Between the months of September and March, the Society runs a fortnightly lecture programme with talks on a wide variety of aspects of local history. These take place at the Methodist Church in Hebden Bridge (opposite the Co-op) on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 7.30 pm.

Recordings of presentations are usually made available to members for two weeks after the lecture on Vimeo. Information on how to access these is sent to members when each one is available.

For reports of lectures during the last 12 months go to [Lecture Reports](/lecture-report). Reports of lectures from previous years are available in the relevant Spring [Newsletters](/newsletters). Events for the next season will appear around the beginning of September.

Reports of lectures from previous years are available in the relevant Spring [Newsletters](/newsletters).

Page

large_HBLHS logo with mill & birds sm.jpg

medium_HBLHS logo with mill & birds sm.jpg

small_HBLHS logo with mill & birds sm.jpg

thumbnail_HBLHS logo with mill & birds sm.jpg

HBLHS logo with mill & birds sm.jpg

favicon.jpg

Privacy Policy

Facebook

**Membership benefits**  
- Free entry to lectures including access to recordings of those lectures for a short time afterwards (where the lecturer gives consent)
- Free access to the archive when open
- Borrowing rights for the archive (published items only)
- Reduced fees for research enquiries
- Free membership of Family History and other special interest groups
- Two newsletters a year with news, lecture information and short articles
- Regular email news on society and local history matters

Membership costs £15. The membership year runs from 1st September to 31 August each year. If you join after the end of the lecture season in April your membership will include the following subscription year. Renewal invitations to existing members are sent out at the end of August each year.

The information you supply is used by us in accordance with the Data Protection legislation to administer your membership of the Society. Our privacy policy is available [here](/pages/privacy-policy) or you can contact the [Membership Secretary](/contacts/membership-secretary). Your personal information will never be passed on to third parties without your consent. 

## Download the membership form:

[Download a membership form](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/raw/upload/v1661940918/Email_membership_form_2022_fe8eafeb33.doc)

##  Or pay online:


large_SAM_4912.JPG

medium_SAM_4912.JPG

small_SAM_4912.JPG

thumbnail_SAM_4912.JPG

SAM_4912.JPG

Join the Society

**International customers**  
Please note that the shipping prices quoted below are to United Kingdom addresses only. Before ordering, please [contact us](mailto:orders@hebdenbridgehistory.org.uk) for details of shipping costs to addresses outside the United Kingdom.

**UK shipping costs**  
Prices quoted below are for individual books. Shipping costs for multiple books are calculated on checkout.

**Publications Mailing List**  
If you would like to be added to our mailing list so that we can inform you of future publications, [please click here.](/contacts/join-the-mailing-list)

**Your privacy**  
The contact information you supply when buying a publication is used by us in accordance with the Data Protection legislation to administer your purchase. Our privacy policy is available [here](/pages/privacy-policy) or you can contact the [Membership Secretary](/contacts/membership-secretary). Your personal information will never be passed on to third parties without your consent.


Browse the books published by the Society

large_IMG_3175.JPG

medium_IMG_3175.JPG

small_IMG_3175.JPG

thumbnail_IMG_3175.JPG

IMG_3175.JPG

Publications

The archive will normally be open every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon from 2-5pm. However, this is subject to volunteer availability. Any closed days are indicated below. Numbers at each session are limited and pre-booking is required by emailing the [Archivist](/contacts/archivist-1). If possible, please indicate which documents you would like to look at. Our catalogue can be searched here:  [Catalogue search](/catalogues/hblhs-archive-catalogue).  
Non-members who wish to visit the archive are very welcome to do so but must pay a visitor’s fee of £3.00.  
It may be possible to arrange alternative visiting times if you are unable to visit at the standard opening times.

