The Bilbrough Family of Gildersome and Bruntcliffe
James Bilbrough, born 1742 and his wife Martha Crowther, born 1752
To read more about the Bilbroughs, go to Harthill House and Harthill House Photos
William Radford Bilbrough wrote the following:
“The elder son of James Bilbrough of Bruntcliffe, named James like his father, went to Gildersome at the time of his marriage. It was in 1770 that he married Martha Crowther of Northowram. She came of a fine hardy race, and was a healthy even tempered woman, by early training a methodist, and always a truly religious person. They occupied the house and land with the necessary farm buildings that afterwards became the property of their son John, where all their children were born, and where the family resided for three generations. The estate formed the Northern boundary of the Village Green. The house stood at some distance from the road, in the midst of fields, upon the side of Hart Hill, which sloped gently towards the South. It was an old gable ended stone house which with it’s mullioned-windows and small diamond panes of glass, and with the old maltkiln by it’s side had a quaint comfortable appearance. The rooms were low. A man standing in the kitchen, or houseplace, could easily put his hand against one of the beams overhead which supported the bedroom floor.
At that time Gildersome was an outlying clothing district where spinning and weaving were carried on in the dwelling houses of the people, and where the sound of the machinery could be heard through the open doors or windows by the passerby. Donkeys might be seen wandering about the Green nibbling a bit here and there, till it was their time to work by carrying slung across their backs, bags of wool or panniers full of bobbins of warp and weft, or the woven cloth to the fullers stocks, and afterwards to the merchants. There were then but two places of worship in Gildersome, the Baptist Chapel, and the Quakers Meeting House. Of footpaths and bridle paths there were plenty in all directions, but those who drove a conveyance along the highroad into Gildersome must return the way they came. In those days the township contained 1200 inhabitants."
Of the two sons of the first James, James the second is of greatest importance to our Bilbrough surname. The surname dies out on the line of his brother John. John had only one son, and he in turn had only one son who married but had no children. All living Bilbroughs of this family are descended directly from James the second.
No record of James Bilbrough’s birth has been found to date. My guess is that he was born at his parents home in Rose Cottage, Bruntcliffe but it is safe to say that he lived his early life in Bruntcliffe. His father was a successful woolen cloth maker and James learned the trade from him. In fact, his entire family was probably involved in the cloth making process. James must have had some schooling in his youth. His great grandson, William Booth Bilbrough wrote in one of his journals that James was a bookworm and collected many volumes. After his death, his books were divided up amongst his children and two of James’ books ended up in William’s possession. One book, “the Paraphrases of Erasmus on the Four Gospels” contained an inscription by his great grandfather in a “grand bold hand”, it went thus:
"James Bilbrough is my name and England is my nation Gildersome is my dwelling place and Christ is my salvation"
In April 1766 James was mustered into the local militia and served a couple of years.
In mid February of 1771, at the age of 28, James married Martha Crowther, she was from Northowram near Halifax, W. Yorkshire. Northowram was a center of non-conformist religious activity, as was Morley. The Crowthers of Northowram were Methodists. Martha’s parents were Jonathan Crowther b. abt 1708 and Mary Oldfield. Jonathan Crowther was a man of stature in the Northowram community; Church Warden, Overseer, Constable, Surveyor of Highways and Juror are some of the offices he held between 1732 and 1780. During that time he petitioned for over £100 in reimbursements for moneys spent in the course of duties performed while in office. Jonathan Crowther, yeoman, most certainly endowed Martha with a generous dowry, though it’s hard to believe that James was an equal match for Martha. James, in his will, left a rental property ( “a Cottage situate”) in Bruntcliffe, to Martha stating: “this I give as a recompense for what I received with her in marriage.” ; referring to his parent’s old stone cottage.
James and Martha leased Harthill House around the time of their marriage. It was a property of about 8 to 10 acres located north of the Town Green. As William Radford Bilbrough mentioned above; “The house stood at some distance from the road, in the midst of fields, upon the side of Hart Hill, which sloped gently towards the South. It was an old gable ended stone house which with it’s mullioned-windows and small diamond panes of glass, and with the old maltkiln by it’s side had a quaint comfortable appearance”. The old house was probably built in the early 1600’s and by my rough estimate was of 2000 to 3000 square feet (though not all necessarily living space). Most of the adjoining acres were cultivated but also contained a pond, barn and outbuildings. I believe that some of the outbuildings behind Harthill House was occupied by George Oddy and family where he operated a blacksmithy. In “Chronicles of my Ancestors” William Radford Bilbrough also wrote:
”James, my Great Grandfather, lived at Gildersome and brought up ten children by the same means (a maltster and brewer, farming and weaving woolen cloth) He lived in a small quiet country stone house that stood at some distance from the road and in the midst of fields which he farmed. It was a low old fashioned house at the side of which stood an old malt-kiln. Here he kept four beasts and a horse as one of his grandchildren wrote it down.”
