Bradford in 100 Dates

by Alan Hall

Overview

Experience 100 key dates that shaped Bradford's history, highlighted its people's genius (or silliness) and embraced the unexpected. Featuring an amazing mix of social, criminal and sporting events, this book reveals a past that will fascinate, delight and even shock both residents and visitors to the city.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780750963435
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	03/02/2015
Series:	100 Dates
Sold by:	INDEPENDENT PUB GROUP - EPUB - EBKS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

ALAN HALL is a historian and author. He live in Shipley, West Yorkshire, and is vice chair of Bradford Civic Society.

Read an Excerpt

Brandford in 100 Dates

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By Alan Hall

The History Press

Copyright © 2015 Alan Hall
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7509-6343-5

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CHAPTER 1

BRADFORD IN 100 DATES

1212

20 May

On this day, Bingley Market was granted its charter by King John. This makes it the oldest market with a royal charter in the Bradford Metropolitan District, although it is very likely that in Roman times there was a market in Ilkley, adjoining the fort that was built near the River Wharfe. Ilkley, known by the Romans as Olicana, was a military base with a garrison that had the task of keeping the local Celtic people, the Brigantes, in order and the roads across the Pennines secure.

The township of Bradford was granted a charter for a market by Henry III in 1251, and Keighley received its market charter in 1305, granted by Edward I.

Bingley's medieval butter cross and an eighteenth-century open-sided market hall have been rebuilt and are now located, along with the town's stocks, close to the refurbished marketplace, which was opened in 2007. Bingley was a comparatively important place in the Middle Ages. It has been estimated that Bradford had a population of about 300 in 1379. Yet the poll tax returns for Bingley, just 6 miles from Bradford, show that in that same year there were 130 households, giving an estimated population of about 500, which was considerably larger than Bradford – or Leeds or Halifax for that matter. (J. James, History of Bradford)

1629

9 September

On this day, King Charles I, perennially short of money, undertook the kind of asset-stripping that has become quite familiar to us in more recent times. He sold off the manor of Bradford for cash to four City of London financiers, and the right to collect the Bradford parish tithes was bought by one of his courtiers, John Maynard. This greatly angered Bradford's townspeople, especially the yeoman class who were increasingly keen to exercise their independence, for it all smacked of the worst kind of monarchical high-handedness.

There was also resentment over the Crown's attempts to increase the taxes on the export of cloth, especially as the collection of these taxes was frequently farmed out to corrupt favourites of the king. In short, the people of Bradford believed that Charles was misusing his royal position; he taxed them unfairly and carried out dubious practices that were detrimental to their commercial interests, whilst financially benefiting his London-based courtiers and favourites.

And, to cap it all, the king's wife was a Catholic. In fact many people believed that Charles was himself a Catholic in all but name. This was yet another reason why Bradford would remain firmly within the Parliamentarian fold during the forthcoming period of civil strife, for the town had developed a strong tradition of Puritanism and anti-Catholicism. The king was certainly not popular in Bradford. (J. James, History of Bradford; G. Firth, A History of Bradford)

1642

18 December

During the English Civil War, the first Siege of Bradford was ended by the so-called Battle of the Steeple. This date saw the townspeople of Bradford, helped by reinforcements from Bingley and Halifax, successfully drive off the Royalist troops who were trying to capture the town. Bradford, staunchly Puritan and anti-Royalist, was firmly on the side of the Parliamentarians during the Civil War.

During the siege the parish church was used as a stronghold by the defenders, and wool packs were hung down the sides of the church tower to protect it against Royalist cannonballs. Much of the day's fighting took place around the parish church (now Bradford Cathedral) – hence the battle's name.