## 2024

|           |  Wednesday 2 – 5pm |  Thursday 2-5pm |
|-----------|--------------------------|-----------------------------|
| January   | 10th; 17th; 24th closed; 31st                   | 11th; 18th; 25th                  |
| February  | 7th; 14th; 21st; 28th                   | 1st; 8th; 15th; 22nd; 29th                   |
| March     | 6th;  13th; 20th closed; 27th                     | 7th; 14th; 16th; 21st; 28th                        |
| April     | 3rd closed; 10th closed; 17th; 24th                      | 4th; 11th; 18th; 25th closed                       |
| May       | 1st; 8th; 15th; 22nd; 29th                     | 2nd; 9th; 16th closed; 23rd closed; 30th closed                        |
| June      | 5th; 12th; 19th; 26th                    | 6th; 13th; 20th; 27th closed                  |
| July      | 3rd;  10th closed; 17th; 24th; 31st            | 4th; 11th closed; 18th; 25th                     |
| August    | 7th; 14th; 21st; 28th               | 1st; 8th; 15th; 22nd closed; 29th closed                     |
| September | 4th; 11th; 18th; 25th               | 5th closed; 12th closed; 19th; 26th                 |
| October   | 2nd; 9th; 16th; 23rd; 30th           | 3rd; 10th; 17th; 24th; 31st                    |
| November  | 6th; 13th; 20th; 27th            | 7th; 14th; 21st; 28th                   |
| December  | 4th; 11th; 18th; 25th closed                | 5th; 12th; 19th; 26th closed                |


![Documents about local industries](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1634295082/IMG_2822_38b887248a.jpg)

large_IMG_2835.JPG

medium_IMG_2835.JPG

small_IMG_2835.JPG

thumbnail_IMG_2835.JPG

IMG_2835.JPG

Visit our archive

The Society will do its best to answer queries about the history of the Upper Calder Valley using the expertise of members and our archive but cannot guarantee to provide a complete or satisfactory result. The Society does not accept any liability for the accuracy or completeness of information provided.

There is a nominal charge for queries of £2 for members of the Society and £5 for non members. These sums go towards helping to maintain the Archive. Your request may be submitted using the form below which will take you to our shop for payment. Unfortunately we are unable to answer any queries for which payment has not been received.

It may be possible to supply copies of documents by email or post subject to the completion of a copyright declaration form. Basic digital copies are free. Photocopies are charged at 10p per page and £1 for postage. These charges are additional to the query charge


## Information request

Please follow the links below. When you click to submit the form you will be then asked to make a payment of £5 for non-members or £2 for members.

The information you supply is used by us in accordance with the Data Protection legislation to administer your enquiry. Our privacy policy is available [here](/pages/privacy-policy) or you can contact the [Membership Secretary](/contacts/membership-secretary). Your personal information will never be passed on to third parties without your consent. We would like to keep your information on file to keep you updated on this query and to let you know about other information that may be of interest. Please select Yes in the cart summary if you consent.

large_IMG_3198.JPG

medium_IMG_3198.JPG

small_IMG_3198.JPG

thumbnail_IMG_3198.JPG

IMG_3198.JPG

Research service

The Family History Group is a sub-group of the Hebden Bridge Local History Society and meets regularly at the Birchcliffe Centre to further our knowledge of the people who live and have lived in the Upper Calder Valley. We also are happy to help local people who are researching their own families in different parts of the country.

The aim of the group is to promote and assist the study of genealogy and family history, the prime interest being the study of people and where they lived. We do this by:
- offering members an opportunity to meet like-minded people locally and to share their interests, resources and experience
- helping people with online research sources and we welcome visitors to our drop in sessions for this purpose. We have access to genealogy and other resources. More experienced members are always needed to help at these sessions.
- building up a database of local families and welcome any contributions to this. There are a number of surnames local to the Upper Calder valley such as Greenwood and Sutcliffe.
- welcoming visitors from other parts of the country and from abroad, who are researching families that originated in this area. 


**Meetings**

Meetings are usually held on Tuesday mornings between 10am and 1pm at the Birchcliffe centre. There is a visitor's charge of £3. Numbers at each session are limited and booking is essential to ensure that there is a volunteer available to help with your enquiry.  If you are not able to visit on a Tuesday please let us know and we may be able to arrange for you to visit on another day.

