Heckmondwike
Encyclopedia
Heckmondwike is a small town in the metropolitan borough
of Kirklees
, which is located geographically at the centre of West Yorkshire
, England, 9 miles (14.5 km) south west of Leeds
. Close to Cleckheaton
and Liversedge
, it is part of Cleckheckmondsedge, a name invented by J.B. Priestley to represent a West Riding
mill town. It is in the Batley and Spen parliamentary constituency, and has a population of 11,291.
Located at the edge of the Pennine hills, the land rises both to the north, east and south of the town centre.
Heckmondwike has its own telephone exchange, north of the High Street and is part of the Wakefield
01924 dialling area, with numbers beginning 40, 41 and 235. This exchange also covers neighbouring Liversedge
, and small areas of Dewsbury
and Batley
namely parts of Dewsbury Moor and Staincliffe. Other telephone numbers in the area are from the cable supplier, where the number allocations 50, 51 and 52 are also used in neighbouring towns.
Like many of the towns in the West Yorkshire
Heavy Woollen District
, Heckmondwike developed as a mill town
, and was famous for its blankets. In 1684 there were around 250 people in the township, occuping 50 houses. By 1811 a Blanket Hall was built for the trade of the town's primary industry, and a second hall was erected in 1839, on the road now called Blanket Hall Street in the town centre. Elizabeth Gaskell
's biography of the novelist Charlotte Brontë
in 1857 described the inhabitants of Heckmondwike as "a chapel-going people, very critical of their sermons, tyrannical to their ministers and violent radicals".
What was left of the first Blanket Hall was demolished in spring 2008, along with a number of other old buildings including some former Co-op buildings that had a short spell as the town's post office
and former "George" public house
- formally known as "The George and Dragon". Current redevelopment of this area is to include the building of a new library, bus terminus and improved road system.
In 1894 Heckmondwike Urban District Council was established to deal with civic matters, and maintained independent control over local affairs until the local government shake-up of 1974, resisting requests from neighbouring Spenborough Council for Heckmondwike to become incorporated into their administration.
In its heyday the Heckmondwike footwear company Goliath, otherwise known as the Co-op Boot Company, made football boots for Sir Stanley Matthews, who had a long and illustrious footballing career with Blackpool, Stoke City and England. Every year he went through several pairs of light boots and he often made the trip to the Heckmondwike factory in Brunswick Street to see how they were made and meet the workers. He put his name to a special brand of boot also made in Heckmondwike . Another footballing connection was a visit by Pele
to the Mileta factory. . The Brunswick Mill site is currently being redeveloped for new housing; which has included retaining three of the external walls of the mill to form apartments and townhouses. The development is called "Brunswick Place".
of 1086 and later as Hecmundewik, sometime in the 13th century.
as its councillor
. The councillor in question, David Exley, was elected after the then-serving councillor, Tim Crowther, left the Labour Party
to run as an independent. In 2004 Cllr. Exley was re-elected with an increased majority. Then in 2006 a second BNP candidate, Roger Roberts, was elected with a majority of over 700. Roberts, a security guard, had also served as Councillor for the Conservative Party
. Before defecting to the BNP in 2005 he had managed to come 10th out of 11 in an election in Heckmondwike. In May 2007, Heckmondwike's third councillor, David Sheard (Labour), was returned with a 644 majority. The Heckmondwike electoral ward also includes the Millbridge, Flush and Norristhorpe areas of neighbouring Liversedge
that are south of the A62 road
. In the May 2008 local elections, Cllr. Exley lost his seat, as voters in Heckmondwike elected a second Labour candidate, Steve Hall, with a majority of 195 votes. In May 2010, the other BNP representative, Cllr. Roger Roberts, lost his seat to Labour candidate Viv Kendrick, after coming third in the poll behind a very strong surge from Robert Thornton of the Conservatives. This left the BNP with no councillors on Kirklees Council, and the Heckmondwike ward represented by three Labour members. In 2011 David Sheard was elected with a majority of 2590.
