Branches of HistoryAn introduction to the heritage of the

Bradley & Fixby Woodlands

1150 1200 1250 1300 1350 1400 1450

1177 Land granted toFountains Abbey used forCharcoal & Tanneries

1300 Iron smeltingindustry dies out

1400 Textilesare a cottageindustry

1100

1331 Fell Greave givento William de Totehill

1350NewhouseHall startsas a smalldwelling

Key

National EventOwnership of local woodlandLocal industriesLocal Events

1400 WoodenCooper & Colnebridges arecompleted

1066 NormanInvasion

1600 1650 1700 1750 18001500 1550 18501517 Reformationof the church

1539 Dissolutionof the monasteries

pg 01

1625 Reignof KingCharlesthe 1st

1704 Woods includingFell Greave were soldto Colne Bridge IronForge Partners

1800 Textilerevolution andindustrialrevolution

Circa: 1861

Collier works

begin under

Lower Fell

Greave

1642 The land wasused for charcoalproduction by thePilkingtons

1700 Opencast coal miningis a growth industry

1520 BrookefamilyextendedNewhouseHall

1623 Forge at Colne Bridgewas attacked by men fromBradley

1642 EnglishCivil war

pg 02

The woods’ fascinating historycan be traced back to the timesof Edward the Confessor, when

Anglo-Saxonscarved amedievalhamletfrom thegreat

woodland tracts of oak, birchand hazel which grew acrossnorthern England.

The Anglo-Saxon communitysettled in this broad woodedpasture. The settlementflourished steadily until theNorman Conquest in 1066disrupted the centuries oldcustoms of the forest .

The area is described in theDomesday Book as 'waste',testament to the efforts of Williamand his Norman conquerors. In their'harrowing of the North,' they left nobuildings or men standing as apunishment for not bowing to hisrule.

The woods around Bradley andFixby have been at the heart of localprosperity and developmentthroughout the ages.

The origin of woods in Bradley and FixbyThe origin of woods in Bradley and FixbyEarly settlements

Coppice trees (like ash and elm),grow again after being cut downto the stump providing regularcrops of poles for making rakes,scythe-sticks and more.

Sucker trees (like aspen andcherry) grow again from the rootsystem, and form patches ofidentical trees called clones.

Pollard trees (are cut 6 to 15 feetabove the ground, leaving apermanent trunk called a bolling),sprouted like coppice but safelyout of reach of any livestock.

In 1177, this wood was grantedto Fountains Abbey which wasonce the richest and mostpowerful Cistercian monastery in

England, at a rent of 10 shillingsper year. The monks utilised thewell known method of coppicing,in order to produce a crop of'roundwood' for charcoalburning, as well as maturetimber for building. This ensuredsustainable richness anddiversity of the woodland.

'Roundwood' refers to thosebranches or thin stems left ineither it’s original round or half-round shape and is sized 2” to8” in diameter.

Square or rectangular wood iscalled lumber.

pg 03

Local industries through the agesLocal industries through the ages

Wooded pastures are a humancreation, the result of centuriesof accumulated woodmanship,carefully planned so the sameland could be used for trees andgrazing animals.

Today’s woodland is the result ofmans’ cultivation.

Harvesting the woods

pg 04

Iron ore was broken intopieces, possibly by using ahammer on a small waterwheel. The ore was thenroasted on a bed of charcoalto dry it and drive off carbonateto leave an iron oxide whichwas easier to smelt.

Clay was mixed with water tobuild a cylindrical furnacesupported by a stone structure.The furnaces were chargedwith a mixture of charcoal androasted ore and thetemperatures had to be raisedin excess of 1000° Celsius byblowing air into the base of thefurnace, possibly using waterpowered bellows.

The monks main interest inthe area lay in its mineralwealth, particularly iron ore.The woodland provided fuelfor the monks to producecharcoal to fire the furnaceswhich they used to extract andsmelt the necessary metals.

As the temperature rose, theimpurities in the ore started tomelt and sink to the bottom ofthe furnace. The iron did notmelt but slowly coalesced intoa very hot spongy mess knownas a bloom. When a bloom hadformed it was removed bybreaking through the furnacewall.

In Upper Fell Greave Woodthere are still depressions inthe ground, remains of the pitswhich were dug to get at coaland iron near to the surface.

This industry began to die outas early as 1300.

A hot bloom of iron ore producedby smelting

Iron smeltingLocal industries through the agesLocal industries through the ages

pg 05

1536-9 saw the dissolution ofthe monastery, with its landsreverting to the Crown but stillheld by the Pilkington family,who in 1524 paid £40 in taxeson it.

The 300 acres of woodlandswere developed under thePilkingtons, supplying bark,charcoal and timber for localindustries like leather tanning.

Leather was popular becauseit was flexible, durable and hadmany purposes. It was used inthe making of shoes, belts,harnesses and scabbards, aswell as cups and bottles to keepwater cool. All fat and fleshwere removed from the animalhides, then fish or vegetableoils were rubbed on to make itwaterproof, followed byminerals such as tannin, aproduct of tree bark particularlyalder, to prevent the hide fromstiffening and rotting.