You can book by using the [contact form](/contacts/family-history-session-bookings). Please also use this contact form for further information about the Family History Group.

**Research enquiries**

We try to answer research enquiries from people who are unable to visit us. Enquiries can be submitted via our [Research Service](research-service) for a small fee.

**Monumental inscriptions**

We have now completed transcribing the gravestones in the Heptonstall Old Churchyard which has taken several years. It was an enormous task, especially when working on the older graves. The results can be accessed on the [Monumental inscriptions](monumental-inscriptions) page. Another team has transcribed the graves in the ‘new’ churchyard and these are also accessible on the same page. All these transcriptions can also be found on the [Calderdale Family History Society](https://www.cfhsweb.com/index/select/). We hope to continue the task in other local graveyards.


Family history articles from HBLHS Newsletters

medium_family-cropped.jpg

small_family-cropped.jpg

thumbnail_family-cropped.jpg

family-cropped.jpg

Family history

For some years now a small group of friends has been exploring the evidence for prehistoric activity in the South Pennines, roughly from the M62 up to the Stanbury-Colne road and from the main Pennine watershed in the west across to the urban fringe in the east. There is no particular prehistoric or archaeological significance in these boundaries, this is simply the present extent of our fieldwork.

The images below illustrate some of the features we have examined. Below the images are articles and updates that provide summaries of our work over the years.

![Arrowhead](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1648910930/Arrowhead_a416f2f455.jpg#medium)

Arrowhead: a typical barbed and tanged arrow-tip from the early bronze age. It would have been fixed to the shaft using wool twine and birch bark glue. This one seems to be made from grey Wolds flint – flint does not occur naturally in the South Pennines and was traded across country. These arrowheads are often found damaged from use. This undamaged one, from Midgley Moor, may be a hunting loss or a ritual deposition.

![Millers Grave](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1648911057/Millers_Grave_d11ae23650.jpg#medium)

Miller's Grave: a singular feature. The name is modern but the thing itself is prehistoric. 
The central element, either two slabs of rock close together or one that has split, has been surrounded and concealed from view by a substantial bank of earth and stones. Robin Hood’s Penny Stone – another modern name for a much older feature – can be seen on the skyline.

![Letterstones](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1648911126/Letterstones_53d1b9f460.jpg#medium)

Letterstones: Prominent stone overlooking Green Withens valley and oriented toward where the sun rises in November and again in February marking the pre-Christian festivals of Samain and Imbolc (which were later adopted and adapted as All Souls and Candlemas), essentially straddling winter and denoting the end of the harvest season and the coming of spring.

![Linear feature, Widdop](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1648911192/Linear_feature_Widdop_5927d5b8eb.jpg#medium)

Linear feature, Widdop: a curious wall of erect slabs curving down the valley side edging a one-time re-entrant. The reservoir water here, as elsewhere, has stripped off the peat and soil to leave the prehistoric land surface exposed. Where erosion has continued the slabs have fallen over. This linear feature may have been a ritual boundary or the basis for a stock-proof barrier to keep animals away from the stream people were using.

![The Gorple Dagger](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1648911298/The_Gorple_Dagger_286beb338c.jpg#medium)

The Gorple Dagger: a high status, prestige item which would have been worn for show. The flint dagger is a copy of early bronze forms and would have had a handle of decorated bone, horn or wood. This is one of the best examples in the country and is similar to north European forms. It was found adjacent to a washed-out burial on the shore of Upper Gorple Reservoir. The acid soils of the South Pennine uplands have destroyed many traces of prehistoric people; bone, wood, leather, horn, textile and ceramic are very unlikely to survive.

