes were on offer for the best rhubarb in show. Members supported each other through giving help and advice. But perhaps the main way in which the Association helped continue the importance of Leeds and district was through the introduction of improved packing (Yorkshire Evening Post 1934). As more than half the rhubarb grown was sold in distant markets such as London, improved packing enabled perishable rhubarb to reach these markets in the best possible condition, and so enabled West Yorkshire growers to retain these markets (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries 26). Indeed whether or not growers were members of the Association great importance was placed on producing the very highest quality rhubarb. This also helped retain distant markets such as London and in turn keep Leeds and district’s premiere position. Ilbert Riley was one who produced high quality rhubarb because the market for that was more assured than for low quality rhubarb (Riley 71-72). In 1944, Ilbert received a letter from a Cambridge wholesaler thanking him for the ‘marvellous rhubarb’ that he had sent. Guy and Bretherick also placed enormous importance on the high quality of their rhubarb and, in their case, its consequent value for good health. This is evident in an undated leaflet (but almost certainly from the 1930s) which is now extremely interesting to read (Guy and Bretherick nd). Oddly this leaflet is lodged in Wakefield Archives even though Guy and Bretherick was a Bramley (Leeds) business. In the leaflet they advised that people buying rhubarb should try to avoid rhubarb that consisted of mixtures of varying quality. I vaguely remember that this firm was still expressing concern on this issue even after the Second World War. Moreover, mixing certainly occurred- an anonymous Pudsey writer remembers her father mixing rhubarb he had grown with rhubarb grown in to enable a truckload to be created (Strong R 1999 34).

Part Two Pg 2 of 5 Changes in the distribution of forced rhubarb growth within West Yorkshire 1896-1945 In 1895, about three quarters of the total number of rhubarb forcing sheds were located in the Borough of Leeds, especially in the townships of Bramley, Hunslet and Osmondthorpe (Silson 2016). A mere quarter were to be found within the rest of West Yorkshire mostly just to the south of the Leeds Borough boundary. By 1938, these proportions had virtually been reversed. Almost three quarters of the sheds were outside Leeds and just over a quarter within Leeds -using its 1895 boundary - (Ordnance Survey 1929-38). This change in proportions had arisen through a very large net absolute increase in the number of West Yorkshire sheds outside Leeds, and a small net increase in those in Leeds (Appendix 2). The detailed gains and losses are more clearly visualised if the periods from 1896-1918 and 1919-38 are discussed separately. (There is very little spatial evidence for 1939-45). Between 1896 and 1918, new sheds were erected in Bramley principally in the southeastern corner near Bramley Town End and Gamble Hill (Ordnance Survey, 1888-92; 1905-16). Eastwards from this area sheds were erected in , Farnley and Wortley- areas that had grown little or no forced rhubarb before 1896. New centres of growth occurred just to the east of Hawksworth Wood, near railway station and near to Halton. These gains were greater than the losses. The latter were mostly in the townships of Osmondthorpe and Hunslet. Rhubarb grown in these areas was almost adjacent to, or even intermingled with, the townships’ buildings. As these townships rapidly developed, growing rhubarb became a less profitable use of land than transport, manufacturing industry and housing. Losses occurred in Osmondthorpe as early as 1905 when the Aire and Calder Navigation was improved (Ordnance Survey 1888-92 and 1905-16 and Taylor 2003 3). In the Stourton district of Hunslet, rhubarb sheds were lost to a copper works, a wagon works and a printing works. Losses also resulted from the building of terraced houses. These changes led to the relocation of T P Wade and sons a firm of important rhubarb growers. The firm scarcely moved a kilometre, but the move brought it outside the Borough of Leeds and onto land administered by West Riding County Council (Ordnance Survey 1888- 92; 1905-16). Despite these losses, net losses in Hunslet were small as new sheds were erected elsewhere in the township. In contrast, it was virtually all gain in the area outside Leeds. That said, there was an interesting case in . Sheds were erected near the River Calder in Savile Town between 1892 and 1905 (Ordnance Survey 1888-92; 1905-1916). But in 1900 and 1903 Acts of Parliament were passed to enable a two and a half mile railway to be built terminating in the new station of Dewsbury Savile Town, just where the sheds had been built (Joy 1975 261 and Ordnance Survey 1905-16). The sheds had been demolished, and the goods station opened, by 1906. This instance apart, new sheds were erected in new areas like Farsley, and either within or near existing areas such as Roker Lane, Pudsey (Ordnance Survey 1888-92; 1905-16). Just to the west of Roker Lane, sheds were built at Bankhouse. Still within the Pudsey area, new sheds were built in West Pudsey, and additional sheds were built in Stanningley. There was great expansion in the number of sheds in the Morley- areas and almost as much in the Stanley area. Centres away from the main Leeds-Stanley growing area were established along the Calder valley at Methley, near and at Priestley Green, near (Halifax Courier 1939). The area under forced rhubarb again expanded during the interwar period. This was mainly a result of expansion in existing areas such in Pudsey, Farsley and

