Bradford in 100 Dates E-Book

Alan Hall

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 128

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

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.

Leseprobe

For Amanda

Acknowledgements

Special thanks must go to Sue Caton and her staff at Bradford Local Studies Library, for helping me access much of the source material I have used. Thanks also to Matilda Richards of The History Press who suggested that I write this book. Last but not least, I want to thank my wife Amanda, who has once again been an encouragement to me in all kinds of ways.

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

Introduction

Let us be frank, apart from some interesting episodes in the early years of the English Civil War, Bradford has little noteworthy history prior to the opening of the Bradford Canal in 1774. This landmark event helped to catapult the town headlong into the Industrial Revolution, and within a generation or so Bradford had become an internationally known place to be reckoned with. Consequently, most of the events described in this book are from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with a few crucial ones from the twenty-first.

Taking the 100 dates as a whole, it soon becomes clear that, especially in the last 200 years, there must hardly have been a dull moment in Bradford. Its inhabitants have lived through wars, riots, fires, floods, strikes and social upheavals of a kind not necessarily found elsewhere. But as well as enduring all manner of trials and tribulation, there is clear evidence – certainly since the mid-nineteenth century – that the people of Bradford have developed a great pride in their city and in the achievements of its citizens. That pride continues right up to the present day.

The majority of the events and personalities featured in this book relate to Bradford as it existed before the local government boundary changes of 1974, but some references to places such as Bingley, Haworth, Saltaire and Keighley are also included because these communities, whether their inhabitants like it or not, are now part of Bradford. In many ways they always were. Haworth, for example, was part of the parish of Bradford from medieval times. Saltaire was the creation of a man who had made his fortune in Bradford and had been one of its first mayors before building his magnificent mill and model township on green and pleasant land just a few miles down the road from the dark Satanic mills in the centre of Bradford.

Researching and writing Bradford in 100 Dates has not only been a very enjoyable experience for me, it has also been something of an eye-opener. As a native of Bradford, I always assumed that I knew quite a bit about the city’s history and heritage, but I had never heard of the deadly Bradford Sweet Poisoning of 1858 or the 1804 Festival of Bishop Blaise; nor did I know that people like Harry Houdini, Charlie Chaplin and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show had all appeared here. I know now.

Bradford is a fascinating place, and I hope that this book will show that it has a fascinating history too.

Alan Hall, 2015

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