![Recording rock art](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1648911387/Recording_rock_art_2_55880f2956.jpg#medium)

Recording rock art: a camera-on-a-stick is being used to take a vertical photo (as an alternative to making a scale drawing in the field)

![Standing stone, Heptonstall](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1648911478/Standing_stone_Heptonstall_aecbb9e0c9.jpg#medium)

Standing stone, Heptonstall: sited just above the break of slope, and now incorporated into a wall, this stone may well have a stellar reference. There are several stones that appear to point to a position on the horizon too far south of east for the sun or moon. In fact they all indicate a place where the constellation Capricornus rose in 1500BC.

![Cupmarks, Higher Moor](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1648911643/Cupmarks_Higher_Moor_d56f5cfba2.jpg#medium)

Cupmarks, Higher Moor: just south of Stoodley Pike. The cup-marks - the circular depressions – are a common form of prehistoric rock art. These cups seem to have been placed in a particular configuration.

![Midwinter sunrise](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1648911748/Midwinter_sunrise_ac53012722.jpg#medium)

Midwinter sunrise: From Robin Hood’s Penny Stone the midwinter sun appears to rise out of the Miller’s Grave. This kind of alignment to significant solar and lunar events is quite common in prehistoric features and is unlikely to have occurred by chance here.

![Robin Hood's Penny Stone](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1648911839/Robin_Hood_s_Penny_Stone_9104094c9d.jpg#medium)

Robin Hood's Penny Stone: a large block of a gritstone called Huddersfield White Rock. HWR outcrops further down the moor and this stone may have been moved some 300m to its present position

![Barrow, Ridge](https://res.cloudinary.com/hhdifljso/image/upload/v1648910930/Barrow_Ridge_5f9741d9f4.jpg#medium)

Barrow, Ridge: a turf-covered mound of stones with a ditch around it. Another form of prehistoric burial.


Evidence of prehistoric activity in the South Pennines

Articles and updates

large_prehistory-cropped.jpg

medium_prehistory-cropped.jpg

small_prehistory-cropped.jpg

thumbnail_prehistory-cropped.jpg

prehistory-cropped.jpg

Prehistory Group

From generation to generation, people pass on their own ways of doing things to families, friends, colleagues and anyone they spend time with. These fragments of their culture can include all sorts of information - how to dress, games and rhymes, customs to keep around the house or community, what seasonal festivals to observe and how, sayings and expressions and much more.

This body of acquired knowledge can be thought of as cultural tradition, and varies from place to place, helping to foster a sense of identity from family to village to school or larger unit, such as a country. It is more widely known under the name of folklore.

John Billingsley collates the folklore side of local history for the society. The Folklore Section covers the everyday customs and expressions of local people as well as the stories they tell and the customs they observe. We would invite anyone to share folkloric memories or documentary material on the folklore of our area, either for publication here or for inclusion in our expanding database. Please contact John through the [Society Secretary](/contacts/secretary).
 
John has been involved with local folklore for thirty years, as a speaker and writer, and as a tutor for Bradford University’s Lifelong Learning Department. He also leads guided walks with strong folkloric content for Calderdale Heritage Walks and is the author and editor of several books, as well as the ‘new antiquarian’ magazine, Northern Earth (www.northernearth.co.uk). Readers wishing to follow up local folklore may find the titles below of interest:
- A Stony Gaze: Investigating Celtic and other stone heads. Capall Bann 1998
- Charming Calderdale. Signs and customs used to protect the home folk-magically. Northern Earth 2020
- Folk Tales from Calderdale. Place legends and their context. Northern Earth, 2007
- Hood, Head & Hag: Further folk tales from Calderdale. Special focus on Robin Hood, the severed head motif and witchcraft. Northern Earth, 2011
- West Yorkshire Folk Tales. History Press, 2010
- The Mixenden Treasure: A true tale of magic in 16th-century W Yorkshire. Northern Earth, 2009

Below are articles, including photographs, that offer a flavour of the stories that are still told in Calderdale communities in the surrounding areas.