Part Two Pg 3 of 5 Carlton. The industry expanded at Carlton when George Oldroyd who had been a fruit grower in the Fens moved to the area following a failure of his business in the 1929 financial crash (yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk 2017 b). Scattered centres slightly increased in number. It was probably early in this period that West became a centre. In Wakefield two centres were established and one at . There were losses too, but the gains exceeded the losses. Rhubarb growing at Bankhouse, Pudsey and just to the west of Rothwell Colliery ceased for unknown reasons. There was a small loss to housing in West Pudsey. New industrial premises resulted in some losses near Brighouse. Rhubarb growing at West Garforth seems to have ended about 1938 as the sheds were vacant and private houses were beginning to be built in the area. Within Leeds, a loss was sustained at Bramley when rhubarb land near Bramley Town End became occupied by a worsted mill known as Croysdale’s or Town End. The then recently established rhubarb farm at Hawksworth Wood was a casualty of ’s plan to eradicate slums and build ‘homes fit for heroes’ promised in the 1919 Addison Act (Hirst 1926 129-131; Ordnance Survey 1929-38). During the Thirties Leeds City Council continued to eradicate slums and build council houses and this led to the centre at Halton being lost. So perhaps it is worth stressing that losses due to the building of council houses were already occurring before the Second World War. The distribution of forced rhubarb production within West Yorkshire in 1938 The major area where rhubarb was grown in 1938 was within Leeds and adjacent to and only a short distance from Leeds Borough’s southern boundary (Figure 2). Much of this area was already growing forced rhubarb by 1895 (Silson 2016). Except in parts of Hunslet and Osmondthorpe (previously discussed) these areas had retained their importance as a result of their acquired skills, improved soils, high quality rhubarb, improved packing, and proximity to the rhubarb expresses (see the first section of this article). It was in these areas that there was an increase in the number of sheds either through existing firms erecting more sheds or through new firms setting up business. Proximity to Leeds Central Station where the rhubarb expresses began and Ardsley Station where they halted to gain extra supplies of rhubarb, was a major factor in influencing the areas, including Pudsey, Morley-Tingley and Stanley, which grew or developed after 1895 (Figure 2). Indeed all these areas, except for the extreme southern margins, were within 10km of Leeds Central Railway Station. This relation between the GNR (later the LNER) rhubarb expresses and the places where rhubarb was grown in West Yorkshire arose because so much of the market was in London. Of the scattered rhubarb growing centres, away from the main area shown in Figure 2, Methley was located on the GNR joint line, Wakefield, and Durkar were near the GNR main line, though it is not known how far the latter two centres sent rhubarb to London. Furthermore, Priestley Green was near Lightcliffe Station, which was originally a and Yorkshire Company station. This company had running powers into Leeds Central Station and from 1923 it became part of the LMS but running powers continued. Hence even Priestley Green had rail access to the rhubarb expresses, though at considerable distance. Yet Priestley Green, for one, marketed its rhubarb in London by using the rhubarb expresses (Halifax Courier 1939). Unfortunately, it is uncertain to what extent local GNR stations were used to transport rhubarb to Leeds and Ardsley to be loaded on to the expresses. Probably

Part Two Pg 4 of 5 before 1914 horse and carts took the rhubarb to the local GNR station. By 1938, railway motor lorries were being used to collect rhubarb from Bramley growers and take the rhubarb to Leeds Central Station (Riley and Walker). Sutcliffe, a post-war Pudsey grower remembers dispatching rhubarb from Leeds Central, and another Pudsey resident remembers the rhubarb grown by her father being collected by the Pudsey Lowtown Station dray (Silson A 2016-17 d; Strong). However, it is not clear whether the dray took the rhubarb to Lowtown Station or direct to Leeds Central Station. But a former railway employee has memories of rhubarb being sent by Stanley growers from Stanley railway station to join the rhubarb express at Ardsley as recently as 1956 (Bairstow 2015 4-5). The London market was tremendously important, but not all rhubarb was destined for London. Some went to other large towns such as Newcastle and Birmingham (Newcastle Journal1918; Birmingham Daily Post 1939). Much rhubarb was also sold in local markets. Unfortunately it has again not been possible to assess the extent to which railways were used to reach local markets. There is an unconfirmed report that carts were used to carry rhubarb from Bramley to Leeds in the 1880s (Riley and Walker). Horse and carts were used at an unknown date in Pudsey (Strong). Even as late as the 1950s or 60s, horse and carts were used to carry rhubarb from Farsley to Bradford market (Silson A 2016-17 c). And of course horses played a very important role in carrying rhubarb roots into the sheds before tractors were used (Silson A 2016-17c). Joseph Whitwell regarded horses of such significance they were clearly mentioned in his will (Whitwell 1894). Railways were also very valuable in bringing coke to heat the sheds, especially to those western area railway stations that became increasingly distant from coal mines as mining transferred eastwards. Trains were also used to carry manure. Fields at Rothwell Haigh received night soil from Knowsthorpe sewage works by rail in the 1930s (Bartle and Son, 1930). Whilst the GNR network was very important in influencing where new developments would occur, the distribution of forced rhubarb was also influenced by other factors (Figure 2). Land holdings were mostly small in the rhubarb areas. This is evident from a report made during the Great War (Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 1917). Leeds War Agricultural Committee was attempting to convert some rhubarb growing areas to other crops, but in Bramley it was stated that many of the holdings were too small to grow other crops. Most unusually one trade directory for The West Riding indicates the sizes of holdings in the Stanley area. One farmer and one market gardener each had holdings of 150 acres or more. The remainder of the growers all had less than 150 acres (Kelly’s West Riding of Yorkshire Directory 1922). On smallholdings only a crop such as rhubarb that gives a high monetary return from a small area is economically viable. Eastwards and southeastwards farm sizes seemed to increase so the crops grown in that area need not have been restricted to rhubarb and similar intensively grown crops, as happened in the central area. Just why farmers in the north of Leeds did not take to growing rhubarb, and just why the rhubarb grown westwards was mostly green top are intriguing questions to which there are as yet no definite answers.