It's possible that when James obtained the leasehold to Harthill House, it may have been a working Inn. Back then, same as it is today, Branch Ave. was connected to Morley via the bridge over Dean Beck. The Branch Ave route was a main thoroughfare connecting the Leeds Road and Morley with Farnley and Tong. This meant that a good deal of traffic in the form of trade passed right through the center of Gildersome. Harthill House was certainly a prime location for traveller's services, in the form of an inn and blacksmith. Whether it was existing when James moved in or he upgraded the property, it's clear from Alehouse Licenses granted James in the 1780s and 1790s, that he was was an Innkeeper in Gildersome. A 1780 ad placed in the Leeds Intelligencer identified the Inn as the Angle. I believe this to be a misprint since during the same period, James' brother John ran the Angel Inn in Bruntcliffe, so I do believe there was also an Angel Inn in Gildersome. William Radford Bilbrough in a letter to fellow family historian Henry Brooks Bilbrough wrote: “Long before my time, there used to be a sign board with “the Peacock” painted thereon, proud as could be of his glorious tail; but the house was known to all the inhabitants simply as “Bilbroughs”. It was a good thing that “the parlor” at “Bilbroughs” was a comfortable clean and airy room where Hudson spent an hour. It was a pleasant change for him, poor fellow, who had no company at home”. William may have been mistaken regarding the name or, prior to the Bilbroughs, the Peacock may have been its original name. The Angel Inn Gildersome came to an end around 1805 when James died. His wife, a member of the Gildersome Baptist Church, was against liquor and ended the business.
The Hudson mentioned above was William Hudson owner of Park House across the Green. The Hudson family had been the owners of Park House for at least three generations. William Hudson often visited “Bilbroughs” Inn (the Angel) when in need of companionship and formed a strong respect for James and Mary and their sons.
During the 35 years James lived at Gildersome he continued to improve his leasehold and businesses. In various records and official documents he is described with many different vocations, these are: clothier, maltster, innkeeper, farmer and chapman (merchant).
James and Martha’s first child, William, was born in 1771 at Harthill House. He was followed by Mary, Hannah and Sarah. sadly Mary died at the age of 4 in 1777. It was not until 1780 that their second son, John was born, followed by James, Joseph, Martha, Samuel and finally Mary born in 1792. Martha’s child bearing years spanned 21 years with a child born nearly every second year.
With all the demands placed on Martha, it fell to William, as the oldest child, to watch the younger children until his sister, Hannah, could take over. William was at least 12 or 13 years old when his parents decided he would become an apprentice to a clothier in Birstall. When old enough, the remaining sons attended the Quaker School at Gilead House run by John Ellis. This provided them with an excellent education for the times. William missed out on this schooling and it’s not clear whether the girls attended the Quaker School, they probably received a basic education from classes at the Gildersome Baptist Church.
As the children grew, they were able to assist in the various occupations of Harthill House. The girls with cooking, cleaning, gardening and brewing, while the boys learned farming, malting and cloth making. When William returned from his apprenticeship in the early 1790’s, given his new skills as a clothier, he probably took over the cloth making processes. At that time, John, the next oldest son, was nine years younger than William and in his early teens. John’s fondness was for malting and farming. Son James showed an aptitude for reading and writing and Joseph and Samuel were interested in the clothing business. William must have taught his brothers the lessons learned in Birstall but it was his two youngest brothers that would become a success at the business.
In 1796, William married Hannah Hargreaves in Leeds. The couple moved into Sharp’s House across Town End near the Old Factory Yard and the same year, Elizabeth Bilbrough was born. She was the first of the 4th Generation of Bilbroughs, she married George Booth. Thomas was born in 1798, he emigrated to Philadelphia and founded the largest line of Bilbroughs. William and Hannah had eight children at Sharp’s House. After William’s father’s death in 1805, the family moved to Bruntcliffe, from there, he managed the family’s Bruntcliffe business interests.
The following events occurred around the turn of the 19th century, and prior to James’ death. Daughter Hannah married Jeremiah Scott in 1798 and Sarah married Thomas Stephenson in 1803, they were living in Gildersome with their husbands. Both Hannah and Sarah had children early on. Son John first became an assistant (or Valet depending on the version) to William Hudson and finding that position disagreeable, he returned home to farming and the malting business. James, perhaps the most cultivated and best educated of the children, took over for John and resided at Park House as William Hudson’s valet (or assistant). Joseph, Martha, Samuel and Mary, still young, remained at home with their parents.