The people of Heckmondwike have a high sense of civic pride; recent reports by the Boundary Commission have talked of a "fierce independence" in the town, which makes it hard to link to any constituency.http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pbc/review_areas/West_Yorkshire_Boroughs/downloads/TR_Wakefield_Day6.doc.
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
of Kirklees
Kirklees
The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 401,000 and includes the settlements of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Denby Dale, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Kirkburton, Marsden, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite...
, which is located geographically at the centre of West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England, 9 miles (14.5 km) south west of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. Close to Cleckheaton
Cleckheaton
Cleckheaton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated south of Bradford, east of Brighouse, west of Batley and south-west of Leeds...
and Liversedge
Liversedge
Liversedge is a township in the former parish of Birstall, in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Liversedge lies between Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike about southwest of Leeds.-Settlements within Liversedge:...
, it is part of Cleckheckmondsedge, a name invented by J.B. Priestley to represent a West Riding
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
mill town. It is in the Batley and Spen parliamentary constituency, and has a population of 11,291.
Geography
Only a small town geographically, with a surface of 1 square mile (c. 2.7 km²), the west/east boundaries are about 1 miles (1.6 km) apart - from Flush Mills (Liversedge) to Kilpin Hill (Dewsbury) on the A638. The boundary roughly follows Hollinbank Lane, Kilpin Hill, Byron Grove, Walkley Lane, Station Lane, The Spen Beck, Boundary Street, Vernon Road, Almondroyd and Six Lanes End crossroads, then the Stubley Estate on the north side of Leeds Road, along Leeds Road almost to White Lee Crossroads.Located at the edge of the Pennine hills, the land rises both to the north, east and south of the town centre.
Heckmondwike has its own telephone exchange, north of the High Street and is part of the Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
01924 dialling area, with numbers beginning 40, 41 and 235. This exchange also covers neighbouring Liversedge
Liversedge
Liversedge is a township in the former parish of Birstall, in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Liversedge lies between Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike about southwest of Leeds.-Settlements within Liversedge:...
, and small areas of Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
and Batley
Batley
Batley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies southeast of Bradford, southwest of Leeds and north of Dewsbury, near the M62 motorway. It has a population of 49,448 . Other nearby towns include Morley to the northeast, Ossett to the southeast...
namely parts of Dewsbury Moor and Staincliffe. Other telephone numbers in the area are from the cable supplier, where the number allocations 50, 51 and 52 are also used in neighbouring towns.
History
The Poll Tax of 1379 records that there were only seven families living in Heckmondwike, (approx 35 people). Mostly they lived in small, isolated farmsteads such as Stubley Farm, on the high ground overlooking the marshy Spen Valley floor.Like many of the towns in the West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
Heavy Woollen District
Heavy Woollen District
The Heavy Woollen District is named because of the heavyweight cloth manufactured in an area of West Yorkshire, England. Dewsbury, Batley, Heckmondwike and Ossett are the core of the area. Liversedge, Gomersal, Gildersome, Birkenshaw, Mirfield, Cleckheaton, Morley, Tingley, East Ardsley, Birstall...
, Heckmondwike developed as a mill town
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
, and was famous for its blankets. In 1684 there were around 250 people in the township, occuping 50 houses. By 1811 a Blanket Hall was built for the trade of the town's primary industry, and a second hall was erected in 1839, on the road now called Blanket Hall Street in the town centre. Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson , often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era...
's biography of the novelist Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, whose novels are English literature standards...
in 1857 described the inhabitants of Heckmondwike as "a chapel-going people, very critical of their sermons, tyrannical to their ministers and violent radicals".
What was left of the first Blanket Hall was demolished in spring 2008, along with a number of other old buildings including some former Co-op buildings that had a short spell as the town's post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and former "George" public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
- formally known as "The George and Dragon". Current redevelopment of this area is to include the building of a new library, bus terminus and improved road system.
