| Cleckheaton | |
  Cleckheaton shown within West Yorkshire |
|
| Population | 14,937 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan county | West Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CLECKHEATON |
| Postcode district | BD19 |
| Dialling code | 01274 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| European Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | Batley and Spen |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Cleckheaton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated south of Bradford, east of Brighouse, west of Batley and south-west of Leeds. West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one Yorkshire and the Humber is one of the nine government office Regions of England. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. West Yorkshire Police is the Home Office Police force responsible for policing West Yorkshire in England. The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is the county-wide statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the Metropolitan county of West The Yorkshire Ambulance Service is the NHS Ambulance service covering most of Yorkshire in England. Yorkshire and the Humber is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Batley and Spen is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of cities, Towns and Villages in the historic English county of Yorkshire. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Kirklees is a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Bradford ( lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. Brighouse is the second largest town in the metropolitan district of Calderdale in the County of West Yorkshire, England. Batley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Leeds ( is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England It is at the centre of the Spen Valley and was the major town in the former borough of Spenborough. Spenborough was a Municipal borough in what is now the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England.
Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Cleckheaton has a history as a mill town, like much of West Yorkshire, although this industry has now all but vanished. The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England.
Contents |
History
Early history
Like much of England, the Spen Valley was once heavily wooded. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Human habitation began thousands of years ago and Mesolithic and Neolithic remains have been found in various places. The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Roman remains have been found in the valley and it is thought that the roads from York to Chester, and from settlements in Halifax and Wakefield, ran through Cleckheaton and the junction gave rise to a staging post. York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. Chester is the County town of Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77040 Halifax is a large Market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England, with a population of 82056 in the Wakefield lies at the heart of the City of Wakefield, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England.
Cleckheaton was included in the ancient parish of Birstall. A chapel-of-ease, known as the White Chapel (later Whitechapel) was established in the area. [1]
The Introduction of textile working
The area was very disorganised for a long time after the Norman Conquest and the richest townships at that time of the Norman Conquest were still the richest 300 years later as the Poll Tax returns of 1379 show. They also demonstrate the lack of administration as only the richest four of the 227 families living in the Spen Valley were made to pay more than the 4d minimum tax. These tax returns also show the recent deviation form the traditional sources of wealth in the area (i. e. farming and allied trades). These were centred around textiles and included dyeing, weaving and fulling (folding, gathering and pleating of cloth for garments) (common names in the area nowadays still recall these early trades: Lister- dyer, Webster- weaver, Walker- fuller). The spread of these trades was also as a result of the absence of regulation of the area. Due to the lack of manorial control, land was divided between all the sons in a family rather than just passing to the eldest. As the farmland owned by a family got smaller they became unable to support the family and so people turned to production of woollens to gain extra income.
After the Reformation, Kirklees Priory was largely destroyed many families were driven from the area and new non-aristocratic lords of the manor who were sympathetic to Protestantism were introduced by Elizabeth I as was a puritan clergyman who was installed at Birstall Church. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time By 1570, at the time of the Rising of the Northern Earls, the last of the old Norman noble families had been swept away. Sir John Neville went into exile and forfeited his estate and Thomas Hussey (heir to the de Tilly family of Oakwell Hall) was imprisoned in the Tower of London for some time before being pardoned. Thomas Hussey may refer to Thomas Hussey (bishop (1746&ndash1803 Irish diplomat chaplain and bishop Thomas Hussey (Irish politician Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London
By the 17th century land-owning farmers were finding it increasingly difficult as were their landlords and some payments were still in kind as farmers had no money to pay their debts. Meanwhile the textile workers were becoming more and more prosperous and paid less and less attention to their hard up and increasingly impotent landlords. During the English Civil War the clothiers were on one side and the landlords on the other. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. Lords of the area were made Royalist officers and made some progress such as at the battle of Adwalton Moor about a mile east of Birkenshaw and the siege of Bradford, before the Parliamentarians took control of the area. Birkenshaw is a Village in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Bradford ( lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. Royalist families were forced, after the war, to pay large fines to keep their lands and avoid imprisonment. All the time clothiers were growing wealthier and by the end of the 17th century more than half of the wills in the parish of Birstall came from men whose wealth came from textiles.
Nonconformity
After the restoration of the Monarchy, Anglicanism was reintroduced also. A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs However many people had found puritan teachings more to their taste and it took many years to re-install an Anglican vicar to Whitechapel. Despite the draconian nonconformist laws, there was a large number of non-Anglican meeting houses and nonconformity flourished; a fifth of the population of the Birstall Parish was estimated to be nonconformist. Quakers were widespread and even now a number of 17th and 18th century Quaker burial grounds remain in the area. In the 18th century Presbyterianism was widespread but then lost a large minority of its flock to Unitarianism and Baptistism. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity Unitarianism as a theology is the belief in the single personality of God in contrast to the doctrine of the Trinity (three persons in one God Methodism also flourished from the 1740s after visits from John Wesley and Charles Wesley, as did Moravianism. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical Biography Charles Wesley was the son of Susanna Wesley and Samuel Wesley. Indeed John Wesley lived in Birstall for some time as it was near to many large towns in the West Riding.