Part Two Pg 5 of 5 Part Three Decline

1946-1967 Rhubarb had been an important part of the UK’s diet during the Second World War (yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk 2017a). So when that war ended many West Yorkshire growers were probably looking forward to a bright future. Rhubarb forcing was still a flourishing industry in Bramley, Leeds. In the Forties, the buildings of Bramley rose like an island above a sea of rhubarb. This is not just my memory. Others who were resident in Bramley at this period confirm the large amount of rhubarb that was grown. But any optimism possessed by Bramley growers would be all too rapidly dashed. Leeds, and in particular Bramley, experienced a massive absolute and relative decline in the area under rhubarb (Ordnance Survey 1958,1973; Second Land Utilisation Survey 1963-67). Most of this decline can be laid at the door of Leeds City Council. The latter during the 1930s had resolved to rid Leeds of overcrowding and slums that were such a feature of central and inner city life (Burt and Grady 1994 216- 218). Though Quarry Hill flats and some council houses near the city centre provided homes for many displaced from properties declared unfit for human habitation, there was not enough space in inner city Leeds to build all the semi-detached houses with gardens that were needed. Already, before the war, council estates had been built in such suburbs as Bramley. In accordance with the Ministry of Health Circular 1866, new building was put on hold during the war but the intention to build council houses remained. A report was produced in 1943 that was considered to be so sensitive that forty-five years on, I was only allowed to read it when I gave prove of my identity, including my address, to a Leeds Local History librarian ( Housing Committee 1943). The report stated that after the war 400 houses would need to be built in Bramley off Intake Lane and Swinnow Road. In the event, the Moorside area was added to the list. Other later additions in Bramley included the Lower Town Street-Raynville area, Hough End and Gamble Hill. Collectively, these were the major rhubarb growing areas not only in Bramley but also in Leeds. Though the report mentioned the value of agriculture, it appeared that the committee was thinking of farming beyond Leeds rather than within. Certainly, after the war, Leeds City Council was ruthless in its drive to build houses. This outweighed any concern for food production even at a time of post-war shortages. Compulsory purchase orders were used to displace the rhubarb growers to acquire land (Town Clerk 1950; Anonymous 1994 41). By 1958, Intake, Moorside and Swinnow were no longer growing rhubarb (except perhaps in back gardens), (Ordnance Survey 1958; foundation stone on St Margaret’s Church, Moorside). The rhubarb fields in the eastern part of Farnley were also lost to council houses at this time. In the 1960s the rhubarb fields in the Lower Town Street-Raynville area along with those at Gamble Hill and Hough End, Bramley and Swallow Hill, Armley also became council houses (Barrett’s 1958; Barrett’s 1966; Second Land Utilisation Survey 1963-67). Whilst most of the decline in Leeds was a result of Leeds City Council policies, there was also some loss due to private developments. Elmfield Gardens, in Bramley, and market gardens in Hunslet and Osmondthorpe were lost in this way. In 1967,the remaining patch of farmland at Cross Green was down to arable, grass and rough land, possibly awaiting development, but there was no land in market gardening (Second Land Utilisation Survey 1963-7).

Part Three Pg 1 of 10 There was also a loss near Rothwell for a very different reason. Swithenbank Farm near Rothwell began to grow rhubarb between 1938 and 1948 (Classified Telephone Directory 1949). But during the 1960s large-scale open cast coal mining took place on the farm (Second Land Utilisation Survey 1962-68). After the area was reclaimed there appears to have been no interest in growing rhubarb again (Classified Telephone Directories, Post Office Classified and Yellow Pages 1967 to 2002). From at least 2002 the land has been down to other crops and grass (Silson 2002 a). There is additional evidence that between 1946 and 1967 the rhubarb industry was flourishing, and that most of the losses were due to events over which the industry had no control. Even within Leeds the rhubarb farms at Whitecote, Kirkstall, Farnley and Gelderd Road that were not needed or were not deemed suitable for council houses continued growing rhubarb (Barrett’s 1966; Classified Telephone Directory 1967). Whilst some Bramley growers such as Arthur Whitwell (of Moorside) retired, in his case to Rawdon, others such as William Craven (of Waterloo Lane) relocated, in Craven’s case to (Kelly 1947; Classified Telephone Directory 1949, 1956; Post Office Telephone Directory 1955). William Guy, one of Bramley’s major rhubarb growers until he lost his land at Swinnow to the Council, moved to Savile Arms Farm at Hunsworth, not the present Savile Arms Farm, but one close to the pub. of that name (Classified Telephone Directory 1949, 1956; Silson 2016-17). There, he was a market gardener (Plate5). (Classified Telephone Directory 1956, 1967). (So he must have been optimistic for the future, and would have probably remained in Bramley but for the Council’s action.

Plate 5 William and Ida Guy (probably at Hunsworth) (Courtesy of Alan and Audrey Tate)

Elsewhere, some other growers were also foreseeing good times. J F Harper, a Roker Lane Pudsey rhubarb grower, increased production by doubling the size of a shed in 1950 (J Harper 1950). Perhaps he was hoping to gather some of the custom

