THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES HAWORTH-PAST AND PRESENT: A HISTOKY OF ik Ilnnlturm 6 u 6 BY J. HORSFALL TURNER, AUTHOR OF ; Nonconformity in Idel, with the History of Airedale College," "Independency at Briyhowe" tC'c. TWENTY ILLUSTRATIONS. ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL. BRIGHOUSI; : J. S. JOWETT, "NEWS" OFFICE. MDCCCLXXIX. To LOED HOUGHTON, D.C.L., ANTIQUARY, POET, PATRIOT, THESE PAGES, ON A SUBJECT OF SPECIAL INTEREST To His LORDSHIP, ARE (BY PERMISSION) RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. PREFACE. THIS little handbook is the outcome of a conversation the writer had with a native of Haworth, who expressed an opinion that a history of the township would be as acceptable to the inhabitants as to the numerous visitors. Whether this volume will fully answer the acknowledged requirements, it is not for me to say. I have had the pleasure of gathering the notes, and the task of stringing them together. The gathering of historic data I have always felt to be a pleasure; the task of stringing them together has been almost invariably irksome. In the first place, I have little time, and (I ought to add) in the second, little ability to do more than I have done. " " The critic will ask, Why meddle, then ? Well, I have this hobby, and it is one that will favourably compare with most hobbies. If this does not disarm him I must plead that each one has his sphere, and that local effusions need all the encouragement they can command. I have pleasure in acknowledging kindly services from the Rev. James Whalley, Messrs. A. Holroyd, W. Scruton, and T. Fairbank. COLLEGE HOUSE, IDEL, LEEDS. October 1st, 1879. 545231 CONTENTS. PAGE TOPOGRAPHY 9 10 ANCIENT HISTORY. Druidical. Roman. Kirkby's Inquest. Nos- tell. The Manors. Barnard's Survey. Subsidy Roll 11 14 WILLS 1421 THE MANOR. Birkhead. Midgley. Oxenhope 21 23 THE CHURCH. Origin. Inscriptions. Chantry 23 32 INCUMBENTS. Pawson. Wynterburn. Emmott. Halifax. Smith. Rawlinge 32 34 ENDOWMENT. Rebuilding. Tithes. Benefaction 34 36 REV. E. ROBINSON. Coining. Church Registers. Emmotts ... 3638 REV. J. COLLIER. REV. E. GARFORTH 39 REV. R. TOWN. Registers. Exercises 40 41 REV. J. COLLIER. Ramsdens. Recusants. Token 41 42 REV. E. MOORE. Middleton. REV. R. MARGERISON. Heywood 4243 DISSENT. Foster. Rhodes. Smith. Feather. ROBINSON ... 43 44 REV. T. ELLISON. REV. W. CLIFFORD. JACKSON 45 46 SEAT HOLDERS. Benefactions 46 49 REV. I. SMITH. Suspended. Clog and Shoe Wedding. Mr. Keighley. Bells 4951 REV. W. GRIMSHAW. Presentation. Life by Newton, c. Relics 5174 CHURCH REBUILT. REV. J. RICHARDSON. Caveat 74 REV. J. CHARNOCK. Law Suits. Terrier. Arvill 75 76 REV. S. REDHEAD. Uproars 76 79 REV. P. BRONTE. Fennells. Thornton Chapel. Books. Family History. Curates. Novelists. Trials. Rev. A. B. Nicholls. Marriage of Miss Bronte. Memorabilia. Tablet. Graveyard. REV. J. WADE 79100 METHODISM. Ingham. Grimshaw. Maskew. Greenwood. Lee. Catlow. Darney 101 105 Rev. John Wesley. Whitetield. Grimshaw's Letters. Reply to White. Chapel. Ministers 105 113 BAFHSTS. Hartley. Greenwood. Fawcett's Poem. Crabtree's Sermon 113 119 Rev. I. Slee. Thomas. Oddy. Winterbothom. Bury, Keats. Wood. Aldis. Harper. Hall Greeii Chapel ... 119123 Content*. PAOl. Haworth. People. Railway. Astrology. Voters. Worsted. Area 123129 Sowileiis. Ash Mount. The OKI Hall. Ducking Stool ... 129133 The Grammar School 133 136 Scandinavian Names. Mytholm. Oxenhope. Valley. Church 136 143 Captain Edwards. Copley Pedigree. Thomas Parker ... 143146 Stanbury. Crow Hill Bog. Pond en 147154 DKMOLITIOX OF HAWORTH CHURCH 155 164 AUTHORS. Branwell Bronte. Rev. P. Bronte. Bronte Hardaker .. 164 ILLUST1 Haworth Church, Frontispiece. p. 105- 124. ,, Parsonage p. viii. p. Church (East) p. 30. p. 129. Emmott, or Old Hall p. 38. p. 131. Rev. P. Bronte ... p. 73. p. 132. Thornton Chapel ... p. 81. p. 137. 142. ,, Parsonage p. 82. p. ( 'harlotte Bronte ... p. 88. p. 152. Rev. A. B. Nicholl* p. 92. p. 169. Haworth Parsonage, 1879 p. 101 p. 174. ADVERTISEMENT. Nonconformity in Idel, with the History of Airedale College." free for 3s. HAWORTH PAST AND PRESENT. x GENERATION ago it would have been much more necessary *"* to define the latitude and longitude of Haworth than it is at present. Even now it is generally supposed to be a most outlandish, or rather, one should say, inlandish place. Then, Iliiworth was known beyond its immediate district to few be- sides the old race of Methodists who treasured the memory of the incumbent Grimshaw, Wesley's co-worker. Notr, Haworth is on the lips of thousands upon thousands in various parts of the world. What has tended to this change? It is not owing to any sudden growth into a populous manufacturing town; nor owing to some royal personage, or merchant prince a wand over the barren hills nor to the late waving magic ; won- derful development in various branches of industry, else Haworth would have been left behind nor to a comparatively ; great