Thornton Village History - Thornton, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

WELCOME TO
THORNTON VILLAGE HISTORY
The origins of Thornton Village go back before the Norman Conquest, when Thornton belonged to the manor of Bolton. It is spelt in the Doomsday Bool as Tornton meaning `enclosure of Thorns', but it is possible that the district had been settled prior to the ninth century as a number of funeral urns have been excavated over the years and in the immediate vicinity.

As early as 1150 a family by the name of Thornton held large possessions in Thornton, and as a consequence obtained the privileges of a manor, the first notable lord being Hugh de Thornton. The Bollings of Bolling Hall were descendants of the Thorntons, and after them the manor passed by marriage to Sir Richard Tempest of Bracewell (Lancs) until, in 1620. it was sold. About 1638 the manor was sold again turning to local ownership by being bought by the Midgley's, and through them it was retained until 1715, when it was conveyed by Josiah Midgley along with the Headley estate and Hall where he resided, to John Cockcroft, Attorney of Bradford.

In 1746 a moiety, a half share, of the manor including Headley was purchased by a John Stanhope and another moiety by the Horton family. This descended with the manor of Horton to one Captain Rhyss, on his marriage to the daughter of Sir Wafts Horton. From him manor went to W S Stanhope, Esq and Lady Stocks. Following the Enclosure acts and the enclosing of the moors and wastelands of Thornton in 1771, the manor was effectively dispersed. The amount and type of land enclosed under these Acts, over 900 acres of moor alone gives a certain substance to the many writers comments that Thornton was a wild, bleak and desolate place up until the early 19th century.

A Charter of Freedom to Worship was granted by King Charles II in 1672. A group of Independent Congregationalists worshipped illegally at Kipping Barn. built in 1679, and were persecuted and imprisoned in York Castle for not attending the established church. Village legend tells of a secret tunnel running from the house next door as an escape when bailiffs came to arrest them.

Kipping Independent Chapel, originally built in 1769 then enlarged and rebuilt in 1843, is a significant historic building within Thornton As late as 1800 there were still only twenty three dwellings forming the village and three of these were public houses. The centre of these cluster of hamlets were located on what is known today as Market Street which was then the main road between Bradford and Halifax until the carriageway at Thornton Road was constructed in 1829.

It was not until the mid-1800's when entrepreneurs development started to have an impact on the character of the settlement. It was at this time that the textile trade was consolidated and between 1826 to 1870 a number of mills were built in and around Thornton notably Upper Mill, which is since demolished, and Prospect Mill on Thornton Road. The stone trade was also an important element of the district with up to thirty quarries being recorded in the 1870's. The original sandstone quarries were only small, and known locally as delfs, but large commercial quarrying was established in the early 1800's. This defined the essential characteristic building material for Thornton village. There were several colleries too, and alongside this seam of coal ran a good band of fire clay, and between 1870 to 1880 a fire clay trade of some size was established at Thornton. The Thornton branch of the Bradford, Halifax and Keighley Railway was commenced on 11 March 1874 and opened as far as the village in 1878. This led later to the erection of one of the most outstanding features of the Pinch Beck Valley at Alderscholes the Thornton Viaduct.

Despite incorporation with Bradford in 1899 and steady expansion Thornton has retained the essential identity and setting of a community village.

Bronte Birthplace Village
Thornton is historically associated with the foundation of a literary phenomenon and being the birthplace of the Bronte sisters Charlotte (1816), Emily Jane (1818) and Anne (1820). Their brother Patrick Branwell was also born here in 1817. The Bronte family moved to Haworth in 1820.

FAMOUS CONNECTIONS
THE BRONTE FAMILY -Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell. Born in Thornton between 1815 and 1820. Lived on Market Street for five years before moving to Haworth.

JOHN 'WILLIE' HORSFALL - He had 60 years of conducting local choirs and he founded the Thornton Vocal Union, who are still singing today.

JACK KITCHEN - Born in Thornton about 1920 and apart from being clever enough to go to Thornton Grammar School he was a brilliant rugby player. He played rugby league for Bradford Northern between 1943 and 1951 and for England in the 1949 cup final.

Pt ANITA LONSBOROUGH - Olympic Women's Breast Stroke record holder, 1960 in Rome. The record still holds today. She did most of her training in Thornton Baths.

KEN MORRISON - Took over his parent's business of eggs and cheese when he was 20 years old in 1952. Helped by his brother-in-law Ken Blundell they created the fourth largest supermarket in Britain.

DAVID WRIGHT - First mill owner in Thornton, 1826. He was also pert of the group called the Bradford and Thornton Turn Pike Trust who created the new Thornton road in 1829.

SIMEON TOWNEND Brought steam power to the village in 1826, thus creating the many woollen mills and work for the local people.

GEORGE ROWLANDS - Overseer of the building of the viaduct in 1873. Buried in Bell Chapel churchyard

LES KELLET - The clown prince of wrestling. He was not born in Thornton, but at Laisterdyke, in 1916. When he retired from wrestling in 1975 he came to live in Thornton at the Bicck House opposite the trolley terminus. He lived there with his wife Margaret until 2002.

THOMAS & JOHN INGHAM - Of the bobbin mill opposite Corrie Fold, they won many world prizes in London, Paris and Milan that brought renown to Thornton.


In Memory of Albert Edwin North, known as Eddie May 1922 - Dec 2006 Local historian and resident whose enthusiasm and local knowledge was the inspiration behind this work.