Part Three Pg 2 of 10 when nearby growers in Bramley had to quit. As a whole, the industry in Pudsey was doing very well indeed. In 1947 Herbert Forster and his son who were rhubarb growers had moved from Hunslet to Pudsey (Silson A 2016-17b). The rhubarb expresses finally stopped running in 1962 (Fox 1982 60). So after 1962, Forsters collected rhubarb from many of the Pudsey growers and carried it, along with their own rhubarb, in wagons down to London. A former employee of the firm, Glen Marshall, told me that the quantities of rhubarb were so large that he had to be based in London for five days a week in the season to deliver the rhubarb to the individual customers of each Pudsey grower (Silson A 2016-17b). Moreover, the rhubarb industry was actually expanding in some areas during this period. The Sutcliffe Brothers started a completely new enterprise on land that had not previously grown rhubarb, at Troydale, Pudsey, in 1953 (Silson A 2016-17d). Admittedly, the brothers had the advantage that some of their rhubarb could be, and was, sold in Sutcliffe’s shop in Farsley. This safety net might have proven valuable if their more distant markets in Bradford and London failed. Previously, small amounts of rhubarb had been grown near the shop before they set up business in Troydale (Silson A 2016-17 c). Cartlidge as well as growing forced rhubarb at several gardens in the Morley area began to grow rhubarb at Linton near about 1961, and was still growing rhubarb there in 1967 (Classified Telephone Directory 1961, 1967). It is almost certain that the rhubarb was green top, but it is of interest for two reasons. It again demonstrates that at least some growers still thought rhubarb had a good future, and it shows commercial growing was possible well to the north-east of Leeds. Lastly, an even more striking instance of optimism occurred at Upper Thong (between and ) when Geoffrey Beaumont began to grow forced rhubarb in 1958 (Upper Thong Women’s Institute 2002 81). He forced it in a Nissan Hut that had previously given service as a REME workshop in West Africa. The twenty-five acre farm was sold in the mid-Sixties. The numbers of market gardeners (who were almost certainly rhubarb growers) in West Yorkshire fluctuated between 1949 and 1967, but were slightly higher in the latter year than the former (Figure 3). These figures are derived from telephone directory entries. Figures of the membership of Leeds and District Market Gardeners’ Association, which had about 120 members in 1949 but about 140 members in 1967 support this pattern (The Fruit-Grower 1949; Giles 73). The discrepancy between these numbers and those derived from Telephone Directories arises through the Market Gardeners’ figures including duplicates and non- commercial growers (Giles 8). In addition, I only tried to include forced rhubarb growers in my set of figures. Evidently any losses occasioned by the building of houses or by mining were roughly balanced by new entries to rhubarb growing. 1968-1997 This period witnessed a dramatic and accelerating decline in the number of market gardeners (who I believe were also rhubarb growers) in West Yorkshire (Figure 3). The 140 or so rhubarb growers in the West Riding (a larger area than West Yorkshire) had decreased to only ten forced rhubarb commercial growers in 2017 (Table 2; Giles 73; Parr 9-19; Silson 2016-17).

Part Three Pg 3 of 10

Figure 3 Number of market Gardeners in West Yorkshire at given years. (SourceTelephone Directories)

Figure 4 Area under rhubarb in England and Wales at given years (Source DEFRA 2017)

Part Three Pg 4 of 10 Table 2 Commercial rhubarb growers in West Yorkshire 2017

Name of Grower Location Procter Farsley Whiteley Pudsey Tomlinson Pudsey Westwood Thorpe Oldroyd Rothwell Dobson Carlton Green Carr Gate Bramley Ouchthorpe Lane Jacques Stanley

Accompanying the decline in the numbers of rhubarb growers was a decline in the area under rhubarb (Figure 4). Statistics are only available for England and Wales for the whole period (see Methodology) but when statistics were available for earlier years West Yorkshire was the main producer of forced rhubarb. A spokesperson for Defra informed me that West Yorkshire was almost certainly the main producer in 2016, so the changes in West Yorkshire almost certainly are similar to those for England and Wales as a whole (Defra 2017 b). The area under rhubarb for the West Riding in 1967 was 2625 acres but only about 800 acres in West Yorkshire in 2017 (Giles 4; Wakefield Express 2012; FGinsight 2017; Silson 2016-17). Between 1967 and 2017, the number of rhubarb growers decreased by 93% but the area under rhubarb decreased by only 70%. This difference has arisen because some growers leased or bought some of the fields of growers who left farming altogether; Westwood, for example, took over Castlehead Farm, and Oldroyd some fields at Rothwell. Furthermore, the losses were greater in some parts of West Yorkshire than others, and it is these spatial changes that are next discussed. Drighlington had ceased to grow rhubarb by 1975 (Post Office Classified 1975). Many of the other early losses were also in the western part of the area. Upper Thong, Lightcliffe and Gomersal were last traced in 1967. Most of the Calder valley in and near Wakefield had also ceased to produce forced rhubarb by 1975. Farsley production was reduced to the Priesthorpe Lane area when a grower (Hitchcox) near the centre of the village ceased trading, and the site became occupied by houses, and Crossfield Farm (said to be in Calverley) also stopped growing rhubarb. Crossfield Farm was part of three worked by Wheatley Brothers of Methley (Classified Telephone Directory 1967). Presumably when having to reduce the area under rhubarb they chose Calverley as the other two farms were in Methley. Some Pudsey growers, including the two Harpers had also ceased to trade by 1975. Forced rhubarb production that possibly commenced after the war, ceased in the extreme east of the region in the Eastbourne district of Pontefract between 1967 and 1975. In 1974, boundaries were re-drawn. West Riding County Council was abolished and the land between Leeds and Wakefield that the County Council had administered, along with Morley and Pudsey Boroughs was divided into two. The northern half was acquired by Leeds; the southern by Wakefield. At the stroke of a pen, Leeds again became an important forced rhubarb-growing city, and Wakefield that had grown only a small amount increased its acreage of rhubarb. To the very few gardens in Bramley, near Geldard Road and Farnley Wood, Leeds then acquired the gardens at Farsley, Pudsey, , Woodkirk, Ardsley, Carlton, Rothwell and Methley. Wakefield acquired the gardens near Carr Gate and in Stanley.