James Bilbrough son of James Bilbrough of Bruntcliffe died on the 5th of May 1805 and though he probably attended Gildersome Baptist Church as an unofficial member (he was a publican and brewed beer, a sin to the Baptists of that time), he chose to be buried with his father, mother and siblings at the Old Chapel Morley, probably in the same plot. He was 63 years old. His sons had a large stone laid for their father which exists today in the yard of the new church, St Mary’s, built on the same spot as the Old Chapel. The inscription reads: “In memory of James Bilbrough of Gildersome who departed this life May 1st, 1805 aged 63 years.” Space was left on the stone but it was unused. Only William chose to be buried with his father, his mother and siblings were buried at the Baptist church in Gildersome or elsewhere. At the time of his funeral, James had 12 grandchildren.
After James’s death, the children took over the various businesses in which he was involved. Using family capital, William and John leased property in Gildersome and Bruntcliffe in order to expand the farming and malting business. John remained at Harthill House. William at Sharp’s House was squeezed for space with 8 children, in 1809 he moved to a larger house in Bruntcliffe behind the Old Angel Inn on Lister’s property, called Plantation House. Joseph now 21 and Samuel 15 remained at home and continued with cloth making. James, now under the tutelage of William Hudson learned the dry salting and clothier businesses. Their mother, Martha, settled down to a comfortable life as head of the family. I have no knowledge of the other younger children during this period but assume they were at home with their mother.
William Hudson maintained a very close relationship with his cousin Brooks Priestley who was born in Gildersome. His father, Thomas Priestley, had been a member of the Gildersome Baptist Church and was 1st cousin to Dr. Joseph Priestley the famous scientist and theologian. Brooks married twice, had 13 children, and though they eventually lived in Liverpool, the Priestleys were frequent visitors at Park House. It was there that two of Brooks Priestley’s daughters, Ellen and Elizabeth met two of the Bilbrough brothers, James and John. After Brooks Priestley’s consent, James married Ellen Priestley in Liverpool in 1812 and returned to Park House to live, James became Mr. Hudson’s partner and Ellen was to assume the role of housekeeper. All of James and Ellen’s children were born there. Brother John followed his brother James and married Elizabeth Priestley also in Liverpool a year later. At the time, Harthill House was full, matriarch Martha resided there with children Joseph, Martha, Samuel and Mary. When William moved from Plantation House back into the ancestral Old Stone Cottage in Bruntcliffe, John moved into Plantation House with his new bride, but in 1815 or so moved back to Gildersome and Sharp’s House.
Joseph and Samuel became partners as clothiers and manufactured woolen goods for export to the USA. They would not have been alone, as many manufacturers in West Yorkshire were doing the same thing. The Americans, after the War for Independence, had only a small cottage woolen industry and imported heavily from Europe and England especially. Brooks Priestley who worked in the Customs House in Liverpool, had a side business exporting finished woolen products to the Americas and importing raw cotton back to Liverpool. Priestley connected Joseph and Samuel to a major exporting pipeline. Joseph went to the USA in 1812 but was trapped there as hostilities broke out in what the Americans call the War of 1812. He made his way to Canada and returned to Gildersome in time for his marriage Mary Beaumont who lived across from the Baptist Church. He then leased Turton Hall and moved in with Mary. There, he equipped the outbuildings with looms, spinning jennies and other machines necessary for processing woolen products. In 1814, Samuel sailed to Canada intending to make his way to Philadelphia as soon as the war wound down. After hostilities ceased, Joseph remained in Gildersome as a manufacturer and sent his finished product to Brooks Priestley in Liverpool who from there, loaded it aboard ships bound for Samuel in Philadelphia.
1813 Martha's dinner, on the occasion of the marriage of her two sons, James and John to sisters Ellen and Elizabeth Priestley. Written by William Radford Bilbrough circa 1900.
