Bingley

The Ancient Parish of BINGLEY

[Transcribed information mainly from the early 1820s]

"BINGLEY, a market and parish-town, in the upper-division of Skyrack; 4¼ miles South East from Keighley, and 5¾ North West of Bradford, 10 from Otley, 11 from Halifax, 38 from York. Market, Tuesday. Fairs, Jan. 25, for horned cattle, August 25, 26, and 27, for horned cattle, sheep, and linen. Principal Inns, Brown Cow, and King's Head. Pop. 6,176. The Church is a vicarage, dedicated to All-Saints (see Churches for photograph), in the deanry of Craven, value, ~£7. 6s. 8d. p.r. !£138. Patron, the King.

This is one of the thirty two Lordships which the Conqueror gave to Erneis de Berun; how long he held it does not appear; but about the year 1120 it was the property of William Paganell, founder of the Priory of Drax. His successors were the Gants, and William de Gant had a charter for a market here, 12th of John. The family of the Cantilupes afterwards became possessed of it; and in later times we find it in the hands by purchase, in 1668, of Robert Benson, father of the first Lord Bingley, whose descendant, James Lane Fox, Esq. is the present owner of it. In the time of Dodsworth, who visited this place in 1621, "there was a park at Bingley and castle near the church, on a hill, called Bailey Hill," of which little more than the name and tradition now remain. The church, a plain and decent structure, was restored in the early part of the reign of Henry VIII. Dr. Whitaker states it to be dedicated to All Souls. Here is a Free Grammar School, founded 20th of Henry VIII. value about £400. per annum, present master, the Rev. Dr. Hartley. By a decree of the Lord Chancellor, in December, 1820, it was determined that it should he conducted as a Free Grammar School for teaching the children of the inhabitants of the parish of Bingley, the learned languages. Here is also a National School established in 1814, and supported by voluntary contributions."



Information on the following places in this Parish is contained on a supplementary page.

Barcroft Beckfoot Cockcroft Mill Cottingley Cottingley Bridge Cottingley House Cowhouse Cross Roads Crossflatts Cuckoo Nest

Cullingworth East Morton Eldwick Faweather Gawthorpe Hall Gilstead Greenhill Hainworth Harden Laund House

Lees Marley Micklethwaite Morton Banks Myrtle Grove Priesthorpe Riddlesden Rishforth Hall Saint Ives West Morton