Archive

NEWS SHEET INDEXES

There is a wide range of research articles on Silsden History available in the group's News Sheets. Any of the topics listed in the index below can be requested via the "Contact Us" tab. Please give the number of the News Sheet(s) required.

SILSDEN LOCAL HISTORY GROUP INDEX OF NEWS SHEET ARTICLES (1-55)

Last updated 01-12-2023

ARTICLE NAME AND NUMBER NEWS SHEET EDITION

Investigating Sildsen’s Past

Dipping into the Georgian Period 3
Keeping law and order in Silsden in the Past 5
When Silsdeners took the law into their own hands 6
The story of Jacob B. Ellison, a Silsden worsted spinner at Canal Works 8
The early history of the Red Lion (Kirkgate) 10
Researching the history of Hainsworth House 11
A Silsden cabinet photo (James Ellison & Henry Cristopher Foster) 12
Silsden’s textile industry (part one) 13
Silsden’s textile industry (part two) 14
Silsden’s textile industry (part three) 15
Silsden House (a history) 16
Sorting out the Briggs associated with Silsden (James & Henry) 17
The creation of Silsden’s Coat of Arms 18
Nicholson’s Place (part one) 20
Nicholson’s Place (part two) 21
The Banklands fields between Bolton Road and Hawber Lane 22
The story of bringing gas to Silsden 24
Tar Topping – A hilltop ruin (part one) 25
Tar Topping – A hilltop ruin (part two) 26
Silsden’s nail makers (part one) 27
Silsden’s nail makers (part two) 28
Silsden’s nail makers (part three) 29
The Clarks of Clark Fold 30
Bolton Priory and its relationship with Silsden 32
The story of the Oddfellows in SIlsden (part one) 33
The Story of the Oddfellows in Silsden (part two) 34
Coalmining in Silsden Township (part one) 35
Coalmining in Silsden Township (part two) 36
The savers of Silsden 37
An introduction to Silsden’s terraced houses up to the First World War 38
Going to school in Silsden (part one: Up to 1870) 39
Going to school in Silsden (part two: 1870 – 1914) 40
Going to school in Silsden (part three: 1914 – 1946) 41
Going to school in Silsden (part four: 1946-1973) 42
The building of the Craven Drive Estate 43
The Cockshotts of Crossmoor 44
The 1911 Silsden Police Station Riot (part one – the riot) 45
The 1911 Silsden Police Station Riot (part two – the court case) 46
The history of Black Pots Farmstead 47
The early years of St. James’ Chapel (part one – the building and consecration) 48
The early years of St. James’ Chapel (part two – 1722 to 1837) 49
St. James’ Church in the Victorian Period (Part 3 – the chapel from 1837-1901 50
A new vicarage for Silsden in 1900 51
The establishment of the firm of ‘Berry and Fletcher’ - textile manufacturers 53
What can we learn from local place names – a study of Silsden Moor 54
The history of Lippersley Farm 55

What writers have said about Silsden

1995 – ‘Pearson’s canal Companion’ 13
1911 – ‘The gentleman’s Journal’ 14
1941 – ‘The King’s England’ by Arthur Mee 15
1893 – Yorkshire Weekly Post (sketch map) 16
1962/3 – ‘Silsden Official Guide’ 17
1987 – Newspaper article (30th September) 18
1959 – Nikolaus Pevsner ‘The buildings of England’ 20
2013 – Paul Hannon ‘Journey of the Aire’ 25
2005 – Yorkshire Life Magazine 36
1972 – ‘The Towpath Trod along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal’ 40
1984 – Silsden as Stan Boardman saw it 43
Mid-Twentieth Century – ‘From Foe to Friend’ by Margaret Throup 46

A moment in time

December 1998: St. James’ bells 19
The building of Clog Bridge 21
October 1869: the condition of Silsden 23
29th August 1940 – military air crash 31
30th October 1911 – Fire at the Silsden Omnibus garage 34
Jimmy recalls the day treacle flowed like molten lava 37
21st January 1907 – Fire at the Airedale Shed 44
1989 – New housing for Silsden 49
12th July 1900 – The destruction of Lumb Bridge 55