Because the townspeople, unlike their adversaries, were not professional soldiers, they were largely ignorant of the etiquette of warfare, so when a Royalist officer surrendered to a group of irregulars and asked for 'Quarter' he was hacked to death. This led to the term 'Bradford Quarter' being coined to describe those incidents throughout the war when people who had surrendered were nonetheless slaughtered out of hand. And when the Royalists returned to Bradford the following year, it was commonly supposed that they would be out for revenge and would show no mercy to the townspeople – they would be sure to exact 'Bradford Quarter'. (Bradford Library Service (ed.), The Siege of Bradford; A. Hall, The Story of Bradford)

1643

30 June

At this time the Battle of Adwalton Moor was fought near Drighlington, a few miles from Bradford, between the Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Royalists under the Earl of Newcastle. Newcastle led an army of about 9,000 men; Fairfax had an army of about 4,000. Lord Fairfax's son, Sir Thomas, commanded the troops on the Parliamentarian's right flank and of crucial importance was the fact that the undulating terrain of the moor meant that he could not really see what was happening to the rest of the army to his left.

At first things went well for the Fairfaxes and Sir Thomas' musketeers inflicted heavy losses on the Royalist cavalry. However, things swung in the Royalists' favour after a charge by mounted pikemen broke through the Parliamentarian's left flank, causing the troops there to retreat. This was the key moment in the battle. Sir Thomas offered no support to his beleaguered comrades to his left for the simple reason that he was not aware that they were in difficulties. Seizing this advantage, the Royalists launched fresh cavalry charges and soon the entire Parliamentarian army was leaving the field and fleeing back towards Bradford. The Fairfaxes themselves fled to the safety of the Parliamentarian stronghold at Hull. During the battle, around 700 of their army were killed by the Royalists. (J. James, History of Bradford; B. Duckett and J. Waddington-Feather, Bradford, History & Guide; A. Hall, The Story of Bradford; Burne and Young, The Battle of Adwalton Moor; G. Firth, A History of Bradford)

1643

2 July

On this day, the Earl of Newcastle's army surrounded Bradford after their victory at Adwalton Moor. The earl himself was ensconced at Bolling Hall, less than a mile from the town centre. Bradford was at his mercy and he intended to occupy the town the following day.

The inhabitants of the town feared the worst. Joseph Lister, who lived in Bradford, described in his journal the atmosphere in the town that Sunday night:

Oh what a night and morning was that in which Bradford was taken! What weeping and wringing of hands! None expected to live any longer than till the enemies came into town, the Earl of Newcastle having charged his men to kill all ...

To the surprise and immense relief of the townspeople, the massacre did not happen. A story soon began to circulate that Newcastle had had a change of heart whilst in bed at Bolling Hall on the Sunday night. It was said that a ghostly figure – a woman – appeared and begged him to 'Pity poor Bradford'. Whether or not he was really visited by a ghost (or even by a more tangible female) pleading Bradford's case, Newcastle certainly showed Bradford unexpected mercy. The remnants of the defeated Parliamentarian army surrendered to him the next day, but only a few people were actually killed when the Royalists moved in to occupy the town. (J. James, History of Bradford; B. Duckett and J. Waddington-Feather, Bradford, History & Guide; A. Hall, The Story of Bradford; Burne and Young, The Battle of Adwalton Moor; G. Firth, A History of Bradford)

1649

18 March

This day saw Mary Sykes brought before the justice, Henry Tempest, at Bolling Hall and accused of witchcraft by several of her neighbours. This was Bradford's own participation in a spate of witch-hunting that was prevalent throughout England at this time.

Dorothy Rodes testified that Sykes had, by witchcraft, entered the bedroom of her young daughter, Sara, and seized her by the throat, after which the child suffered episodes of muscular spasms, palpitations and an inability to speak. Richard Booth testified that he had been cursed by Mary Sykes and, as a result, had lost many of his possessions. Henry Cordingley of Tong testified that Mary Sykes had cursed him several times since Christmas, since when several of his horses and cows had mysteriously died. Cordingley also claimed that on one occasion, going to check on his animals at midnight, he had encountered Mary Sykes sitting astride one of his cows; she then flew out of the cowshed window.

Tempest ordered Mary Sykes to be seized and physically examined by a team of six women. On her left side they discovered a strange wart, which was interpreted as being the third nipple with which witches were supposed to suckle the devil. As a result of this 'evidence', Mary Sykes was sent for trial at York Assizes. She was acquitted. (J. James, History of Bradford)

1663

12 October

On this day a group of men from Bradford joined with others from Leeds and gathered at Farnley Wood, between Leeds and Morley. This was the so-called Farnley Wood Plot. The plotters, who had all been supporters of the Parliamentarians in the recent Civil War, intended to launch an uprising against Charles II and establish a republic. Now that the monarchy had been restored they feared, with some justification, that Puritan Dissenters, such as themselves, would be persecuted. They were also deeply suspicious of Charles' apparent sympathy towards Roman Catholics.