Articles

large_Abel Cross 13-9-19 #2.jpg

medium_Abel Cross 13-9-19 #2.jpg

small_Abel Cross 13-9-19 #2.jpg

thumbnail_Abel Cross 13-9-19 #2.jpg

Abel Cross 13-9-19 #2.jpg

Folklore

THIS PAGE IS HERE JUST FOR THE INFO TO PLACE ON THE HOMEPAGE. DO NOT ADD TO OR AMEND

Our Newsletters are usually published in September and April, at the start and the end of the lecture season

Newsletter Archive

Through our lecture programme, archive collections, special interest groups and publications, we offer a variety of ways to enhance your knowledge of the history of the Upper Calder Valley.

large_ALC00106.jpg

medium_ALC00106.jpg

small_ALC00106.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00106.jpg

ALC00106 web size.jpg

large_ALC00512.jpg

medium_ALC00512.jpg

small_ALC00512.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00512.jpg

ALC00512.jpg

large_ALC00491 web size.jpg

medium_ALC00491 web size.jpg

small_ALC00491 web size.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00491 web size.jpg

ALC00491 web size.jpg

large_ALC00452 web size.jpg

medium_ALC00452 web size.jpg

small_ALC00452 web size.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00452 web size.jpg

ALC00452 web size.jpg

large_ALC08018 web size.jpg

medium_ALC08018 web size.jpg

small_ALC08018 web size.jpg

thumbnail_ALC08018 web size.jpg

ALC08018 web size.jpg

large_ALC00427.jpg

medium_ALC00427.jpg

small_ALC00427.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00427.jpg

ALC00427.jpg

large_ALC08264 web size.jpg

medium_ALC08264 web size.jpg

small_ALC08264 web size.jpg

thumbnail_ALC08264 web size.jpg

ALC08264 web size.jpg

large_ALC00138.jpg

medium_ALC00138.jpg

small_ALC00138.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00138.jpg

ALC00138 web size.jpg

large_ALC06003 web size.jpg

medium_ALC06003 web size.jpg

small_ALC06003 web size.jpg

thumbnail_ALC06003 web size.jpg

ALC06003 web size.jpg

large_ALC00497 web size.jpg

medium_ALC00497 web size.jpg

small_ALC00497 web size.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00497 web size.jpg

ALC00497 web size.jpg

large_ALC06381 web size.jpg

medium_ALC06381 web size.jpg

small_ALC06381 web size.jpg

thumbnail_ALC06381 web size.jpg

ALC06381 web size.jpg

large_ALC00511 web size.jpg

medium_ALC00511 web size.jpg

small_ALC00511 web size.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00511 web size.jpg

ALC00511 web size.jpg

large_ALC00347 web size.jpg

medium_ALC00347 web size.jpg

small_ALC00347 web size.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00347 web size.jpg

ALC00347 web size.jpg

large_ALC04454 web size.jpg

medium_ALC04454 web size.jpg

small_ALC04454 web size.jpg

thumbnail_ALC04454 web size.jpg

ALC04454 web size.jpg

large_ALC05077 web size.jpg

medium_ALC05077 web size.jpg

small_ALC05077 web size.jpg

thumbnail_ALC05077 web size.jpg

ALC05077 web size.jpg

large_ALC05151.jpg

medium_ALC05151.jpg

small_ALC05151.jpg

thumbnail_ALC05151.jpg

ALC05151.jpg

large_ALC00882 web site.jpg

medium_ALC00882 web site.jpg

small_ALC00882 web site.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00882 web site.jpg