Spotlight on Kirkgate

Kirkgate’s historic bridges over Silsden and Bradley Becks 22
The story of St. James’ Churchyard 23
The story of Henry Price, the ‘Fifty Shilling Tailor’ 26
Brook’s men’s outfitters 29
The yard of the Red Lion – Smith Brigg landlord 31
Stakes Beck & Flesher’s Bridge 33

Notes on the Textile trade in Silsden

Some definitions 35
More definitions 39

Other articles

Trying to identify a ‘lost’ Edwardian photographer 7
An update on last week’s mystery photographer 8
Thoughts on the origins of the name ‘Cobbydale’ by Stephen Brown 9
‘Invisible women’ by Cathy Liddle 11
Investigating Briggs the printers 12
Remembering Connie Cowling by Cathy Liddle 19
Remembering Barbara Smith by Cathy Liddle 20
A Cenotaph for Silsden 24
The canal, Coal and the Co-op – A Silsden Perspective 25
A Silsden Landmark – Robin Hood’s Stone 27
Late Victorian wallpaper (Skipton Road) 28
The story of a Silsden nail maker – Jonas Newton (1831-1906) 30
Silsden Apprentices – apprenticed by the churchwardens 31
The earthwork at Tannery Corner 32
Remembering Leonard Spencer: Warpdresser and fireman of Bridge Street 35
The Story of Bank House – a canal bank property 36
Fentiman’s Botanical Brewers 39
An Ice cream factory in Silsden by Geoff Foster 40
The Clough family of Silsden House – The story of a wealthy family 41
Trackways to Kildwick Church from Silsden 300 years ago 42
Herbert Wade’s grocery Store 43
An early attempt to set up a co-operative agency in Silsden (Mid-19th Century) 45
An unusual image captured on East View – a unique photograph 46
Silsden’s 20th Century Apostolic Church 48
The Edwardian Semis on Skipton Road West 50
A look at Silsden postcards (part 1- Early 20th Century cards) 51
A look at Silsden postcards (part 2 – The decades after WW2) 52
Memories of working in Silsden’s Textile Mills in the 1970s 52
Tales of a Barber’s Shop on Clog Bridge 52
A Silsden woman and a Scottish bonesetter 53
Silsdeners enjoying the great outdoors 54
The auction particulars of Silsden House in 1938 55

GENERAL INDEX (News Sheets 1-55)