Part Three Pg 5 of 10 Between 1975 and 1989, patches of rhubarb had been lost in all areas. But the areas where rhubarb had completely ceased to be grown had increased to include, Bramley, Geldard Road, Gildersome, Farnley, Troydale and West Ardsley (including Tingley). (Yellow Pages 1989). Only one grower remained at Churwell and one at Woodkirk, and they had both ceased trading by 1994. The firm of William Guy and Son was still engaged in market gardening at Hunsworth in 1982 (Yellow Pages 1982). By 2001, P and H E Ives Pick Your Own Fruit growers occupied the Hunsworth Gardens (Yellow Pages 2001/02). The important 1938 forced rhubarb producing areas in the south and east at Brandy Carr, Methley and Stanley had almost entirely stopped growing forced rhubarb in the five year period ending in 1994. Even the well-known firm of Jacques was no longer growing rhubarb (Yellow Pages 1993/4). The main areas growing rhubarb had then become almost those of today. Farsley, Pudsey, Thorpe, the Rothwell-Carlton area and one centre north of Stanley, but even this latter area was lost to rhubarb about 2009 (Yellow pages 2007/08). There were also small centres at Ouchthorpe Lane and near Carr Gate (Parr 9,12). Possible reasons for the decline in the number of rhubarb growers and the area under rhubarb The construction of the M1 and M62 probably contributed to the long established forced rhubarb firm of Wade calling it a day in the extreme north of Rothwell Haigh as most of the firm’s land was lost to the motorway (Classified Telephone Directory 1967; Post Office Classified 1975). About 1966 Pog Farm, Stanningley (and mostly just outside the then Leeds Borough boundary) ceased growing rhubarb, and briefly became rough land (Second Land Utilisation Survey 1963-67). The evidence as to dates is inconsistent. The 1967 Telephone Directory still has Pog Farm listed as market gardening, but the land use map shows no evidence of market gardening (Classified Telephone Directory 1967). In 1973, most of Pog Farm’s former fields were part of the Grangefield Industrial Estate (Ordnance Survey 1973). Just to the west of Outwood, Dennis Macauley sold 110 acres of rhubarb land to Euroway Estates in 1973 (Yorkshire Post 1973). This firm had already acquired 220 adjacent acres and the complete site would become Wakefield 41 Industrial Park by the early 1980s (Ordnance Survey 1982). Presumably Macauley believed he would get a better return by investing the capital from the sale of his land than from rhubarb growing as this industry was beginning to experience problems widely throughout West Yorkshire from about 1968. Various reasons for the general difficulties experienced by rhubarb growers have been made, but often it has proved difficult to assess their veracity or relative importance. Even the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (MAFF) could do no more than give opinions for the decline at a time when the decline was actually occurring (Hughes 8). MAFF suggested: ‘declining profitability because demand does not keep pace with output’ and ‘increasing unavailability of labour willing to carry out very hard work of lifting in the bad weather’. Strangely, Hughes does not explore the issue of falling demand but yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk states three reasons why demand fell (yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk 2017a). Their web site says that during the Second World War a shortage of sugar to sweeten rhubarb led to people disliking the fruit. The company also makes the point that the green rhubarb crumble served in school dinners discouraged a younger generation from eating rhubarb. Even if this information is true throughout England it must be remembered that the decline did not begin until twenty years after the war had ended. The third point concerning the competition from imported fruit is more

Part Three Pg 6 of 10 valid, especially when applied to such fruits as strawberries. Details have been difficult to establish, but as became increasingly widespread during the Seventies and Eighties, it does appear to be the case that strawberries, imported from countries with warm winters such as Egypt and coastal , increasingly competed with rhubarb and apples during the winter months. It is possible that this change could also have contributed to the accelerating loss of rhubarb growers. There are two other points relating to cooking and eating that were not considered by yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk. Eating out was increasing, so chefs’ menus influenced diets, and these did not always include rhubarb. More significantly, home cooking declined. Strawberries can simply be washed and then eaten, rhubarb has to be stewed, or made into a pie or crumble, and many preferred the ease of washing to the more time consuming and harder work of cooking. Profitability was declining due to increased production costs at least in the Seventies. In 1973, a journalist interviewed Norman Asquith who, like MAFF, discussed labour problems (Yorkshire Post 1973). He said employees were being paid less than those in industry and so it was difficult to attract workers. The implication is that to attract people to do physically hard and often monotonous work high wages had to be paid, but high wages could put farmers out of business. Whilst not disputing Asquith’s statement, it must be pointed out that some rhubarb growers were family firms with few or no employees. Furthermore, it is not necessarily acceptable to pay low wages for any length of time just to keep a business running. It has not been possible to establish if labour costs continued to increase until the early years of this century, but it does seem as if the industry has had difficulty in recruiting workers right up to the present day. Oldroyd, for example, was employing overseas workers in 2017 (Silson 2016-17). Asquith also discusses how the introduction of Clean Air Zones caused growers to change from coke to oil to heat their sheds, and this had increased costs as the cost of oil was then increasing. Yet Giles in 1970 approved the change to oil. Hughes indirectly supports the problem of rising fuel costs by stating that the government was to give a temporary subsidy on heating fuels to all horticulturalists (Hughes 19). However, there is no available information if this problem of rising fuel costs continued. If it did not, then it is largely irrelevant in explaining the decline over many years. According to Asquith the cost of timber to repair sheds was also increasing. Another set of possible reasons for the decline is that growers have often been rather set in their ways. Rhubarb can be and is grown in black polythene tunnels. The roots are left on the ground and a double layer of polythene (with the lower layer black) placed over them. It is less arduous than lifting roots and moving them into a shed, and where people are employed may be cheaper (Plate 1). The rhubarb is said to be as good as that forced in sheds provided temperatures are carefully controlled (Silson 2016-17e). Giles commented in 1970 that polythene was already being used in other branches of horticulture and it might be used in rhubarb growing. Yet, over forty years on, Whiteleys seem to be the only West Yorkshire commercial grower to have adopted this method, and they only did so because their old shed had collapsed (Silson 2016-7e). In 1967, there were at least 89 forced rhubarb growers in West Yorkshire, and the acreage of forced rhubarb was 659 (Classified Telephone Directory 1967, Giles 5). The average amount of land under forced rhubarb per grower was, therefore, an astonishing lowly figure of seven acres. There were simply too many rhubarb growers. Rhubarb growers were very slow to found a formal co- operative, but one such body, Yorkshire Rhubarb Growers Association, was founded in 1967; it existed until 1996 (yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk 2017b). Some growers neither