ALC00882 web site.jpg

large_ALC00253.jpg

medium_ALC00253.jpg

small_ALC00253.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00253.jpg

ALC00253.jpg

large_ALC05126.jpg

medium_ALC05126.jpg

small_ALC05126.jpg

thumbnail_ALC05126.jpg

ALC05126.jpg

large_ALC00503.jpg

medium_ALC00503.jpg

small_ALC00503.jpg

thumbnail_ALC00503.jpg

ALC00503 web ize.jpg

large_valley.jpg

medium_valley.jpg

small_valley.jpg

thumbnail_valley.jpg

valley.jpg

Welcome to Hebden Bridge Local History Society


Peter Thornborrow is well known for his talks about buildings, and drawing on his experience as an architectural historian and surveyor of listed buildings, he introduced members of Hebden Bridge Local History Society to Hartley Royd in Shore. He described a remote moorland location and showed the remains of the drovers’ roads, packhorse tracks and causey ways which allowed textile production to flourish alongside agriculture. As well as the tracks, large crosses still remain where they have marked the salt ways since Medieval times. Stone drinking troughs are a reminder of the pack horses which were a crucial part of the transport system until the advent of turnpike roads more suitable for wheeled vehicles.

When Peter first encountered Hartley Royd to complete its listing, it was in a semi-derelict state, with windows walled up and mullions missing. The owner at the time was not co-operative and when he found that the listing involved an obligation to repair the building, he decided to sell. The new owners were very keen to restore the house, and Peter took on the job of designing the restoration. This involved examining the building to find evidence of how it had been built and used. Some of the building dated back to the 16th century, and was probably originally timber-framed. The upper floor with a transom window was where the weaving workshop was situated, and below was a vaulted arched cellar. 

Alongside the architectural clues, detailed inventories from probate records, listing the contents of each room, provided evidence of how rooms were used. There were two parlours at the front of the house, to the east and west of the entrance and at the rear the service rooms - a kitchen as well as the housebody which would have been at the heart of the building. A restoration project can also pick up evidence of changes from hearth tax returns. People were taxed on the number of hearths or fireplaces there were in the house, and the records of these show that Hartley Royd went from three to four hearths. The original arched fireplaces were still in place. Other architectural features were influenced by the location; then as now Hartley Royd was frequently subject to wind and rain, and it was to mitigate this that the house has unusual recessed doorways and an inner porch and entrance lobby.

The detailed inventory listing everything from beds and their hangings to the arks for storing oatmeal brought colour and detail to life lived in this remote area. There were oxen with their yokes used for ploughing and a few cows identified by their names. Tools like harrows, mattocks and turf spades for cultivating the land and were also listed. The second arm of the dual economy was textile production, and the shop, wool chamber and shop chamber were the location of equipment for spinning and weaving cloth. Images from Peter’s collection illustrated many of these items.
 





large_3 Thornborrow.jpg

medium_3 Thornborrow.jpg

small_3 Thornborrow.jpg

thumbnail_3 Thornborrow.jpg

3 Thornborrow.jpg

The dual economy of textiles and agriculture: a case study at Hartley Royd

As Michael Peel explained, you won’t find a place called Calderdale on the map, and until the Calderdale Metropolitan Borough was created in 1974, the name had very little currency. It encompassed the settlements of the Calder Valley from Todmorden to Brighouse, including the largest town of Halifax. The Local Government Act of 1972 aimed to reduce the number of councils, streamlining services and responsibilities of district and county councils. As a journalist, Michael has monitored the activities of Calderdale from its beginnings, and drew on reports in the local and national press over the years to remind us of what has changed and how much has remained the same. 

In the 70s there was a legacy of housing deemed to be unfit for habitation, and many in the council were keen to employ the wrecking ball and start afresh. One news story highlighted how squatters ‘invaded’ a row of unoccupied houses marked for demolition in Queen’s Terrace, Hebden Bridge in the early 70s. Opinion in the town was split, but in the end the council opted to bring such houses up to date, and with council improvement grants much of the housing stock was retained. Redundant textile mills were also ear-marked to be demolished but some saved by conversions into apartments or, in the case of Nutclough Mill, into premises for tech companies like Calrec Audio. 

Tourism was the major economic activity in the Upper Calder Valley and the council set to encourage visitors and give support for the reopening of the Rochdale Canal and  local walks such as the Calderdale Way. Hebden Bridge town centre was a sad sight with a quarter of shops standing empty in 1975. There were ambitious plans to demolish old buildings in St George’s Square, with futuristic replacements, but instead the council opted for pedestrianisation using large planters to do the job.

