Jonathan Scott explains the wealth of resources available to help you research your West Yorkshire ancestors
Many famous firsts of the Industrial Revolution occurred in West Yorkshire. Marshall’s Mill, a six-storey flax-spinning mill in Holbeck, Leeds, was one of the largest factories in the world when it opened in the late 18th century. The Leeds and Selby Railway, which opened in September 1834, was the first mainline railway in Yorkshire.
And alongside the huge mills that appeared in Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield, heavy engineering dominated Castleford, Leeds, Pontefract and Wakefield. And of course the ‘Steel City’ Sheffield was also part of historic West Riding, although today lies within South Yorkshire.
Starting with what’s online, West Yorkshire is well served by both Ancestry (ancestry.co.uk) and Findmypast (findmypast.co.uk). You can search through vast collections of registers and parish-chest records, alongside probate, electoral, tax, land and court material. There’s also a number of free resources, some of which are listed here, and a dizzying number of family history societies. In fact there are so many that you might want to begin by visiting the website of the umbrella organisation the Yorkshire Group of Family History Societies at yorksgroup.org.uk. Then it’s worth visiting the site of the society covering your area of interest, since many have useful online indexes, parish guides and other finding aids.
County Headquarters
The archives for West Yorkshire are held by several repositories. The headquarters of the West Yorkshire Archive Service (WYAS; wyjs.org.uk/archive-service) is located in Wakefield, and it’s here that you will find many of the most important county-wide collections, as well as material for Wakefield itself. Then each of the WYAS branches – in Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Leeds – house local city and borough collections, which include records produced by parish churches, diocesan material and records of nonconformist churches, schools and much more.
Two thirds of Wakefield’s holdings fall into the countywide category. The highlight is arguably the West Riding Registry of Deeds. This was set up in 1704, and was specifically designed to help support industrial expansion by making it easier for manufacturers to use property as security for loans to develop their business. It was one of just four registries set up in England – and was by far the earliest and largest. Today the 24,384 volumes contain seven million extracts or memorials of property transactions, including numerous plans, and cover up to 1970.
Since our last visit to West Yorkshire in May 2014, there have been lots of changes on the ground, with both the Calderdale and Wakefield o ces moving to new premises. Work cataloguing the 3,200 boxes that constitute the John Goodchild Collection, a mountain of West Riding material amassed by the local historian and antiquarian during his lifetime (1935–2017), has also continued.
The project went into temporary hiatus during the pandemic but the team recently got back to work, uncovering the Penistone Union Workhouse collection which includes both admission and discharge records.
Other Goodchild Collection gems include a diary believed to be that of the watercolour artist Louisa Fennell (1847–1930), a huge quantity of apprenticeship indentures and Poor Law material relating to Ossett and other towns, as well as a coroner’s notebooks and militia lists from areas across West Yorkshire.
The Textile Trade
Calderdale’s collections reflect Halifax’s importance as a centre for the cloth industry, and include records of clothier Samuel Hill of Soyland, as well as John Firth who made worsted –a fine twisted yarn spun out from long combed wool. Bradford’s prosperity was also built on the worsted trade, and material held here includes accounts and workforce records, tradeunion records, catalogues and production records, as well as material relating to philanthropist Sir Titus Salt’s Victorian model village Saltaire in Shipley.
In August 2020 the Kirklees once won a £40,000 cataloguing grant that is being funnelled into ‘Creating Kirklees: 150 Years of Local Democracy’. This project will catalogue archives of the 11 local authorities that merged to form the Borough of Kirklees in 1974. This too was delayed because of Covid-19, but got under way last summer. The team has already begun cataloguing smaller authorities that existed prior to 1938, in places such as Farnley Tyas, Flockton, Golcar, Honley, Kirkheaton, Lepton, Marsden, Scammonden, Skelmanthorpe, Slaithwaite and Thurstonland. Recent discoveries include a large number of rate books and valuations back to the early 1800s, and – from the First World War – records relating to Belgian refugees who were housed locally plus correspondence and case papers from military tribunals.
Another sub-team has been working on organising turn-of-the-century files created by Huddersfield’s borough engineers. Meanwhile Lead Office Staf, with help from 70 remote volunteers, are transcribing archives from the World Heritage site of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal (see tinyurl.com/wyas-blog-digging).
