MH-4 Mabel Harrison.
| Title | Written by my Auntie Mabel |
| Date | Undated |
| Location | Yeadon |
| Written By | Mabel Harrison |
| Comment | Read on … |
The next record of Yeadon is in the papers relating to Esholt Nunnery in which one Galfred Haget is reported as giving two carucates of land (about 100 to 200 acres each) towards the support of the convent.
Esholt Priory was founded in the latter part of the reign of Henry 11 by the generosity of Galfred Haget and Simon Ward and his wife and son, and confirmed in A.D.1184 by Pope Lucius 3rd to the Cistercian Nuns.
The Priory was sheltered to the north by Esholt Woods and Hollings Hill, which in those days was covered with holly trees and evergreens.
The streams which flow from Upper Yeadon and the one from Reva Hawksworth join before entering the woods and make a stream called Esholt Springs.
Then it was beautiful clear streams, abounding with trout and other fish, it was a delightful place to choose for a convent.
Simon de Braam, Lord of Yeadon granted leave to the nuns to pass through the middle of his Manor of Esholt.
Alan son of Walter Yeadon gave lands to the Priory also the corn mill which stood on the boundary of Yeadon and Guiseley at Nunroyd Beck, which was the site of Peates Mill.
Bolton Abbey was founded in the year 1121 at Embsay near Skipton and later the monks moved to Bolton where the present Abbey whose ruins stand by the river was built.
Both Yeadon and Rawdon contributed to it.
Simon de Braam gave one oxgang of land in Lower Yeadon to Adam son of Thomas de Mohant the latter paying annually to the Prior of Bolton the sum of 10d, a goodly sum in those days.
The oxgang of land (25 acres) was what was later known a Abbey Garth.
THE LIVES OF THE HAND LOOM WEAVERS
During the next 400 years life in Yorkshire followed a steady pattern.
The monks lived peaceful lives building their beautiful Abbeys supported by the richer men of the villages.
The crops and land given to the Abbeys were worked on by the villagers.
News travelled slowly and until the 1600’s little was known of the world outside.
Only the seasons changed and until parliament began to put taxes on the people in various ways life was peaceful, although hard, and devoid of luxury for the poor hand loom weavers, who were content to be self supporting.
They had no ambition and knew nothing of any other way of life except the simple routine of their own.
From 1600 life changed even in the isolated North of England never again was there to be real peace for the rural areas except in the very remote Dales.
Yeadon being in the Aire valley between Leeds and Bradford felt the changes much earlier than its neighbours in the valleys of the Washburn and the Nidd.
F130 – Mabel Harrison.
In 1673 when the Hearth Tax was passed, Yeadon had 45 houses with one fireplace each, 13 houses with two fireplaces, 3 houses with 3 fireplaces and 3 houses with 4 fireplaces, so there were only 6 large houses in the village at that period, the others being handloom weavers cottages and tenants of the Lord of the Manor.
Each year, they reaped their few crops and made provision for the winter.
One year on Fosters Day Mowing, records show a great feat with a scythe.
It must have been hard work to cut whole fields of hay by hand, and a lengthy process compared to today.
Old names have died out but in those days lands between the Peacock Hotel and the top of Green Lane were the “Old Lands” one named Footgate Close another Town End Dub and Tenter’s Close, Dead Mans Reins and Swine Carr, very descriptive names.
Old Yeadon names from over 300 years ago were researched from notes based on Old Manor Court records. The manor court of Rawdon met in October 1642 and gave Yeadon names as follows:-
John Baitsin: Giles Hammon: Richard Hanwirth: John Marshall: Widow Marshall: William Oddie: Widow Overin: Steven Pollard: Mr, Ben Rhodes: John Snowden: Joseph Thackeray: Widow Walker: John Ward and William Ward.
Other inhabitants of Upper Yeadon:-
Christopher Asheler: William Bateson: Mathew Casse: William Claton: Robert Dinison: Samewell Foster: Edward Hoppey: Thomas Jowitt: Timothy Leadbeater: Peter Lambert: Thomas Mires: Christopher Oddie: Mathew Swane: Widow Swane: Jake Walker son of Edward: William Walker: Thomas Ward: Thomas Wilkinson: Widow Wilson and Samewell Yeadon.
The freeholders were the owners of land and property and other inhabitants are tenants of the Lord of The Manor.
Many names listed are still often pronounced in the district as spelt in olden times,