“Gildersome Feast was the grand opportunity to welcome the two brides into their husbands’ family. It was in the Old Stone House where Martha and her husband James settled on their marriage in 1770. The parlor was a quaint old fashioned comfortable apartment. So was the furniture, especially the chairs. Not many valuable pictures hung on the walls, and the ornaments on the chimney piece were mere curiosities. The room was cool light and cheerful. No fire was needed, and the grate was hidden from view by the green ferns in red pots standing on the white hearth. On the sideboard was displayed some family heirlooms. Whether the table was made of oak or mahogany, or how many legs it stood upon, does not matter. It was equal to the occasion, and bore all that was set upon it. It was covered with a fine white linen cloth. The people had not come to look at the table, but at each other, and to enjoy the feast of good things set before them. The silver shown, the glasses were clear and bright, the two pronged steel forks and the broad round ended knives were polished like mirrors. It was a memorable party! The lady of 60 years sat proudly at the head of the table, with a bride on either hand, for had not two of her sons been married since last August! And this was the formal welcome of their chosen wives into the family of their adoption, nine of whom besides their mother sat with them at the table, just making up the dozen, as appears from the following sketch (above left), showing their positions at the table. The youngest son, then at home unmarried, then the gentleman of the house, sat at the other end of the table. This was the last time the whole family gathered their feet under the old dining table, and before August next year, Samuel had sailed for America. Dinner over, other kinsfolk and near connections came in, and during the afternoon William Hudson, Esq. and Mr. Brooks Priestley walked across the Green from Park House, and joined in the conversation.”
William’s account give us a glimpse of familial harmony, but in a different account of Martha’s dinner, written by William Booth Bilbrough born 1839, there were contentions as to whom would be seated next to Martha. Also, as the space at the table was limited, feelings were hurt by condemning some of the daughters and William’s wife to serving rather than dining.
In 1821, sisters Martha and Mary began operations as Grocers and Drapers at Hudson’s Nook adjacent to Park House, near today’s Co-Op Grocery on Finkle Lane. William Hudson owned the buildings at the nook and collected rent from all its various tenants. In 1823, sister Martha died and Mary was left to run the draper and grocers shop on her own. The sisters took over the grocers shop from another so, it’s safe to say that there has been groceries sold at that spot for at least the last 200 years if not more.
Also in the Nook was Gildersome’s Cloth Hall and Piece Chamber that was used as a cloth warehouse by William Hudson’s father. John Wesley spoke there on April 29th, 1786. When son James married Ellen Priestley, William Hudson made it clear that Ellen Bilbrough would inherit Park House. Hudson retired around 1815 and left his businesses to James. These included the drysalting establishments in Gildersome and Mill Hill, Leeds, the farming operations around Park House and a clothier operation. James also had a vested interest in his brother’s, Joseph and Samuel, clothing export scheme.
The two older brothers, William and John, continued to expand their farming and malting business. They added a second malt kiln at Harthill House and purchased Lister’s property at the Bruntcliffe Crossroads which included 4 acres of farmland, a malt kiln and Plantation house (John lived there after his marriage). William’s sons, Thomas and Edward, helped construct the malt kilns and worked the land. In 1822, Thomas left England to live his life in Philadelphia. Around 1827 or so, William, nearing 50 and slowing down, sold out his partnership to his brother John with the understanding that William would work for John as manager of operations in Bruntcliffe. John eventually owned or leased 40 Acres at Bruntcliffe and about 20 acres in Gildersome.
Partners, Joseph and Samuel, hit hard times as a result of the war with America and France. Bankruptcies were rampant throughout the wool business in Yorkshire and the brothers were no exception. In 1818, they were ordered to appear for a bankruptcy hearing and Samuel returned from the USA to Gildersome. The Courts found in favor of their creditors and the pair had to sell off their manufacturing equipment and personal property. Samuel returned to Philadelphia and Joseph remained in Gildersome but made several trips to the USA during the next decade.
John, living in Sharp’s House with his family, decided to build his own new house a few yards from his old home. The construction was complete by 1820 and the family moved in. When John’s mother, Martha, died in 1827, he took control of the entire house and had the space between the two houses filled in and roofed over. This new construction in the larger portion of Harthill House seen today.
Around June of 1827, Martha suffered a stroke. In a letter written by James’ wife Ellen to her brother in law, Samuel, in Philadelphia, she wrote:
"Gildersome 6 Aug 1827
My dear Brother
.........Your letter came too late for on the 29th our beloved Mother quitted this transitory scene and entered the realm of her Lord. Eight weeks previously she was seized with a paralytic stroke which caused a continual shaking in the left leg and affected her stomach so as to cause great debility and dislike of food which would not pass it in any form. She declined very rapidly, suffering greatly from the cause above mentioned, but her mind was all composure and resignation to the Divine Will. Often did she express herself happy in realizing the truth of that promise “I will never leave or forsake those that put their trust in me”. She was quite aware of the coming dissolution and often prayed that she might enter on an eternal Sabbath. A little before Sunday morning ?????? as James Sarah Hannah and Mary stood around her bed she said “Don’t keep me I must go to Jesus. Lift me up, Lift me up” and in half an hour she slept the sleep of death without a sigh or struggle to delay the departure of her happy spirit. On Fri. 3 Aug. her remains were deposited close to Martha’s in our new burying ground where Mr. Scarlett delivered a very affectionate address to the children and brother of the diseased, the distant branches of the family were not invited to the funeral........”