In spite of the religious strength in the Valley, the inhabitants were somewhat unworldly and still went to astrologers, quack doctors and prophets. Men like Eli Collins, the "Wizard of Wyke" and Alvery Newsome, the "Wise man of Heckmondwike" were widespread. Furthermore, to increase the isolation, the area had no canals and had few roads, despite a few turnpike roads, including the major ones from Leeds to Huddersfield and Bradford to Halifax. Leeds ( is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England Huddersfield ( is a large Market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, 190 miles (306km north {[fact}}
The Industrial Revolution
After the discovery of good quality coal in the north of the valley industry spread quickly.
In 1804 the Reverend Hammond Roberson, annoyed that the administration of Liversedge was disorganised, promoted a system of reform - the select vestry - which quickly spread to Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike. In 1810 after his wife's death, Roberson turned his attention to church building in the area. In 1818 Parliament voted a million pounds for the building of new churches in the country and Roberson was able to secure £3000 to build Cleckheaton church. The trial of the men accused of attacking Cartwright's Mill was also a capital trial as intent to destroy of a factory was a hanging offence. Eight men were tried (the three hanged the day before were also implicated in this trial). The jury found 5 of the 8 men guilty. They were hanged the next day on Saturday 16 January 1813. Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death
The rise of the Spen Valley
By the mid 19th century the Spen Valley entered its golden era. In 1800 children were paid not enough to feed them for putting staples into leather for carding wool, but by 1838 there were eleven carding factories in Cleckheaton and by 1893 the town was recognised as the carding capital of the world!
The mill owners built turnpike roads between the villages to enable their employees to get to work and lobbied to get railways built to get their products to reach customers. After a great deal of wrangling with the various railway companies in the 1840s railways were finally built which enabled the textile mills, ironworks, chemical factories and collieries to compete with those around the country. More than this, the railways brought together the people of the individual villages of the valley and quickly the villages grew until they merged together.
The twentieth century
Around the turn of the century, many huge and expensive buildings were erected and became symbols for the area's wealth, massive chapels and a new Grammar School was built in Cleckheaton and to mark the new urban district and the fact that it was the centre of it, Cleckheaton built a town hall in 1892, paid for by public subscription.
In 1903 Lion Confectionary began making "Midget Gems" in Cleckheaton, and 1904 saw the opening of the Phelon & Moore motorcycle factory in the town, soon followed by a car factory. Phelon & Moore manufactured Motorcycles in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, UK from 1904 to 1967 particularly those under the Panther [2] BBA, (formerly British Belting & Asbestos) the large asbestos, friction material, and conveyor belting firm, built its headquarters at Moorend where they manufactured automotive disc brake pads under the Mintex banner. A tourist industry developed to serve visitors to the area made famous by Charlotte Brontë's "Shirley" and by the Luddite attacks. The Mowatt family paid for Cleckheaton Library and also the reference library at Cleckheaton's grammar (later secondary) school, Whitcliffe Mount which bears their name.
From the 1920s however Spenborough's fortunes began to decline. Pits began to close and trade waned. Slowly central government took on responsibilities previously held by Spenborough such as water supply, gas production, public health and education. Spenborough was a Municipal borough in what is now the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. By this time the level of industry was in serious decline as the textile mills, foundries and other factories slowly closed.
Governance
Local government
Cleckheaton is an unparished area and ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees. In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a Civil parish. In Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, a ward is an Electoral district The ward elects three of the borough council's sixty-nine councillors. As of 2007 all three councillors were members of the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the [3] Under the borough council's decentralisation scheme, Cleckheaton's councillors are grouped with those of the neighbouring wards of Heckmondwike and Liversedge & Gomersal to from the Spen Valley Area Committee. __FORCETOC__ Decentralization or Decentralisation (see Spelling differences) is the process of dispersing Decision-making governance closer to the people Heckmondwike (known locally by its Nickname, Hecky) is a small town in the Metropolitan borough of Kirklees, which is located Liversedge is a township which is a group of Villages in Kirklees Metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England. Gomersal is a village in the County of West Yorkshire, England. [4]
Civic history
Cleckheaton adopted the Local Government Act 1858 in 1864 and a local board was formed to govern the area. "Board of Health" redirects here This page describes the defunct bodies in England and Wales which used that name not any modern ones "Board of Health" redirects here This page describes the defunct bodies in England and Wales which used that name not any modern ones In 1885 Cleckheaton and the three neighbouring townships of Gomersal, Heckmondwike and Liversedge were grouped to form the Parliamentary constituency of Spen Valley. Spen Valley was a parliamentary constituency in the valley of the River Spen in West Yorkshire. The Local Government Act 1894 reconstituted the area of the local board as Cleckheaton Urban District. The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict c 73 created a system of Urban districts and Rural districts with elected councils in all areas of England There were at this time attempts to involve all the local authorities in the valley in joint projects such as installation of sewers and water. In 1915, the three urban districts of Cleckheaton, Liversedge and Gomersal were amalgamated to form Spenborough Urban District. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of Local government district that covered an Urbanised area Spenborough was a Municipal borough in what is now the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. In 1937 a county review order enlarged the urban district to include Birkenshaw, Hunsworth and Hartshead. The Local Government Act 1929 (19 & 20 Geo V c 17 made changes to poor law and local government in England and Wales [5]