In 1894 Heckmondwike Urban District Council was established to deal with civic matters, and maintained independent control over local affairs until the local government shake-up of 1974, resisting requests from neighbouring Spenborough Council for Heckmondwike to become incorporated into their administration.
In its heyday the Heckmondwike footwear company Goliath, otherwise known as the Co-op Boot Company, made football boots for Sir Stanley Matthews, who had a long and illustrious footballing career with Blackpool, Stoke City and England. Every year he went through several pairs of light boots and he often made the trip to the Heckmondwike factory in Brunswick Street to see how they were made and meet the workers. He put his name to a special brand of boot also made in Heckmondwike . Another footballing connection was a visit by Pele
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
to the Mileta factory. . The Brunswick Mill site is currently being redeveloped for new housing; which has included retaining three of the external walls of the mill to form apartments and townhouses. The development is called "Brunswick Place".
Toponymy
The origins of the name "Heckmondwike" lie in Old English. It translates as "Dwelling or (dairy) farm of a man called Hēahmund", formed of the person's name with the word wīc. The settlement was recorded as Hedmundewic [sic] in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 and later as Hecmundewik, sometime in the 13th century.
Politics
Heckmondwike lies within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees. It hit the headlines in 2003 when it elected a member of the British National PartyBritish National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
as its councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
. The councillor in question, David Exley, was elected after the then-serving councillor, Tim Crowther, left the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
to run as an independent. In 2004 Cllr. Exley was re-elected with an increased majority. Then in 2006 a second BNP candidate, Roger Roberts, was elected with a majority of over 700. Roberts, a security guard, had also served as Councillor for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. Before defecting to the BNP in 2005 he had managed to come 10th out of 11 in an election in Heckmondwike. In May 2007, Heckmondwike's third councillor, David Sheard (Labour), was returned with a 644 majority. The Heckmondwike electoral ward also includes the Millbridge, Flush and Norristhorpe areas of neighbouring Liversedge
Liversedge
Liversedge is a township in the former parish of Birstall, in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Liversedge lies between Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike about southwest of Leeds.-Settlements within Liversedge:...
that are south of the A62 road
A62 road
The A62 is a major road in Northern England that runs between the two major cities of Manchester and Leeds.The road is approximately 40 miles long. It runs north east from Manchester through Failsworth and Oldham then Saddleworth before crossing the Pennines at Standedge into West Yorkshire...
. In the May 2008 local elections, Cllr. Exley lost his seat, as voters in Heckmondwike elected a second Labour candidate, Steve Hall, with a majority of 195 votes. In May 2010, the other BNP representative, Cllr. Roger Roberts, lost his seat to Labour candidate Viv Kendrick, after coming third in the poll behind a very strong surge from Robert Thornton of the Conservatives. This left the BNP with no councillors on Kirklees Council, and the Heckmondwike ward represented by three Labour members. In 2011 David Sheard was elected with a majority of 2590.
The people of Heckmondwike have a high sense of civic pride; recent reports by the Boundary Commission have talked of a "fierce independence" in the town, which makes it hard to link to any constituency.http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pbc/review_areas/West_Yorkshire_Boroughs/downloads/TR_Wakefield_Day6.doc.
Newspapers
Heckmondwike's weekly newspaper was the Heckmondwike Herald and was available until Friday 15 August 2008 (identical to the Spenborough Guardian but with a different billhead). From this date the title was merged into the Spenborough Guardian incorporating the Heckmondwike Herald, covers the settlements of the former Spenborough Urban District and Heckmondwike.Famous people
- Jeff ButterfieldJeff ButterfieldJeffrey Butterfield was an England, British and Irish Lions, Northampton and Barbarians Rugby player and businessman....
– England Rugby Union international. - John CurwenJohn CurwenReverend John Curwen was an English Congregationalist minister, and founder of the Tonic sol-fa system of music education. He was educated at Wymondley College and University College London.-Tonic sol-fa:...