William Radford Bilbrough wrote the following:
“The elder son of James Bilbrough of Bruntcliffe, named James like his father, went to Gildersome at the time of his marriage. It was in 1770 that he married Martha Crowther of Northowram. She came of a fine hardy race, and was a healthy even tempered woman, by early training a methodist, and always a truly religious person. They occupied the house and land with the necessary farm buildings that afterwards became the property of their son John, where all their children were born, and where the family resided for three generations. The estate formed the Northern boundary of the Village Green. The house stood at some distance from the road, in the midst of fields, upon the side of Hart Hill, which sloped gently towards the South. It was an old gable ended stone house which with it’s mullioned-windows and small diamond panes of glass, and with the old maltkiln by it’s side had a quaint comfortable appearance. The rooms were low. A man standing in the kitchen, or houseplace, could easily put his hand against one of the beams overhead which supported the bedroom floor.
At that time Gildersome was an outlying clothing district where spinning and weaving were carried on in the dwelling houses of the people, and where the sound of the machinery could be heard through the open doors or windows by the passerby. Donkeys might be seen wandering about the Green nibbling a bit here and there, till it was their time to work by carrying slung across their backs, bags of wool or panniers full of bobbins of warp and weft, or the woven cloth to the fullers stocks, and afterwards to the merchants. There were then but two places of worship in Gildersome, the Baptist Chapel, and the Quakers Meeting House. Of footpaths and bridle paths there were plenty in all directions, but those who drove a conveyance along the highroad into Gildersome must return the way they came. In those days the township contained 1200 inhabitants."
Of the two sons of the first James, James the second is of greatest importance to our Bilbrough surname. The surname dies out on the line of his brother John. John had only one son, and he in turn had only one son who married but had no children. All living Bilbroughs of this family are descended directly from James the second.
No record of James Bilbrough’s birth has been found to date. My guess is that he was born at his parents home in Rose Cottage, Bruntcliffe but it is safe to say that he lived his early life in Bruntcliffe. His father was a successful woolen cloth maker and James learned the trade from him. In fact, his entire family was probably involved in the cloth making process. James must have had some schooling in his youth. His great grandson, William Booth Bilbrough wrote in one of his journals that James was a bookworm and collected many volumes. After his death, his books were divided up amongst his children and two of James’ books ended up in William’s possession. One book, “the Paraphrases of Erasmus on the Four Gospels” contained an inscription by his great grandfather in a “grand bold hand”, it went thus:
"James Bilbrough is my name and England is my nation Gildersome is my dwelling place and Christ is my salvation"
In April 1766 James was mustered into the local militia and served a couple of years.
In mid February of 1771, at the age of 28, James married Martha Crowther, she was from Northowram near Halifax, W. Yorkshire. Northowram was a center of non-conformist religious activity, as was Morley. The Crowthers of Northowram were Methodists. Martha’s parents were Jonathan Crowther b. abt 1708 and Mary Oldfield. Jonathan Crowther was a man of stature in the Northowram community; Church Warden, Overseer, Constable, Surveyor of Highways and Juror are some of the offices he held between 1732 and 1780. During that time he petitioned for over £100 in reimbursements for moneys spent in the course of duties performed while in office. Jonathan Crowther, yeoman, most certainly endowed Martha with a generous dowry, though it’s hard to believe that James was an equal match for Martha. James, in his will, left a rental property ( “a Cottage situate”) in Bruntcliffe, to Martha stating: “this I give as a recompense for what I received with her in marriage.” ; referring to his parent’s old stone cottage.
James and Martha leased Harthill House around the time of their marriage. It was a property of about 8 to 10 acres located north of the Town Green. As William Radford Bilbrough mentioned above; “The house stood at some distance from the road, in the midst of fields, upon the side of Hart Hill, which sloped gently towards the South. It was an old gable ended stone house which with it’s mullioned-windows and small diamond panes of glass, and with the old maltkiln by it’s side had a quaint comfortable appearance”. The old house was probably built in the early 1600’s and by my rough estimate was of 2000 to 3000 square feet (though not all necessarily living space). Most of the adjoining acres were cultivated but also contained a pond, barn and outbuildings. I believe that some of the outbuildings behind Harthill House was occupied by George Oddy and family where he operated a blacksmithy. In “Chronicles of my Ancestors” William Radford Bilbrough also wrote:
”James, my Great Grandfather, lived at Gildersome and brought up ten children by the same means (a maltster and brewer, farming and weaving woolen cloth) He lived in a small quiet country stone house that stood at some distance from the road and in the midst of fields which he farmed. It was a low old fashioned house at the side of which stood an old malt-kiln. Here he kept four beasts and a horse as one of his grandchildren wrote it down.”