Fountains Abbey - Dissolved afterthe reformation

Alder tree bark - Bark and leavesare rich in tannin

Leather tanning

An example of leathergoods

Local industries through the agesLocal industries through the ages

pg 06

Evidence of another importantindustry which took place inthe woods lies in the discoveryof tenter posts by the streamin the woods.

From the 14th century, longbefore the explosion of thetextile mills in the late 18thCentury, tentercrofts wereareas outside hamlets wherethe tenter frames stood in theopen air and were used tostretch and dry woollen clothwith tenter hooks, hence theexpression still used today; 'tobe left on tenter hooks'. Woolcombing, spinning wheels andWebster's looms formed partof the equipment in everyfarmstead.

Tenter posts where used to stretchout wool along with tenter hooks

An example of tenterhooks

Local industries through the agesLocal industries through the agesTextiles

Textile production was acottage industry, whoseheritage can still be seentoday. Tenter Hill Lane, whichborders Bradley Gate wood isa clear reminder of the formerresidents’ occupation.

Drawing and spinning theyarns was a woman's task withthe spinning wheel and distaff.

The women would then lay outthe thread for warping. Theweaving of the thread intofabrics was done by men dayand night on heavy handlooms. This process wastedious, hard labour.

pg 07

In the late 17th and 18thcentury, coal mining had takenover as the area's majorsource of revenue anddevelopment.

Soon after 1829, much of thecultivated woodland was cut

down. Park Wood and LowerNorth Wood were felled and on19th Century maps the area isshown as Bradley Park.

A parliamentary commissionedsurvey in 1861 into mineraldeposits noted that a coalmining seam began in the westcorner of Bradley Gate Wood,known as the ‘Better Bed’workings. There where alsoextensive collier works underthe northern boundary of LowerFell Greave Woods.This brought about furthertransport links, with a secondseries of tramways to coalmines situated in and aroundBradley Park Wood.

Coal was pulled from the pits to thecanals along Old Lane

Coal mining

Small pits from iron and coal miningare scattered throughout the wood.This pit is in Upper Fell Greave.

Old Lane was once the mainroad from Huddersfield toBrighouse. It was probably fullof wagons pulling coal fromthe west side of Bradley Gate.

Local industries through the agesLocal industries through the ages

pg 08

William the Conqueror gaveland and houses to those whohad come over fromNormandy with him. This leftthose who had fought againsthim homeless, and frequentlycondemned to living in forests.These people were calledtilvatids or tent dwellers.

The woods provided fuel, foodand shelter for these people.

Forest animals such as deer,elk, wild cattle, pig, birds wereall hunted and berries such asblackberries were eaten.

Allegedly after Robin Hood wasbranded an outlaw, he fled tothe Calder Valley where hedied in Kirklees Priory byBradley Park Woods.

Legend says he was betrayedby his aunt the prioress, who lefthim to bleed to death. In thegrounds of the priory lies hisunofficial grave. Little John is saidto have cursed the priory foreverand some people believe that

Robin Hood’s grave radiates amystical aura which has attractedthe attention of spiritualists.

The simple gravestone wasdesecrated in the early 19thcentury during the constructionof the Lancashire and YorkshireRailway. Labourers believed thetombstone had curativeproperties, and chipped offpieces to place under theirpillows to alleviate toothache.

Stories suggest it was the siteof devil worship, vampires andhauntings, as well as being thevenue for a series of unexplainedmurders and tragic accidentswhich seem to bear out LittleJohn's curse.

Robin Hoods’ grave

Robin HoodLegends & folklore rooted in the woodsLegends & folklore rooted in the woods

pg 09

Around 1550, the Brooke familyowned the building. They werethe wealthiest family in the areaby building their fortune asclothiers.

Many local places names suchas Sheepridge, and TenterhillLane are testament to thewoollen trade activities whichoccupied them and other localpeople. This wealth meant thatthey were able to extend theold timber house into a muchlarger stone manor house.

By 1700 the family's wealth hadraised their stature so muchthat their daughter Helenmarried the son of the sheriffof York - a very prestigious

It is thought that NewhouseHall was started as a timberdwelling about 1350. Over thecenturies, it has been built onand improved to become thelargest and oldest Yeoman'sManor in the area. Yeomenwere the “new money” class.

marriage in those days! Incelebration of this importantfamily event, a new front doorwas installed, and thisremains in use to this day.

The hall passed from theBrooke's ownership in 1751when the Thornhills of Fixbybought it. Later in 1857 it waspurchased by Sir JohnRamsden and thus into thelocally famous RamsdenEstate. This meant that in1920 when Huddersfieldbecame the “town that boughtitself”, that the grand hallbecame the property of theHuddersfield Corporation. In1994 the hall passed back intoprivate hands.