Henry Bradshaw of Manningham and John Lowcock, a saddler, were the ringleaders of the Bradford contingent. They had acquired a certain amount of weaponry and some horses, but the plot turned out to be rather a damp squib. Far fewer men turned up than was expected, so rather than setting off from Farnley Wood and seizing Leeds, as was planned, the plotters simply went back home.

That might have been the end of the matter, but one of the leaders of the Leeds contingent, Joshua Greathead, turned informer and gave the names of the plotters to the authorities. Twenty-six men were arrested, tried and subsequently executed for treason at York and Leeds. However, it seems that many of the Bradford contingent managed to evade arrest and it is likely that they fled abroad. (J. James, History of Bradford)

1691

31 March

Edmund Robinson, a Haworth preacher, was executed at York on this day for coining and clipping. From his youth, Robinson had been involved in forging coins by using pewter instead of silver. Taking holy orders in the Church of England apparently did nothing to stop his nefarious activities, which also included clipping (shaving silver from coins), issuing forged marriage licences and conducting clandestine marriages. The York prison chaplain made the following somewhat understated comment before Robinson was hanged: 'His life, while a curate, was by no means suitable to his profession.'

In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, coining was a quite common occurrence in the remote western moors and hills of Bradford parish, and the authorities found it difficult to suppress. Robinson had, in fact, been tried on four earlier occasions for coining and clipping; he was acquitted twice and fined twice. The second fine was for the then astronomical sum of £500, but Robinson could presumably afford to pay this, as one of his criminal associates, Roger Preston, testified that in one half-year period Robinson had netted £1,300 from coining.

Presumably the authorities had had enough when Robinson was brought to trial for the fifth time – hence his execution. He had, rather understandably, already been dismissed from the Church of England. (J. James, History of Bradford)

1742

16 May

This was the day that the Reverend William Grimshaw (1708–63) became curate at Haworth. Only Patrick Bronte, father of the famous sisters, is a better-known Haworth cleric.

Whilst Grimshaw's early life was characterised by a taste for gambling and drinking, by the time he came to Haworth he was a reformed character. He became renowned for his preaching, and his sermons became so popular that, in 1755, Haworth church had to be enlarged. He was a close friend and enthusiastic disciple of John Wesley, who frequently preached in Haworth. Like Wesley, Grimshaw never left the Church of England, but he was a leading figure in what became known as the Methodist Revival.

According to the nineteenth-century historian John James, Grimshaw 'exhibited more zeal than judgement'. He was not averse to using a horsewhip to put down 'the many rank vices' in Haworth. On one occasion he objected to horseracing on Haworth Moor, because it encouraged gambling. Unable to stop the race meeting in any other way, Grimshaw prayed fervently for rain. This duly came and it rained for three solid days, putting an end to the races. Such is the power of prayer!

In Wuthering Heights, Mr Lockwood has a nightmare in which he must endure the Reverend Jabes Branderham preaching an interminable sermon. Some commentators believe this to be Emily Bronte's satirical comment on Grimshaw's evangelical style. (J. James, History of Bradford)

1742

18 July

On this day, Abraham Sharp, the mathematician and astronomer, died. He was born into a prosperous family that lived at Horton Hall in Little Horton, and although the precise date of his birth is unknown, he was baptised on 1 June 1653. After attending Bradford Grammar School he was apprenticed to a wool merchant, but he soon gave that up in order to study and teach mathematics. Sharp moved to London in the 1680s and worked at the Royal Observatory as the assistant and instrument maker to John Flamsteed, the first Astronomer Royal. His talent as a mathematician led to him being appointed Clerk of the King's Shipyard in Portsmouth.