It's possible that when James obtained the leasehold to Harthill House, it may have been a working Inn. Back then, same as it is today, Branch Ave. was connected to Morley via the bridge over Dean Beck. The Branch Ave route was a main thoroughfare connecting the Leeds Road and Morley with Farnley and Tong. This meant that a good deal of traffic in the form of trade passed right through the center of Gildersome. Harthill House was certainly a prime location for traveller's services, in the form of an inn and blacksmith. Whether it was existing when James moved in or he upgraded the property, it's clear from Alehouse Licenses granted James in the 1780s and 1790s, that he was was an Innkeeper in Gildersome. A 1780 ad placed in the Leeds Intelligencer identified the Inn as the Angle. I believe this to be a misprint since during the same period, James' brother John ran the Angel Inn in Bruntcliffe, so I do believe there was also an Angel Inn in Gildersome. William Radford Bilbrough in a letter to fellow family historian Henry Brooks Bilbrough wrote: “Long before my time, there used to be a sign board with “the Peacock” painted thereon, proud as could be of his glorious tail; but the house was known to all the inhabitants simply as “Bilbroughs”. It was a good thing that “the parlor” at “Bilbroughs” was a comfortable clean and airy room where Hudson spent an hour. It was a pleasant change for him, poor fellow, who had no company at home”. William may have been mistaken regarding the name or, prior to the Bilbroughs, the Peacock may have been its original name. The Angel Inn Gildersome came to an end around 1805 when James died. His wife, a member of the Gildersome Baptist Church, was against liquor and ended the business.
The Hudson mentioned above was William Hudson owner of Park House across the Green. The Hudson family had been the owners of Park House for at least three generations. William Hudson often visited “Bilbroughs” Inn (the Angel) when in need of companionship and formed a strong respect for James and Mary and their sons.
During the 35 years James lived at Gildersome he continued to improve his leasehold and businesses. In various records and official documents he is described with many different vocations, these are: clothier, maltster, innkeeper, farmer and chapman (merchant).
James and Martha’s first child, William, was born in 1771 at Harthill House. He was followed by Mary, Hannah and Sarah. sadly Mary died at the age of 4 in 1777. It was not until 1780 that their second son, John was born, followed by James, Joseph, Martha, Samuel and finally Mary born in 1792. Martha’s child bearing years spanned 21 years with a child born nearly every second year.
With all the demands placed on Martha, it fell to William, as the oldest child, to watch the younger children until his sister, Hannah, could take over. William was at least 12 or 13 years old when his parents decided he would become an apprentice to a clothier in Birstall. When old enough, the remaining sons attended the Quaker School at Gilead House run by John Ellis. This provided them with an excellent education for the times. William missed out on this schooling and it’s not clear whether the girls attended the Quaker School, they probably received a basic education from classes at the Gildersome Baptist Church.
As the children grew, they were able to assist in the various occupations of Harthill House. The girls with cooking, cleaning, gardening and brewing, while the boys learned farming, malting and cloth making. When William returned from his apprenticeship in the early 1790’s, given his new skills as a clothier, he probably took over the cloth making processes. At that time, John, the next oldest son, was nine years younger than William and in his early teens. John’s fondness was for malting and farming. Son James showed an aptitude for reading and writing and Joseph and Samuel were interested in the clothing business. William must have taught his brothers the lessons learned in Birstall but it was his two youngest brothers that would become a success at the business.
In 1796, William married Hannah Hargreaves in Leeds. The couple moved into Sharp’s House across Town End near the Old Factory Yard and the same year, Elizabeth Bilbrough was born. She was the first of the 4th Generation of Bilbroughs, she married George Booth. Thomas was born in 1798, he emigrated to Philadelphia and founded the largest line of Bilbroughs. William and Hannah had eight children at Sharp’s House. After William’s father’s death in 1805, the family moved to Bruntcliffe, from there, he managed the family’s Bruntcliffe business interests.
The following events occurred around the turn of the 19th century, and prior to James’ death. Daughter Hannah married Jeremiah Scott in 1798 and Sarah married Thomas Stephenson in 1803, they were living in Gildersome with their husbands. Both Hannah and Sarah had children early on. Son John first became an assistant (or Valet depending on the version) to William Hudson and finding that position disagreeable, he returned home to farming and the malting business. James, perhaps the most cultivated and best educated of the children, took over for John and resided at Park House as William Hudson’s valet (or assistant). Joseph, Martha, Samuel and Mary, still young, remained at home with their parents.