Part Three Pg 7 of 10 joined this co-operative nor one organised by Norman Asquith; they remained independent. Between 1970 and 1990 supermarkets became the main retail outlets for greengrocery; very few independent greengrocers survived. Usually supermarkets demand a steady supply of a relatively large quantity of a product. Individual growers with only about seven acres were not in a position to trade with supermarkets, even if they wanted to do so. And growers had and still retain polarised attitudes towards supermarkets. For some growers supermarkets offer a steady income but at least one grower perceives supermarkets as often exploiting producers (Parr 11). It is possible that those who became members of a co-operative could collectively serve supermarkets. But if this happened, it could not ultimately stem the decline in rhubarb growing. The Sutcliffes exemplify a final reason why the number of rhubarb growers declined. When they retired there was no one interested in taking over the business (Silson 2016-7d). Mr Sharpe of Rodley Fold also had no takers for his rhubarb business when he retired (Silson 2002). We do not know why there was no interest but we can make suggestions. If a grower had children then, as education of the young advanced, the grower’s children may have sought richer pastures. With or without children, the falling demand for rhubarb, and the difficulties of obtaining labour may have discouraged people from taking over a rhubarb business. 1998-2017 The two decades from 1998 to 2017 are characterised by a fight for survival, even while the number of rhubarb growers continued to decline, and by a revival of the rhubarb industry after 2009. In 1998, The National Farmers Union teamed up with the rhubarb members of The Leeds and District Market Gardeners’ Association to promote the sale of forced rhubarb by declaring 14 January 1999 National Winter Gourmet Rhubarb Day (Farmers Weekly 1998). At the same time Wakefield City Council sought to encourage tourists to visit the town by setting up a rhubarb festival (Yorkshire Evening Post 2000). It proved to be a huge success, and has become an annual event, which is to be known in 2018 as Wakefield Festival of Food, Drink and Rhubarb. But in the 2016 event, rhubarb had appeared to be eclipsed by other foods (Silson 2016-17). Nevertheless, thousands of people have attended the event over the years, and many of these have enjoyed Janet Oldroyd Hulme’s talk about rhubarb, and her tour of the firm’s rhubarb shed. There have been both local and long distance visitors, some from as far afield as Cornwall (Silson 2002b). Janet was the only grower to volunteer to receive visitors when the first festival was held though today Whiteleys also hold an open day in February. Simon Dobson participates in Open Farm Sunday but that is held in June and includes the whole farming operations, not just rhubarb. Janet has also proved to be remarkably effective in promoting Yorkshire rhubarb in other ways including appearing on BBC’s Countryfile programme, and by obtaining protected status for the name: Yorkshire Rhubarb (Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle Growers, c.2008).

Part Three Pg 8 of 10

Plate 6 Modern packing and transport of forced rhubarb During the period from 1998 to 2017 the industry has become more diverse. At least some of this diversity, if not all, has helped the industry to survive. Markets are now very varied. The large-scale growers of Dobson, Oldroyd and Westwood all sell to supermarkets; Dobson to and Westwood pre-packs rhubarb before selling to ; Oldroyd sells to several supermarkets (FGinsight 2017; Silson 2016- 17). Dobson, Tomlinson and Whiteley have farm shops, which sell directly to the local market, as does Oldroyd during the Rhubarb Festival. Tomlinson also sells to local shops though one Pudsey outlet has recently closed. Green’s customers include the Blacker Hall Farm Shop only about five miles away (Blacker Hall Farm Shop 2016). Procter sells his rhubarb in Bradford wholesale market. Tomlinson sells traditional types of rhubarb grown in the traditional way and supplies rather up- market restaurants and shops (Natoora 2017; Wellocks 2015). Westwood not only sells to Morrisons but to Fortnum and Mason who include amongst their customers royalty. During a 2016 visit to Westwood, Mrs D Westwood informed me that the Queen’s chef was due to visit them. Westwood like Dobson has his own large wagons and also transports some of Tomlinson’s rhubarb to London (Plate 6). This variety of outlets and specialisation leads to less competition than in the past and so has helped survival. There is diversity in the cropping system too. Perhaps Dobson is the most diverse. Though rhubarb occupies 170 acres of the land farmed, it is merely one of many crops grown on land that even includes set-aside (Silson 2016-2017). Most other producers also grow other crops especially vegetables. The advantages of growing more than rhubarb include reducing the number of weeds and the risk of disease, and being able to employ labour throughout the year by growing a summer cash crop. In this latter respect Oldroyd is the most distinctive in growing vast amounts of strawberries under polythene tunnels (Silson 2016-2017). Another advantage is that the area under rhubarb can be adjusted to market demand, albeit only over two or three years. Procter now grows only rhubarb but in the past also

Part Three Pg 9 of 10 grew other vegetables. Whilst Procter grows excellent rhubarb for sale, and no doubt welcomes any profit, I suspect that he continues to trade because he actually enjoys growing rhubarb. Both the survival and revival of rhubarb growing also owe much to rhubarb being identified as a health food, and to celebrity chefs including forced rhubarb in their menus. Rhubarb has also featured in television programmes on cookery and food. As a by-product of these television programmes, many cookery books have recently appeared, and some of which, like Mary Prior’s Rhubarbaria (2009) book, have lots of recipes for rhubarb. As a result of this renewed interest in eating rhubarb, Asquith at Red Hall and Jacques at Hatfield Farm were again forcing rhubarb about 2015 (Parr 16). The recent increased area under rhubarb is partly accounted for in this way, and partly accounted for by existing growers acquiring additional fields (Figure 4).

Many now regard Wakefield as the rhubarb capital. Through its strong promotion of the industry in recent years it no doubt merits this title. However, the largest area under rhubarb is in Leeds and the largest growers of Dobson, Oldroyd and Westwood are all based in Leeds (Figure 5). Although a few of Westwood’s fields are in Wakefield, and both Dobson at Ouzelwell Green and Westwood at Thorpe have Wakefield postal addresses, these businesses are based in Leeds . Hence Leeds is once more the forced rhubarb capital of the UK and probably of the World.