Remember that the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York holds the vast majority of probate records for Yorkshire made before January 1858. The major exception is the part of Yorkshire that was in the Archdeaconry of Richmond. Most of the probate records for this area are held by WYAS Leeds.
There’s a useful guide, showing the various deaneries, at tinyurl.com/borthwick-probate. Finally there’s Anne Lister (1791–1840), a landowner, lesbian and traveller who wrote extensive diaries about every facet of her life, and whose remarkable story inspired BBC One’s drama series Gentleman Jack. Since 2019 her diaries, part of the Shibden Hall Collection held at WYAS Calderdale, have been available to view via the WYAS catalogue. You can find out more about this project via the fascinating blog at tinyurl.com/wyas-blog-lister.
TOP TIP!
Remember that the city of Sheffield was historically part of West Riding. Today it lies within South Yorkshire, maintaining its own archives: tinyurl.com/sheff-city-arch.
West Yorkshire Through The Ages
Historical highlights from the region
1460
The Battle of Wakefield takes place in Sandal Magna during the Wars of the Roses. Richard, Duke of York is killed and his army destroyed.
1818
The West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum opens on Aberford Road in Wakefield. It will play an important role in the development of British psychiatry.
1833
Titus Salt takes over the running of his father’s woollen business in Bradford.
1834
Halifax-born diarist Anne Lister takes communion with Ann Walker at Holy Trinity Church, York, celebrating a marital commitment without legal recognition.
1888
French inventor Louis Le Prince (right) uses a newfangled camera at Oakwood Grange in Roundhay, Leeds. Today Roundhay Garden Scene is recognised as the oldest surviving moving film in existence.
1901
Eric Portman is born in Akroydon, Halifax. He is remembered today for roles in Powell and Pressburger films such as One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942).
1916
The Bradford Pals advance during the first hour of the Battle of the Somme. Of an estimated 1,394 men from Bradford and the local district, 1,060 are killed or injured.
1937
Cycling legend Beryl Burton is born in Halton, Leeds. During her career she wins more than 90 domestic championships as well as seven world titles.
1974
Brian Clough becomes the manager of Leeds United. He is sacked 44 days later after the team’s worst start to the season in 15 years.
Free Online Records
Parish registers, photographs of Leeds, directories, a pioneering lesbian’s diaries, and records of cases heard at church courts make up this month’s selection
Cause Papers
Search a database of cases heard in Yorkshire’s church courts between 1300 and 1858.
Diaries
Explore the diaries of cover 1806– 1840 and run to four million words.
Parish Registers
The Internet Archive has a number of volumes of parish transcriptions, mainly compiled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Directories
of Leicester’s site Special Collections Online has a range of directories covering the area, including Kelly’s Directory of West Riding of Yorkshire from 1881.
Photos
Browse over 67,000 images of Leeds city’s library, local collections. There are also themed galleries.
LOCAL INDUSTRY
Rhubarb
Was your ancestor involved in an industry that West Yorkshire once dominated?
The Rhubarb Triangle covers a nine-square-mile area between Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell. A technique called ‘forcing’, discovered in 1817 at the Chelsea Physic Garden in London, was brought to the region in 1877, when the Whitcliffe family of Leeds begin commercial growing using special sheds to grow the vegetable out of season. The industry expanded to cover about 30 square miles by the 1930s, and every weekday night between Christmas and Easter a train transported up to 200 tons of forced rhubarb to London’s markets. Learn more at morleyarchives.org.uk/our-heritage/articles/the-rhubarb-triangle.
West Yorkshire Surnames
Are any of these in your tree?
ACKROYD
This name is derived from the Old English words ac meaning ‘oak’ and rod meaning ‘clearing’.
AINLEY
This surname might be associated with Ainley Top, a village near Huddersfield.
BARRACLOUGH
This is a habitational name from Barrowclough near Halifax, which combines the Old English words for grove and ravine.
COCKROFT
This is a locative name from a place in Rishworth.
CROSLAND/CROSSLAND
This name is taken from Crosland in Almondbury.
EXLEY
Heckmondwike, which today is part of the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, was historically a hotspot for the surname Exley.