Increased tourism raised the issue of another intractable problem: parking. There were some rather alarming plans such as using Calder Holmes as a coach and car park, and building a multi-storey carpark on Garden Street. Ever increasing parking charges helped to limit traffic with the added benefit of providing an income stream to an ever cash-strapped council. But the problem remains.

Over the years the demand for services crashes into the lack of funding from central government. Recent years have seen losses of the services expected fifty years ago – swimming baths, libraries, police stations, courts, fire stations have all closed as part of the drive to save money. But there has been renewal across the Borough – new medical centres and hospitals, flood alleviation schemes, road by-passes and the successful re-imagining of the Piece Hall.

 Interest in formal local democracy may be weak, but people in Calderdale are still keen to make their opinions known, with campaigns, meetings and marches the chosen vehicles. Local newspapers no longer have the influence of fifty years ago, but perhaps social media can get people more directly involved with issues of democracy? 






large_2 Peel image.PNG

medium_2 Peel image.PNG

small_2 Peel image.PNG

thumbnail_2 Peel image.PNG

2 Peel image.PNG

Fifty years of local democracy in Calderdale: an awkward birth, a tough upbringing and a place well worth celebrating.


Thousands march on Halifax. Cotton mills brought to a standstill. These might have been the headlines in the turbulent summer of 1842, when discontented workers of the Calder Valley determined to make their voices heard.

David Glover is an experienced interpreter of Halifax’s past and in this talk he unravelled the complexities of what became known as the Great Strike or the Plug Riots. The plugs in question retained the water of the mill boilers, and the marching protesters had the bold idea of removing them so the steam powered machinery of the mills would be brought to a halt. 

The political background was important: the workers had no democratic voice. Despite the protests of the Chartists, and millions of signatures demanding fairer representation, Parliament had twice rejected the People’s Charter. Growing industrialisation meant greater profits for the owners, but wages and conditions were poor. At the same time the punitive Poor Law Act of 1834 saw the growth of a harsh workhouse system. Radicalism had a strong base in Halifax, with renowned Chartist speakers like Ben Rushton, a handloom weaver from Ovenden, attracting huge crowds to outdoor rallies at Skircoat Moor and Basin Stone near Todmorden.

On Monday 15th August a rally was planned at Skircoat Moor. This should have been a working day, but hundreds of people were determined that they would not go to work. It is said that 12,000 men and women walked from Lancashire and Bradford, surging into Halifax, disabling the mills as they marched. 

They crossed North Bridge to Haley Hill Mills, where the plug was successfully pulled with the co-operation of Edward Akroyd the owner’s son. Armed special constables were protecting Woodside, his father’s mansion, and here several men were shot and injured. But with many mills successfully disabled, the protesting crowd must have felt they had achieved a kind of victory as they prepared for the following day.

Tuesday 16th August was another day without work, but with more confusion and violence. Eighteen people arrested at Skircoat Moor were transported to be tried at Wakefield  by coach and train. The Hussars provided an armed escort, and crowds gathered, largely sympathetic to the prisoners. On the return journey, at Salterhebble, they attacked, injuring some soldiers. The reading of the Riot Act at Northgate failed to disperse the protesters, and Hussars charged into the crowd with bayonets and sabres. More attacks took place on North Bridge and at Haley Hill where the infantry fired on the crowd causing serious injuries and several deaths.

Very little changed immediately as a result of the strike. When the People’s Charter was again presented to Parliament in 1848 it was again rejected. But the events of the Great Strike and the mass revolt of workers endured in the history of Halifax. Ben Rushton was celebrated as a hero and more than 6000 mourners filled the streets of Halifax for his burial in Lister Lane Cemetery in 1853. 

The values and aspirations of the Chartists continue to be celebrated.


small_1 Glover North Bridge 1842.JPG

thumbnail_1 Glover North Bridge 1842.JPG

1 Glover North Bridge 1842.JPG

August 1842 - the people versus the establishment