Figure 5

Part Three Pg 10 of 10 Appendix 1

Number of Rhubarb Forcing Sheds found on a given West Yorkshire Ordnance Survey 1:10560 map 1888-92

Sheet Number Location Within Leeds Outside Leeds Bramley Osmondthorpe Rest of Leeds CCXVIII NE 7 CCXVIII NW 12 1 CCXVIII SW 2 18 2 CCII SE 18 CCXVII NE 7 3 CCXXXII NE 2 CCXXXIII NW 1 CCXXXIII SW 3 CCXVIII SE 5 CCXXXIII NE 1 CCXXXIII SE 4 CCXXXII SE 1 CCXLVII NE 1 TOTALS 25 21 19 23

Appendix 2

Number of Rhubarb Forcing Sheds found on a given West Yorkshire Ordnance Survey 1:10560 map in the 1930s Sheet Number Location Within Leeds Outside Leeds Bramley Osmondthorpe Rest of Leeds CCXVIII NE 9 CCXVIII NW 4 CCXVIII SW 13 8 CCII SE 23 3 1 CCXVII NE 18 10 21 CCXXII NW 3 CCII SW 9 CCXVII SW 3 CCXVII SE 6 8 CCXXXII NE 16 CCXXXIII NW 26 CCXXXIII SW 22 CCXVIII SE 9 CCXXXIV NW 4 CCXXXIII NE 22 CCXXXIII SE 26 CCXXXII NW 7 CCXXXII SE 1 CCXLVII NE 3 CCXLVIII NE 3 CCXLVIII SE 3 CCXLVIII SW 1 CCXLVIII NW 1 SE 12 NW 1 TOTALS 41 13 32 198

Acknowledgments

As ever I thank my friend Trevor Plows for using his enormous computer skills to draw maps and diagrams, and to format the whole work ensuring it looks visually attractive. My thanks go also to Margaret Plows for reading, and commenting on, the drafts. I also thank the many people who have answered my questions. Most of these people been named in the text. And I thank librarians and West Yorkshire Archive staff for providing the many maps and documents that I have requested. I appreciated a discussion with Richard Jackson, who is also writing a book about rhubarb, that led me to try to clarify a few points in part 1.

References Anonymous 1994 Swinnow Memories The Patchwork Press, Leeds Bairstow M 2015 The Great Northern Railway In The West Riding Martin Bairstow, Leeds Barrett’s City of Leeds Directory, St Anne’s-on-Sea 1958 249; 1966 96 Beresford M and Jones G Leeds and its Region 1967 British Association for the Advancement of Science, Leeds Bartle and Son Farm valuations 1930 874/15/2 West Yorkshire Archives Leeds 183 Birmingham Daily Post 20 January 1939 15 http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 6 February 2016 Blacker Hall Farm Shop 2016 http://www.blackerhallfarmshop.co.uk accessed 26 January 2016 British Geological Survey Map 1991 SE 23 NE Drift British Geological Survey Memoir D A Wray et al.1930 The Geology of the Country around Huddersfield and Halifax HMSO, London Burt S and Grady K 1994 The Illustrated Breedon Books, Census Returns 1841 (HO107); 1851 (HO107); 1861 (RG 09, RG 3375); 1871(Bramley RG10/4525); 1881(RG11/4500) http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 8 January 2016 Charlton and Archdeacon’s 1849-50 Directory of the Borough of Leeds and Neighbourhood Leeds 68, 403 Cheltenham Chronicle 25 February 1893 3 http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 6 February 2016 City of Leeds Housing Committee 1943 Post War Housing Report 1,5,7, 8. Leeds Local History Library Classified Telephone Directory 1949 East and West Yorkshire 253, 254, 334, 335; 1956 301,302, 393; 1958 309; 1961 305, 306, 404; 1967 261, 345. Cornishman 9 January 1890 4 http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 4 May 2016 Defra 2017 a) Annual Statistics for rhubarb in England and Wales 1984-2016 b) Reply to email 2017 from Silson A to Defra 12 January 2017 Dickinson G 1993 Leeds: A Hundred Years Ago Farmers Weekly 23 October 1998 http://www.fwi.co.uk/author/farmer/ accessed 17 October 2015 FGinsight 20 April 2016 Rhubarb at the heart of historic Yorkshire family business http://www.Fginsight.com accessed 2 August 2017 Fielding T 1931 Plan No 627 for a rhubarb shed West Yorkshire Archives CMT5/BIP/G; 1153 Fox M 1982 The Last Rhubarb Train Access Publishing. Bramley Library Giles R 1970 Forced rhubarb in the West Riding of Yorkshire Leeds University Press, Leeds Leeds Local History Library, Leeds 338.9/GIL Goodchild J 1998 The Story of Rhubarb in Taylor K ed. Aspects of Wakefield Wharncliffe, 8-28 Guy Leonard 1948 His Will Lancaster Guardian 23 April 1948 4 Guy and Bretherick leaflet nd West Yorkshire Archives Service Wakefield C 697/1/5 Halifax Courier 18 February 1939 7 http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 13 June 2016 Harper J 28 September 1950 Extension of Rhubarb Shed West Yorkshire Archives Leeds LMT/PU/B1523