James Bilbrough son of James Bilbrough of Bruntcliffe died on the 5th of May 1805 and though he probably attended Gildersome Baptist Church as an unofficial member (he was a publican and brewed beer, a sin to the Baptists of that time), he chose to be buried with his father, mother and siblings at the Old Chapel Morley, probably in the same plot. He was 63 years old. His sons had a large stone laid for their father which exists today in the yard of the new church, St Mary’s, built on the same spot as the Old Chapel. The inscription reads: “In memory of James Bilbrough of Gildersome who departed this life May 1st, 1805 aged 63 years.” Space was left on the stone but it was unused. Only William chose to be buried with his father, his mother and siblings were buried at the Baptist church in Gildersome or elsewhere. At the time of his funeral, James had 12 grandchildren.
After James’s death, the children took over the various businesses in which he was involved. Using family capital, William and John leased property in Gildersome and Bruntcliffe in order to expand the farming and malting business. John remained at Harthill House. William at Sharp’s House was squeezed for space with 8 children, in 1809 he moved to a larger house in Bruntcliffe behind the Old Angel Inn on Lister’s property, called Plantation House. Joseph now 21 and Samuel 15 remained at home and continued with cloth making. James, now under the tutelage of William Hudson learned the dry salting and clothier businesses. Their mother, Martha, settled down to a comfortable life as head of the family. I have no knowledge of the other younger children during this period but assume they were at home with their mother.
William Hudson maintained a very close relationship with his cousin Brooks Priestley who was born in Gildersome. His father, Thomas Priestley, had been a member of the Gildersome Baptist Church and was 1st cousin to Dr. Joseph Priestley the famous scientist and theologian. Brooks married twice, had 13 children, and though they eventually lived in Liverpool, the Priestleys were frequent visitors at Park House. It was there that two of Brooks Priestley’s daughters, Ellen and Elizabeth met two of the Bilbrough brothers, James and John. After Brooks Priestley’s consent, James married Ellen Priestley in Liverpool in 1812 and returned to Park House to live, James became Mr. Hudson’s partner and Ellen was to assume the role of housekeeper. All of James and Ellen’s children were born there. Brother John followed his brother James and married Elizabeth Priestley also in Liverpool a year later. At the time, Harthill House was full, matriarch Martha resided there with children Joseph, Martha, Samuel and Mary. When William moved from Plantation House back into the ancestral Old Stone Cottage in Bruntcliffe, John moved into Plantation House with his new bride, but in 1815 or so moved back to Gildersome and Sharp’s House.
Joseph and Samuel became partners as clothiers and manufactured woolen goods for export to the USA. They would not have been alone, as many manufacturers in West Yorkshire were doing the same thing. The Americans, after the War for Independence, had only a small cottage woolen industry and imported heavily from Europe and England especially. Brooks Priestley who worked in the Customs House in Liverpool, had a side business exporting finished woolen products to the Americas and importing raw cotton back to Liverpool. Priestley connected Joseph and Samuel to a major exporting pipeline. Joseph went to the USA in 1812 but was trapped there as hostilities broke out in what the Americans call the War of 1812. He made his way to Canada and returned to Gildersome in time for his marriage Mary Beaumont who lived across from the Baptist Church. He then leased Turton Hall and moved in with Mary. There, he equipped the outbuildings with looms, spinning jennies and other machines necessary for processing woolen products. In 1814, Samuel sailed to Canada intending to make his way to Philadelphia as soon as the war wound down. After hostilities ceased, Joseph remained in Gildersome as a manufacturer and sent his finished product to Brooks Priestley in Liverpool who from there, loaded it aboard ships bound for Samuel in Philadelphia.
1813 Martha's dinner, on the occasion of the marriage of her two sons, James and John to sisters Ellen and Elizabeth Priestley. Written by William Radford Bilbrough circa 1900.
“Gildersome Feast was the grand opportunity to welcome the two brides into their husbands’ family. It was in the Old Stone House where Martha and her husband James settled on their marriage in 1770. The parlor was a quaint old fashioned comfortable apartment. So was the furniture, especially the chairs. Not many valuable pictures hung on the walls, and the ornaments on the chimney piece were mere curiosities. The room was cool light and cheerful. No fire was needed, and the grate was hidden from view by the green ferns in red pots standing on the white hearth. On the sideboard was displayed some family heirlooms. Whether the table was made of oak or mahogany, or how many legs it stood upon, does not matter. It was equal to the occasion, and bore all that was set upon it. It was covered with a fine white linen cloth. The people had not come to look at the table, but at each other, and to enjoy the feast of good things set before them. The silver shown, the glasses were clear and bright, the two pronged steel forks and the broad round ended knives were polished like mirrors. It was a memorable party! The lady of 60 years sat proudly at the head of the table, with a bride on either hand, for had not two of her sons been married since last August! And this was the formal welcome of their chosen wives into the family of their adoption, nine of whom besides their mother sat with them at the table, just making up the dozen, as appears from the following sketch (above left), showing their positions at the table. The youngest son, then at home unmarried, then the gentleman of the house, sat at the other end of the table. This was the last time the whole family gathered their feet under the old dining table, and before August next year, Samuel had sailed for America. Dinner over, other kinsfolk and near connections came in, and during the afternoon William Hudson, Esq. and Mr. Brooks Priestley walked across the Green from Park House, and joined in the conversation.”