TOPICS NEWS SHEET

______________________________________________________________________________

Albert Square (terraced cottages) 38

Aircrash near Hayhills (1940) 31

Aire (body in the river) 10

Airedale Shed (textile mill complex) 3, 15, 52, 53

Airedale Shed fire (1907) 44, 51

Aire View School 40

Apprenticeships (by churchwardens) 31

Aqueduct, Barden 28

Aqueduct, Nidd 28

Bank House (canal side property) 36

Banklands Lane fields 22

Becks Mill 3, 4, 13

Becks Mill (workers’ terraced cottages) 38

Berry and Fletcher - Textile Manufacturers 52, 53

Black Pots Farmstead 47, 54

Bolton Priory (holdings in Silsden) 32

Bolton Road (terraces) 38

Bolton Road, no. 23a 39

Bolton Road School 40

Botanical brewery, North Street 39, 48

Bridge Road 7, 8

Bridge Street 6, 7, 8, 35

Briggs (printers) 12

British Empire Exhibition 1924 (visit to) 20

Brooks (gentlemen’s outfitters) 29

Civil War ballistics? (English Civil War) 51

Coalmining 35, 36

Coat of Arms (Silsden) 18

Canal Works (Elliott Street) 8, 14

Clark Fold (St. John’s S 21, 48, 49

Clog Bridge – Launderette 52

Clog Bridge – Wilson’s barbers’ shop 52

Cobbydale (origin of name) 2, 9, 12

Constable (village, appointed by vestry) 10

Co-operative Society 6, 25, 45, 45

Cenotaph (original site) 24

Court Leet 18

Craven Drive Estate 43

Daisy Hill 9

Domesday Book entries for Silsden 32

Driver Brothers (textile manufacturers) 14

Driver (William) & Sons Ltd. (nail works) 30

Droving road through Silsden 47

Elliott Street Mills 14

Farming: Mediaeval 22, 25

Black Pots 34, 47

Crossmoor 44, 45

Green Farm (Greengate) 26

Tar Topping (Crossmoor) 25, 26

Ghyll Grange 32

Fentiman, botanical brewery 39, 40

Fire Brigade 34, 35, 44

Flesher’s Bridge 33

Foresters (Ancient Order of) 9

Gas provision in SIlsden 24

Gas Works on Hainsworth Road 24

Gaudy Lands (Jackson’s Field) 47

Ghyll Grange Clough 47

Ghyll Grange Farm 32

Green Farm (Greengate) 26

Greengate 27

Green’s Textile Mill 52

Grinning Rat beer house (Crossmoor) 44

Guide stone (Bank/Cringles Lane junction) 43

Hainsworth House (villa) 11, 35, 43

Hawber Cote 22

Hawber Lane (Fields) 22

Highfield Works, North Street 39

Hill, Benson & Bailey Textile Mill 52

Holden 17, 35, 36

Holden Beck (Lumb Bridge) 55

Horne Farm (Kirkgate) 20, 21, 24

Horne’s Garret (Nicholson’s Place) 20

Hothfield School 40

Ice cream business (St. John’s Street) 40, 43, 46, 52

Ickringills MIll (Canal Works) 8, 9

Jackson’s Field (Gaudy Lands) 47

Kirkgate: Flesher’s Bridge 33

Historic bridges 22

Horne Farm 20, 21, 24

Knox, John & Sons Ltd. (Airedale Shed) 15

Lumb Bridge (Holden Beck) 55

Mediaeval oxgangs 22

Nicholson’s Place 20, 21

Oddfellows mug 45

Omnibus Company, Silsden (1909-1911) 34

Penny Peck Hall (33, Keighley Road) 36

Plaque (erected by SLHG) 48

Police Station Riot 45

Police Station Court Case 46

Poor Law 3

Leeds & Liverpool Canal 5, 25

Law & Order 3, 5, 6

Local Board of Health 23, 24

Mawkin (field name) 22, 25

Nail making & nail makers 27, 28, 29

Nail makers (tramping) 31

Nicholson’s Place 20, 21, 24

North Street Mill (textile mill) 14

Oddfellows 22, 33, 34, 36

Pastimes 54

Park – see Playing Fields

Photographers 7, 8, 12, 33, 34, 35

Playing fields 51

Price’s Outfitters 28

Red Lion (Kirkgate) 10, 31

Riding the Stang 6

Robin Hood’s Stone 17

St. James Church: Story of the Church 48, 49, 50

Bells 19

Churchyard 23, 32

Churchwardens 31

National School 39, 40

Vestry administration 3

Georgian vicarage 50

Edwardian vicarage 51

Sanitary conditions in town (1869) 23

Skipton Road (terraces) 38

Skipton Road West Edwardian semis 50, 51, 52

Silsden House (Victorian villa) 16, 18, 35, 41, 41, 43, 51, 52, 55

Silsden Moor (farms and place names) 54

Stained glass 35

Stakes Beck 33, 55

Steeton & Silsden railway station 17

Talbot Inn (Kirkgate) 10

Taylor’s Textile Mill (Waterloo Mills complex) 52

Tar Topping Farm (Crossmoor) 25, 26

Textile industry 8, 13, 35, 52

Textiles (glossary of cloth types) 15

Theory Club (spoof Silsden club) 23

Throstle Nest Farm 42

Token (Waterloo Mills) 53, 54

Turnpike 15

Victorian wallpaper 28

W.W.2 air crash near Hayhills (1940) 31, 32

Wade, H. (Briggate grocer) 48

Wadsworth’s Bridge (Low Holden) 36

Waterloo Mills 13, 14, 15, 17, 52, 53, 54

Wesleyan Chapel 48

Wesley Place 12

Wharfinger, Jonas Newton (Canal wharf) 5

Wilson, A. & Son Ltd. (New Close Shed) 15, 52

PEOPLE INDEX

(those in bold have profiles available on request)