– developer of the Tonic Sol-faTonic Sol-faTonic Sol-fa is an all-male a cappella quartet from the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. With a largely pop-music-oriented repertoire, their CDs have sold over 1,000,000 copies, and the group has toured throughout the US and abroad.-History:...
system of musical notation: a street in one of the housing estates is named after him: Curwen Crescent. In summer 2007 a new housing development in the Westfield area of the town was named Curwen Park. - David HandDavid HandGrand Chief the Most Reverend Geoffrey David Hand KBE GCL was the first Anglican Archbishop of Papua New Guinea.-Childhood and education:...
– curate of Heckmondwike from 1942 to 1946 who later became ArchbishopArchbishopAn archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands... - James BerryJames Berry (hangman)James Berry was an English executioner from 1884 until 1891. Berry was born in Heckmondwike in Yorkshire, where his father worked as a wool-stapler. His most important contribution to the science of hanging was his refinement of the long drop method developed by William Marwood, whom Berry knew...
- The hangman from Heckmondwike - Born in Blanket Hall Street in 1852. Between 1884 and 1891 working on piece rate he hanged 134 men and women. He resigned as a result of the execution of John Conway in Liverpool when his head nearly came off. He died in 1913. - Arthur WoodArthur Wood (composer)Arthur Wood was an English composer and conductor, particularly famous for "Barwick Green", the signature theme for the BBC Radio 4 series The Archers.-Life:...
- in 1924 Arthur Wood composed a maypoleMaypoleA maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, particularly on May Day, or Pentecost although in some countries it is instead erected at Midsummer...
dance called Barwick Green. Barwick Green is the theme tune from The ArchersThe ArchersThe Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
that Billy ConnollyBilly ConnollyWilliam "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
suggested should replace the current National AnthemNational anthemA national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
. - Malcolm Merriweather - a fictional character played by Bernard Fox on "The Andy Griffith ShowThe Andy Griffith ShowThe Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
", a U.S. television series, was from Heckmondwike. - Dave PybusDave PybusDave Pybus .Pybus's first band was called Anul Death which later changed its name to Darkened.From 1990-1994 Dave worked at Peaceville Records as a graphic designer...
- previous member of AnathemaAnathemaAnathema originally meant something lifted up as an offering to the gods; it later evolved to mean:...
now current bass player of Grammy-nominated heavy-metal band Cradle of FilthCradle of FilthCradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
. - Les "Lecter" Smith - previous member of Cradle of FilthCradle of FilthCradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
now Anathama. - Mike HeatonMike HeatonMike Heaton is the drummer for the English rock band Embrace. Heaton is from Heckmondwike in West Yorkshire.He is nicknamed 'Besty' after the original drummer of The Beatles, Pete Best....
- drummer of Yorkshire indie-rock band EmbraceEmbrace (UK band)Embrace are an English post-Britpop band from Bailiff Bridge, Brighouse, West Yorkshire. To date they have released five studio albums, one singles album and one B-sides compilation. The band consists of brothers singer Danny McNamara and guitarist Richard McNamara, bassist Steve Firth,...
. - Frederick Wilson WhiteheadFrederick Wilson Whitehead (musician)Frederick Wilson Whitehead was an English organist, composer and teacher of music who settled in Scotland. He was born in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire in 1863. His father was Joseph Whitehead, a master shoemaker employing one man, and his mother was Martha...
(1863-1926), organist, music composer and teacher of music.
Location grid
External links
- Heckmondwyke – a poem
- Heckmondwike Spen - a survivor from the railway age in the Spen Valley
- Heckmondwike Junior Football Club
- Heckmondwike Central railway station
- Heckmondwike Spen railway station
- Heckmondwike railway tickets
- The Goliath Footwear archive collection is held at The National Co-operative Archive, Manchester.