William’s account give us a glimpse of familial harmony, but in a different account of Martha’s dinner, written by William Booth Bilbrough born 1839, there were contentions as to whom would be seated next to Martha. Also, as the space at the table was limited, feelings were hurt by condemning some of the daughters and William’s wife to serving rather than dining.
In 1821, sisters Martha and Mary began operations as Grocers and Drapers at Hudson’s Nook adjacent to Park House, near today’s Co-Op Grocery on Finkle Lane. William Hudson owned the buildings at the nook and collected rent from all its various tenants. In 1823, sister Martha died and Mary was left to run the draper and grocers shop on her own. The sisters took over the grocers shop from another so, it’s safe to say that there has been groceries sold at that spot for at least the last 200 years if not more.
Also in the Nook was Gildersome’s Cloth Hall and Piece Chamber that was used as a cloth warehouse by William Hudson’s father. John Wesley spoke there on April 29th, 1786. When son James married Ellen Priestley, William Hudson made it clear that Ellen Bilbrough would inherit Park House. Hudson retired around 1815 and left his businesses to James. These included the drysalting establishments in Gildersome and Mill Hill, Leeds, the farming operations around Park House and a clothier operation. James also had a vested interest in his brother’s, Joseph and Samuel, clothing export scheme.
The two older brothers, William and John, continued to expand their farming and malting business. They added a second malt kiln at Harthill House and purchased Lister’s property at the Bruntcliffe Crossroads which included 4 acres of farmland, a malt kiln and Plantation house (John lived there after his marriage). William’s sons, Thomas and Edward, helped construct the malt kilns and worked the land. In 1822, Thomas left England to live his life in Philadelphia. Around 1827 or so, William, nearing 50 and slowing down, sold out his partnership to his brother John with the understanding that William would work for John as manager of operations in Bruntcliffe. John eventually owned or leased 40 Acres at Bruntcliffe and about 20 acres in Gildersome.
Partners, Joseph and Samuel, hit hard times as a result of the war with America and France. Bankruptcies were rampant throughout the wool business in Yorkshire and the brothers were no exception. In 1818, they were ordered to appear for a bankruptcy hearing and Samuel returned from the USA to Gildersome. The Courts found in favor of their creditors and the pair had to sell off their manufacturing equipment and personal property. Samuel returned to Philadelphia and Joseph remained in Gildersome but made several trips to the USA during the next decade.
John, living in Sharp’s House with his family, decided to build his own new house a few yards from his old home. The construction was complete by 1820 and the family moved in. When John’s mother, Martha, died in 1827, he took control of the entire house and had the space between the two houses filled in and roofed over. This new construction in the larger portion of Harthill House seen today.
Around June of 1827, Martha suffered a stroke. In a letter written by James’ wife Ellen to her brother in law, Samuel, in Philadelphia, she wrote:
"Gildersome 6 Aug 1827
My dear Brother
.........Your letter came too late for on the 29th our beloved Mother quitted this transitory scene and entered the realm of her Lord. Eight weeks previously she was seized with a paralytic stroke which caused a continual shaking in the left leg and affected her stomach so as to cause great debility and dislike of food which would not pass it in any form. She declined very rapidly, suffering greatly from the cause above mentioned, but her mind was all composure and resignation to the Divine Will. Often did she express herself happy in realizing the truth of that promise “I will never leave or forsake those that put their trust in me”. She was quite aware of the coming dissolution and often prayed that she might enter on an eternal Sabbath. A little before Sunday morning ?????? as James Sarah Hannah and Mary stood around her bed she said “Don’t keep me I must go to Jesus. Lift me up, Lift me up” and in half an hour she slept the sleep of death without a sigh or struggle to delay the departure of her happy spirit. On Fri. 3 Aug. her remains were deposited close to Martha’s in our new burying ground where Mr. Scarlett delivered a very affectionate address to the children and brother of the diseased, the distant branches of the family were not invited to the funeral........”