NEWS SHEET

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Baldwins (Horne’s Garret) 20

Bairstow, Charles 43

Bairstow, Percy (Hainsworth House) 11, 43

Berry, John (1851-1891) – Berry and Fletchers 53

Bland, John (1821-1914) nail maker 45

Brigg, Smith (Red Lion licensee) 31

Briggs Brothers, printers 12, 17

Briggs, Henry (Waterloo Mills) 17

Briggs, James (Waterloo Mills) 17

Brooks, Arthur (gentlemen’s outfitters) 29

Clarke Family at Black Pots 47

Clarkson, George (nail maker) 28

Clough, William (1876-1937) of Silsden House 16, 41, 43

Clough, Roger (1901-1974) of Silsden House 41

Cockshott, Christopher (1797-1861) of Crossmoor 44

Cockshott, John (1751-1812) of Crossmoor 44

Cockshott, John (1778-1856) of Crossmoor 44

Cockshott, John (1806-1859) of Crossmoor 44

Cockshott, John (1830-1888) of Crossmoor 44

Cockshott, Henry (nail maker’s apprentice) 28

Cowling, Percy (1883-1945) 7

Cowling, William (Silsden Coat of Arms) 18

Cowling, Connie (William’s wife) 19

Cryer, Hannah 11

Darby, Joseph (1836-1912: nail maker) 9, 27

Dawson, Edwin (Police Station riot) 45, 46

Dixon, William (1867-1939: local photographer) 7, 8, 33

Heelis, Rev. Richard (1807-1865) Curate of St. James 50

Henthorn, Harold (1876-1926: Police Station riot) 45, 46

Hodgson, Benjamin (Police Station riot) 45, 46

Ellison, Jacob Bailey (1849-1924: textile manufacturer) 8

Ellison, James (1838-1906) - station master 12, 17

Faulkner brothers (W.W. 1) 24

Fentiman, Thomas (botanical brewer) 39

Fletcher, Joshua (1801-1875) – Patriarch of Fletcher family 53

Fletcher, Richard (1852-1949 – ‘Berry and Fletcher’ 53

Fletcher, William (1828-1886) – coal merchant 30

Foster, Henry Christopher (local photographer) 12

Gabbatt, William (Police constable) 10

Greaves, Rev. J. (St. James) 40

Grosschmidt, Alan (textile worker in 1970s) 52

Hartley, Elizabeth (midwife) 10

Hastings, Charles (Silsden House and Waterloo Mills) 16, 17, 53

Horne family (Kirkgate farmers) 20

Knops, Bill 46

Lee family (Canal and road surveyors) 36

Mason, Roy (textile mill experience) 15

Newton, Jonas (village constable, wharfinger & coal dealer) 5

Newton, Jonas (1831-1906: nail maker & preacher) 30

Netherwood family (Lippersley Farm) 55

Nicholson, Angus (Airedale Shed) 21

Price, Henry (gentlemen’s outfitters; Fifty Shilling Tailor) 26

Spencer, Leonard (warpdresser and fireman) 35

Smith, Barbara (Brunthwaite) 20

Stones family (Lippersley Farm) 55

Sunderland, Brian (textile mill experience) 15

Throup, Thomas (nail master) 29

Tillotson, Asquith 46

Wade, Herbert (Grocer on Briggate/Bridge Street) 43

Walton, Jeremiah (Airedale Shed manufacturer) 13

Wilson family (Black Pots Farm) 47

West, William (considered first Silsden nail maker) 28

Wright, William (Becks Mill; worsted spinner manufacturer) 11