FEATHER
In 1881 this name was most common in Haworth, Keighley and Thornton, all in Bradford.
LUMB
This habitational name is most commonly found in West Yorkshire and Lancashire.
PULLAN
This is the Yorkshire variant of Pullen, which was an occupational name for a horse-breeder or a nickname for someone frisky. It comes from the Old French word poulain meaning ‘colt’.
WEST YORKSHIRE DIRECTORY
ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES
Borthwick Institute For Archives
a York YO10 5DD t 01904 321166
e borthwick-institute@york.ac.uk
w york.ac.uk/borthwick
The institute holds probate records for the majority of Yorkshire, as well as Methodist records for the York Circuit, and Archdeaconry of York parish (findmypast.co.uk).
East Riding Archives
a The Treasure House, Champney Road, Beverley HU17 8HE
t 01482 392790
e gov.uk
The archive has records for the Archdeaconry of the East Riding, including Hull and Scarborough.
Marks & Spencer Archive
a M&S Company Archive, Michael Marks Building, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT
t 020 8718 2800
e company.archive@mands.com
w marksintime.marksandspencer.com
The retailer was founded in Leeds in 1884. Collections here include documents, letters, speeches, employee magazines, annual reports, advertising leaflets, photographs, films and oral history recordings.
North Yorkshire County 5HFRUG 2IÀFH
a Malpas Road, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL7 8TB
t 01609 777585
e archives@northyorks.gov.uk
w northyorks.gov.uk/countyrecord-office
The record office looks after North Riding school records, quartersessions records, electoral registers, Poor Law material and more. Most parish registers held here are available via Findmypast. t 0114 203 9395 e archives@sheffield.gov.uk w tinyurl.com/sheff-city-arch The service preserves material for Sheffield and South Yorkshire.
West Yorkshire Archive Service (WYAS)
a West Yorkshire History Centre, 127 Kirkgate, Wakefield WF1 1JG
t 0113 535 0142
e wakefield@wyjs.org.uk
w tinyurl.com/wyas-wakefield
This is the address of the archival HQ, the main archive for West Yorkshire, as well as being the record office for Wakefield. Important collections include the records of the pioneering West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum/Stanley Royd Hospital, and the West Riding Registry of Deeds.
WYAS Bradford
a Margaret McMillan Tower, Prince’s Way, Bradford BD1 1NN
t 0113 535 0152
e bradford@wyjs.org.uk
w tinyurl.com/wyas-bradford
The Bradford branch holds trade union records, business/industrial records for the worsted trade, and records of Salt’s of Saltaire.
WYAS Calderdale
a Central Library and Archives, Square Road, Halifax HX1 1QG
t 0113 535 0151
e calderdale@wyjs.org.uk
w tinyurl.com/wyas-calderdale
Visit for family/estate records, and material from the textile industry, clock-making and coal mining.
WYAS Kirklees
a Unit 1, The Piazza Centre, Princess Alexandra Walk, Huddersfield HD1 2RS
t 0113 535 0150
e kirklees@wyjs.org.uk
w tinyurl.com/wyas-kirklees
The Kirklees office moved to this temporary home last September.
WYAS Leeds
a Nepshaw Lane South, Morley, Leeds LS27 7JQ
t 0113 535 0155
e leeds@wyjs.org.uk
w tinyurl.com/wyas-leeds
The Leeds branch collections include archives from the Tetley brewery, Burton and the cloth manufacturer Hainsworth.
MUSEUMS
Leeds City Museum
a Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH
The ‘Leeds Story’ gallery on the museum’s second floor features the city’s textile heritage.
Wakefield Museums and Castles
w wakefield.gov.uk/museumsand-castles
Find out more about heritage attractions in the Wakefield area.
SOCIETIES
Yorkshire Group Of Family History Societies
w yorksgroup.org.uk
A wealth of family history societies cover Yorkshire. The website of their umbrella organisation has links to their individual sites.
WEBSITES
Ancestry
w bit.ly/anc-westyorks
The company’s collections for the region include parish registers and electoral registers thanks to its partnership with WYAS.
Findmypast
w bit.ly/fmp-yorks
Findmypast has parish records, Bishops’ Transcripts, memorial inscriptions, burial records and more, all through the Yorkshire Digitization Consortium.