Newhouse Hall - A sanctuary formany

Newhouse HallLegends & folklore rooted in the woodsLegends & folklore rooted in the woods

pg 10

During the days of the CivilWar from 1642-48, youngSybil Brooke of the Hall hadmany admirers, in particulara young Cavalier fromToothill. He was not favouredby her father however andindeed was forbidden to visitthe Hall.

for fear of encountering thedecapitated canine.

A subsequent myth describesa ghostly dog with a humanhead and beard stretchingfrom ear to ear roaming FellGreave Wood about a hundredyears ago.

There may be a more ordinaryexplanation for thissuperstition. The Brookes andtheir successors employedgame keepers, who some say,disguised themselves insheepskins and crawledthrough the woods on all foursat night, scaring off anypoachers, and creating a locallegend.

The ardent lovers weredetermined to communicate insecret and they used theCavalier's dog to send eachother love letters through thewoods.

One night however, instead ofthe young lady awaiting thedog's arrival, there was herirate father who, with one fellswoop, cut off the dog's head.Legend says that the headlesshound turned tail and ran backthrough the woods where hecan still be seen on moonlitOctober nights on WigganLane.

Sheepridge residents were tooterrified to walk in the woods

A cavalier ready to meet his lady

Lovers and the woodsLegends & folklore rooted in the woodsLegends & folklore rooted in the woods

pg 11

Cooper and the Colne bridgeswere built to make it easier tomove iron ore from the ruraltrack that is now Bradley Road.

These bridges were initiallymade from wood and so wereoften damaged by floods.

As a result in the 14th centuryFountains Abbey, was taken tocourt for allowing the bridgesto fall into disrepair.

The first stone causeways, (orroads) were built by monasteriesin the middle ages. The walls oneach side were not added untilthe enclosure of lands in the1700's.

From this time the landscape inand around the woods began tochange. Causeways andhighways were built to servicethe increased traffic of theflourishing local trades.

'Old Lane', was previously theold Packhorse Trail. ThePackhorse trails formed anetwork of trade routes betweenLancashire and Yorkshire,served by sure-footed horseswhose strength and agilityenabled them to negotiateslopes too steep for wheeledvehicles and thus carrynecessities such as salt, milk,coal and lime.

Hard surface routes wereneeded all year round, for thefully loaded gangs of“packhorses” which carried wooland cloth. When gangs ofpackhorses met on the narrow'cause ways' they caused trafficjams.

Paths through time

On the Road! A typical Carrierswagon of the 18th and 19th centuries

Transport systemTransport system

pg 12

Bells were placed round the neckof the lead horses, to warnoncoming traffic of theirapproach, hence the name 'bell-horses'.

The oldest and most importantroad in the area was BradleyRoad (previously Bradley Lane)which has its origins in medievaltimes.

The quiet remnants of Old Lanewhich runs up the Eastern sideof Lower Fell Greave to joinBradley Road was once the mainroad connecting Huddersfield toBrighouse.

Toll houses were erected andoperated by toll collectors whoseduty was to open the gate aftercollecting the proper charge. Itappears that the tenter post atthe side of Old Lane is an oldtoll bar and there was anotherat the point where ShepherdsThorn Lane crosses BradleyRoad.

The remnants of other stoneroads can still be seen in LowerFell Greave around NewhouseHall. Whether these were usedfor packhorses (to service theBrooke clothier business) orsimply ornamental is not clear.

Packhorseswalked OldLane thetrade routefromHuddersfieldto Brighouseand beyond

Detail of Thomas Jeffery's Map of1772 - Showing Bradley and thesurrounding district

Paths through time continuedTransport systemTransport system

pg 13

TodayToday

The woodland remains athriving environment fornature and a link to our localhistory, to explore and enjoy.

Woodscape a voluntary groupof local residents, aims toconserve the woods throughgood management for thebenefit and enjoyment ofcurrent and future generations.

If you would like more infoabout Woodscape and howyou can become moreinvolved, please contact usby email:info@huddersfieldwoodscape.org.uk

Today, the woodlands in thisleaflet are called UpperFellgreave, Lower Fellgreave,Bradley Gate, Dyson andScreamer Woods.

It is thought that the old Englishword “Greaf” (meaning - wood)was combined with Fell(meaning - a high uncultivatedland used for grazing), to nameUpper and Lower Fell Greave.

'Broad-Lea,' which meant‘broad meadow’. Has sincebecome Bradley. 'Gate' meant‘the way to’. Today we knowthe area as Bradley Gate.

Bradley ParkGolf Club

Redw

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Kel

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Brackenhall Deighton

Bradley Road

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Roa

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WoodhouseChrist Church Sch

All Saints H.Sch

Fixby J & ISch

Alandale R

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DeightonCentre

Our Lady of Lourdes Sch

Old Lane

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Key:EntrancePitsNew House HallShort WalkLong Walk

A

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Upper FellGreave

LowerFell Greave Bradley Gate

Woods

ScreamerWoods

DysonWood

A Woodscape production