On the death of his brother, his widowed sister-in law requested that he return to Horton Hall, the family home. This he did in 1694. He used some of his wealth to endow the first Presbyterian chapel in Bradford – the Sharps were Puritan Dissenters and Abraham's father had been financial secretary to Sir Thomas Fairfax during the Civil War. Back home in Bradford, Sharp continued his mathematical research, producing important work on logarithms.

A tablet commemorating his life stands in Bradford Cathedral. Translated from Latin it reads: 'He was rightly counted among the most accomplished mathematicians of his day. He enjoyed constant friendship with very famous men of the same repute, notably Flamsteed and the illustrious Newton.' (W. Cudworth, Life and Correspondence of Abraham Sharp; J. James, History and Topography of Bradford)

1753

18 June

A mob pulled down the turnpike barriers at Bradford Moor and at Apperley Bridge on this day. An absence of adequate roads around Bradford had led to much frustration among the growing class of merchants. Improvements eventually came via the creation of turnpike trusts, private-sector initiatives whereby local businessmen and landowners obtained, through Act of Parliament, permission to charge tolls on a stretch of road. A proportion of the money thus gained was then reinvested in the maintenance and improvement of the highway. From a business point of view the turnpikes were a resounding success, for they improved communications considerably and so benefited trade. Bradford was first linked to the network of turnpikes in 1734, from which time it lay on a main road between Leeds and Manchester. Six years later, a second turnpike between Selby and Halifax was routed through Bradford.

However, many poorer people resented having to pay tolls to use the roads and this led to outbreaks of rioting and destruction. On 22 June 1753, the turnpike barriers at Tyersal and Wibsey Bankfoot were destroyed by a mob reported to be several hundred strong. Anti-turnpike rioting now spread quickly through the Bradford and Leeds area, and troops were summoned from York and Manchester to restore order. A crowd was fired on and there were several fatalities before the rioters were dispersed. (J. James, History of Bradford; B. Duckett and J. Waddington-Feather , Bradford, History & Guide; A. Hall, The Story of Bradford; G. Firth, A History of Bradford)

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Brandford in 100 Dates by Alan Hall. Copyright © 2015 Alan Hall. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Title,
Dedication,
Acknowledgements,
Introduction,
Bradford in 100 Dates,
1212 20 May,
1629 9 September,
1642 18 December,
1643 30 June,
1643 2 July,
1649 18 March,
1663 12 October,
1691 31 March,
1742 16 May,
1742 18 July,
1753 18 June,
1774 12 March,
1777 8 July,
1780 19 December,
1786 22 July,
1795 20 April,
1803 1 July,
1803 20 September,
1804 3 February,
1815 1 January,
1818 30 July,
1825 8 June,
1830 16 October,
1837 20 November,
1840 2 June,
1846 1 July,
1847 9 June,
1848 29 May,
1850 13 August,
1853 29 August,
1854 1 August,
1855 10 September,
1855 31 October,
1858 18 October,
1859 6 June,
1860 20 July,
1862 29 January,
1864 9 August,
1868 16 July,
1870 17 February,
1873 9 September,
1881 29 March,
1882 2 February,
1882 23 June,
1882 28 December,
1889 22 April,
1891 13 April,
1892 6 September,
1893 13 January,
1894 13 September,
1897 9 June,
1904 4 May,
1905 13 October,
1906 14 May,
1911 26 April,
1911 20 June,
1914 18 March,
1914 22 August,
1915 25 June,
1916 1 July,
1916 21 August,
1919 25 November,
1920 19 August,
1921 5 October,
1922 13 April,
1922 1 July,
1930 26 April,
1930 22 September,
1931 13 July,
1931 17 October,
1936 22 May,
1936 1 December,
1937 19 July,
1940 31 August,
1942 26 March,
1944 1 February,
1947 3 May,
1950 16 June,
1954 5 May,
1955 26 November,
1962 3 March,
1963 2 February,
1964 25 April,
1968 29 June,
1970 30 May,
1974 1 April,
1976 24 May,
1978 27 February,
1981 2 January,
1983 16 June,
1985 11 May,
1985 14 December,
1988 19 September,
1989 14 January,
1997 27 March,
2001 7 July,
2005 18 November,
2007 24 May,
2012 24 March,
2014 13 November,
About the Author,
Bibliography and Further Reading,
Copyright,