References Pg 1 of 4 Harwood Long W 1969 A Survey Of The Agriculture Of Yorkshire Royal Agricultural Society of England, London Hirst S (ed) 1926 The Leeds Tercentenary Official Handbook Tercentenary Executive, Leeds Hughes J M 1976 Rhubarb Industry: study in depth: the running down of a local industry- its short term and long term effects typescript. Leeds Local History Library, Leeds, QP 338.17548 H87Y Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England 1880 2 Series v16 479 Joy D 1975 A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain Volume 8 South And West Yorkshire David and Charles, Newton Abbot Kelly’s 1867 Directory of Leeds 615 Kelly’s 1867 Directory of the West Riding of Yorkshire 1383 Kelly’s 1888 Directory of Leeds 572 Kelly’s 1922 Directory of the West Riding Yorkshire London 864 Kelly’s 1947 Directory of Leeds London 1302 Leeds Mercury 12 December 1871 2; 5 August 1881; 20 February 1888 3; 15 January 1889; 3 April 1905 5 http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 4,5 February, and 4 May 2016 Leighton Buzzard and Linslade Observer 3 February 1885 6 http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 6 February 2016 Liverpool Daily Post 13 August 1869 6 http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 4 May 2016 Marriages Transcriptions 1837-2008 http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 8 January 2016 Meteorological Office 1969 Average temperatures 1931-60; 1977 Average annual rainfall 1941-70 Southern Britain Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries 1949 Bulletin No 113 Rhubarb HMSO, London Natoora- Robert Tomlinson 2017 http://www.natoora.co.uk/our-growers/robert- tomlinson.php accessed 18-6- 2017 Newcastle Journal 2 March 1918 5 http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 6 February 2016 Ordnance Survey Map 1852 1:10560 Leeds Ordnance Survey Map revised 1958 1: 63360 Leeds and Bradford: revised 1973 1:50000 Leeds and Bradford Ordnance Survey Map revised 1982 1:10000 Stanley Ordnance Survey Maps of West Yorkshire revised 1888-92 1:10560; revised 1905-16 1:2500 and 1:10560; revised 1929-38 1:10560 Many Ordnance Survey Maps are lodged in Leeds Local History Library and various branches of West Yorkshire Archives Service. Others are privately held including copies bought from Cassini or The National Library of Scotland. Parr M 2016 The Rhubarb Triangle Pigot and co 1841 Royal National and Commercial and Topography Directory J Pigot 39 Post Office Classified Telephone Directory Leeds Area 1975 275. Post Office Telephone Directory Leeds 1955 296 Prior M 2009 Rhubarbaria Prospect Books, Totnes Register of parliamentary electors September 1867; 1880 Riley D 2005 George’s Family Athena Press, London Riley D and Walker R 1938 Agriculture in Carr E ed Industry in Bramley. St Peter’s School Bramley. Privately Held

References Pg 2 of 4 Robinson H 1965 Geography For Business Students Macdonald and Evans, London Second Land Utilisation Survey 1962-68 1: 25000 Dewsbury 675; 1963-66 1:25000 676; 1963-67 1:25000 Leeds 687 Sharpe 2002 Discussion with Silson A Silson A 2002 a) Field work at intervals between 2002 and 2015 Silson A 2002 b) Field work including a visit to Oldroyd Silson A 2009 The Leather Industries and the Growth of Bramley Publications of The Thorseby Society Second Series 77-95 Silson A 2016 The Growth of Forced Rhubarb in West Yorkshire c. 1852-1895 Leeds History Journal Issue 28 13-18 Reprinted with several amendments as part one of this article Silson A 2016-17 Field work including discussions with a) Lavan A 9 July 2017 b) Marshall G 29 June 2017 c) Procter D 17 October 2015, 29 October 2016 13 June 2017 d) Sutcliffe H questionnaire returned to Silson A 20 January 2017 e) Whiteley V 24 June 2017 Slater’s 1848 Royal National Commercial Directory 8 Strong R (ed) 1999 A Second Pudsey Album Pudsey Civic Society Tasker J 1952 The West Riding Rhubarb Industry The Journal of the Ministry of Agriculture Vol L1X 386-391 Taylor M 2003 The Canal and River Sections of the Aire and Calder Navigation Wharncliffe, Barnsley The Fruit-Grower 3 March 1949 259 The Gardeners Chronicle 28 December 1878 Rhubarb for Market 819 Town Clerk 22 March 1950 Property at Swinnow Road and Swinnow Lane acquired from Musgrave Estate Company under Compulsory Purchase Order West Yorkshire Archives Leeds GA/B/36 Turner D 1938 The Economic Rhubarbs Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society Vol 63 355-370 Upper Thong Women’s Institute 2002 Upper Thong Then and Now Wakefield Express 7-01-2002 http://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk% 2Fnews%2 local text=wakefield%E2%80%.99s+leading-Rhubarb+grower+David+Westwood accessed 2015 Wellocks co. The Perfect Rhubarb http://www.wellocks.co.uk accessed 27-09-15 West Riding Register of Deeds: 9 December 1867 772 675, 773 676, 774 677; 24 March 1874 704 578 672; 2 December 1875 745 287 238 White W 1853 Directory and Gazetteer of Leeds and of the Clothing District of the West Riding of Yorkshire William White, Sheffield 168 White W 1857-58 Directory of Leeds and of the Clothing District of the West Riding of Yorkshire William White, Sheffield 239, 328 Whitwell J 1890 His will proved 30 April 1890 Yellow Pages BT Bradford Area 1982 259; Leeds Area 1983 366, 1989 725, 1992/93 698, 1993/94 577,1994/95 622, 1995/96 661, 2007/08 900;Wakefield and Huddersfield Areas 2001/02 698, 788 Yorkshire Evening Post 1 January 1904 5; 6 January 1911 5; 6 November 1912 5; 25 February 1914 4; 3 February 1934 7; http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 6 February 2016, 13 June 2016. 3 January 2000 7 Yorkshire Post 6 December 1973

References Pg 3 of 4 Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 21 July 1876 2; 28 January 1888 7; 17 December 1917 7; 2 February 1922 5: 3 January 1930 8; 21 February 1931 8 http://search.findmypast.co.uk accessed 6 February 2016, March 2016, 13 June 2016 yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk http://www.yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk /Rhubarb%20 History.htm a) accessed 8 August 2017 yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk http://www.yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk/History.htm The Holroyd’s History b) accessed 8 August 2017 Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle Growers Application to Register Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb c.2008 3, 11-12

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