railway system; nor even to a second Grimshaw. No; Haworth, and Stratford, and Abbotsford have their world-wide fame on account of the great thinkers who dwelt there. Haworth the home and burial place of the Brontes : such would he the gazetteer-like reply of the majority of readers if questioned as to what Haworth was. It has been asked if ever anyone was born at Stratford besides Shakespeare ! To any similar query respecting Haworth, we hope these pages will give a somewhat similar answer as has been returned from Stratford. Embosomed in the high moorlands connected with the Pen- nine Range, is the ancient village of Haworth, with the hamlets of Stanbury and Oxcnhope in its township. The ancient chapelry comprises an area of 10,540 acres, stretching from the village of Haworth (four miles south-west of Keighley,) westward to the boundary of Lancashire, nearly half of which is uncultivated moors, heaths and commons. The township is in the parish of Bradford, yet completely isolated from the B 10 Haicorth : rest of that parish, being eleven miles distant from the town. Before the Worth Valley Railway was opened it was a point of some difficulty to decide upon the best means of reaching this ancient village. "Haworth a chapelry in Bradford parish, and Morley wapontake,* West Riding, Yorkshire," is still a somewhat indefinite direction to give a stranger, but formerly Haworth was difficult of access. Now the general direction is "Aim for Keighley, on the Midland Railway, and there change for the Worth Valley Line which has a length of five miles, having stations at Ingrow, Dameins, Oakworth, Haworth, and Oxenhope, the latter (in Haworth township,) being the terminus." Worth Valley derives its name from the Worths just mentioned, and is of modern application. The Worth, if we may so name the stream, is an inconsiderable river, and empties itself into the Aire at Keighley. Owing to the large reservoirs constructed on the moors the quantity of water is now insignificantly small. The two main becks forming the Worth stream meet, in Oxenhope, at Banks' Mill, otherwise called Brooks-meeting Mill, and passing, Dunkirk, Rishworth, Oxeuhope, Bridgehouse, and Ebor (Merrall's) Mills, leaves Haworth, near the Railway Station, for Oakworth. There has been a large increase in the population of Haworth during the present century. In 1801 the chapelry or township contained 8164 souls; in 1811, 3971; in 1821/4668; in 1831, 5835. In 1841 Haworth had 2434, Far Oxenhope 1910, near Oxenhope 1013, and Stanbury 946, giving a total population of 6,303. In 1871 Haworth had 2700, Far Oxenhope 1704, near Oxenhope 808, and Stanbury 754, total 5,966 a decrease of three hundred from 1841, but an increase of nearly three thousand on 1801. Haworth is not mentioned by name in the Domesday Sur- vey, 1086, and no records of previous occupation have come down to us, unless Oakeudeu Stones, a heap of rocks on Stan- *0r hundred, from the custom of swearing fidelity by 'touching the sheriffs weapon.' Past and Present. 11 bury Moor, are the remains of a Druid's altar. They consist of two stones erected perpendicularly. "On Crow Hill, the loftiest eminence of the ancient chapelry of Haworth, and at a height of 1,500 feet above the level of the sea, is a cromlech, an evident Druidicial remain, consisting of one flat stone, weight about six tons, placed horizontally upon two huge upright blocks, now half embedded in the heather." Lewis's Topographical Dictionary. A Roman vicinal way is believed to have near and the name passed Manywell-heights ; Stanburgh (on the road to Colne, the Colony of the Romans,) is a strong indication that the place was held as a fortification by that people. The first direct notice we have is in the record known as Kirkby's Inquest, taken 24th year of Edward 1, 1296, when Godfrey de Haworth, Roger de Manyngham, and Alicia de Bercroft, had four oxgangs in Haworth, where twenty-four carucates made a knight's fee. William de Horton had four oxgangs in Oxeuhope, and William de Clayton held other four oxgangs in Oxenhope. Mr. James supposes that the Manyng- hams and Bercrofts acquired their property at Haworth as heirs of John de Haworth. The rich Abbey of Nostell held lands in Oxenhope at a very early date. Mr. Jennings records in his MSS., British " Museum : Alexander, son of Swane de Clayton, gave to Nostell Priory an oxgang of land in Oxenhope, which Swane fil Lefnath and another held Wulmet Thomas held, oxgang by ; de Thornton, sou of Hugh de Thornton, confirming the grant which Wulmet held, and Richard de Clayton confirming the land held by Swane fil Lefnath." " John fil Allen de Baildon, with Cecily his wife, gave to Nostell all their part of the land which lay between the toft belonging to Nostell, which their son, Alexander, gave to them, on the east side of the river, running from the east side of the village of Oxenhope, and the outer ditch which the Canons of Nostell made by the assent, and of the gift of our fellows.