Spenborough (which now included all of the Spen Valley save Heckmondwike) was granted a charter of incorporation and became a municipal borough on 23 May 1955. Municipal boroughs were a type of Local government which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974 in Northern Ireland from 1840 to The borough continued to use the coat of arms which bore the motto "Industry Enriches" which it had been granted in 1949. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people [6]
On April 1, 1974 the Local Government Act 1972 reorganised administration throughout England and Wales. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The Local Government Act 1972 (1972 c 70 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in England and Wales The borough of Spenborough was abolished, and its area combined with that of ten other local authorities to from the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, one of five metropolitan boroughs of West Yorkshire. A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England covering urban areas within metropolitan counties. West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of [7]
Parliamentary representation
For elections to the UK parliament, Cleckheaton ward forms part of Batley and Spen borough constituency. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords Batley and Spen is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom (UK, each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly [8] The constituency was created in 1983 and was represented by a Conservative MP from 1983 to 1997. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Since that date the constituency has been held by Labour MP Mike Wood. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Michael Roy Wood (born March 3, 1946, in Crewe, Cheshire, England) is a British politician and Labour
Parliamentary history
From 1885 to 1950 the town formed part of the Spen Valley county constituency. Spen Valley was a parliamentary constituency in the valley of the River Spen in West Yorkshire. In the United Kingdom (UK, each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly [5] The seat was held at various times by the Liberal, National Liberal and Labour parties. The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party Historically the National Liberal Party was a name used by two groups of politicians who had formerly been associated with the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom
From 1950 to 1983 Cleckheaton was included in the borough constituency of Brighouse and Spenborough. Brighouse and Spenborough was a parliamentary constituency in West Yorkshire, covering the town of Brighouse and the Municipal borough of [5] It was a marginal seat, changing hands between the Conservative and Labour parties on six occasions.
Geography
Cleckheaton is at the centre of a number of villages which together form the Spen Valley:
Oakenshaw, East Bierley, Hunsworth, Birkenshaw, Drub, Gomersal, Little Gomersal, Littletown, Millsbridge, Liversedge, Roberttown, Hartshead, Clifton, Hightown and Scholes. Oakenshaw is a village near Cleckheaton in Bradford and Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Birkenshaw is a Village in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Gomersal is a village in the County of West Yorkshire, England. Liversedge is a township which is a group of Villages in Kirklees Metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England. Hightown is a village in West Yorkshire, England, with a diverse Socioeconomic culture
The town itself is made up of areas such as Moorend, Whitechapel, Whitcliffe, Moorbottom, Moorside, the Marsh and Rawfolds.
Sports
Cleckheaton's rugby union team play in the North Division 1 and are a constituent part of Cleckheaton Sports Club and play at their grounds in Moorend, where they also have "one of the best bowling greens in West Yorkshire", often holding local league games and such competitions as the John Smith's Classic.
Liversedge F.C. are the town's highest football club in the football league pyramid, playing in the Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division for the 06-07 season. Liversedge FC are a Football club based near Cleckheaton, England, on the border with Hightown in Liversedge and members of the Champions 1982-83 - Shepshed Charterhouse 1983-84 - Spalding United 1984-85 - They play at Clayborn, 1 km from Cleckheaton town centre. They have an associated junior club Gomersal and Cleckheaton F. C.
There are many Sunday League football teams around Cleckheaton and cricket is also big locally, with Cleckheaton (also part of Cleckheaton Sports Club) Scholes, Gomersal, Spen Victoria, Hartshead Moor, East Bierley and Liversedge all within the Spen Valley.
Notable people
Roger Hargreaves, author of the Mr Men and Little Misses series of books, was born in Cleckheaton in 1935. Charles Roger Hargreaves ( 9 May 1935 – 11 September 1988) was a British author and illustrator of Children's books, notably [9]
References
- ^ Samel Lewis (1848). Cleckheaton. A Topographical Dictionary of England. British History Online. Retrieved on 1 March 2008.
- ^ Bradford Timeline (Belle Vue Grammar School) accessed January 29, 2008
- ^ Your Councillors in Cleckheaton, Kirklees Council, accessed April 1, 2008
- ^ Spen Valley Area Committee, Kirklees Council, accessed April 1, 2008
- ^ a b c Frederic A Youngs Jr. , Local Administrative Units of England, Vol II: Northern England, London 1991
- ^ Geoffrey Briggs, Civic and Corporate Heraldry, London 1971
- ^ Local Government Act 1972, (1972 c. 70), Schedule I
- ^ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007, Office of Public Sector Information, accessed April 1, 2008
- ^ Malam, John (October 2005). "Hargreaves, (Charles) Roger (1935–1988)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved on 2008-04-01. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne
External links
- Google map
- Direct line to past
- Gomersal and Cleckheaton FC
- Website of Mike Wood, the town's Member of Parliament
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