Farnhill and Kildwick Local History Group


Farnhill Village Web Portal


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Farnhill and Kildwick History Group


	Very little has been formally written or documented about the history of Farnhill or Kildwick. The aim of this group is to research and present its findings on this web site. Anyone who has information or memories to contribute please contact the web administrator. We usually meet each month in the Village Institute, please check the Events Diary for details. New members are always welcome. Regular updates and new articles feature here, so please bookmark this page. Last updated: 26/01/2019


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Farnhill WW1 Volunteers Project - Final Report

The two-year Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) funding for the Farnhill WW1 Volunteers Project concluded at the end of December 2018.

In the past two years, members of the project have achieved far more than any of us thought we would (or even could). A full report on our activities during that period has been prepared for the HLF. The research, events, website, and the permanent archive indicate that our time (and Lottery funds) have been well spent.

The end of funding does not mean the end of the project. There are a number of research strands that will continue:

When the 1921 census data is released it will extend our knowledge of these men's post-war lives - perhaps including those men who left the village in the immediate aftermath of the war and have proved difficult to trace.
The WW1 Pension Index cards, held by the Western Front Association, are currently being digitised and will be interesting to examine in due course. Additional WW1 records may also become available in the future.
We anticipate finding out more about the men's post-war lives from local newspapers of the 1920s, which will be examined as part of our ongoing "100 years ago" project. The long and acrimonious post-war campaign to provide allotments for WW1 veterans might be an interesting topic to research, for example.
Finally, we contine to hope that families of the Volunteers might come across this website and contact the project with additional information.

Craven and the First World War - Autumn 2018 newsletter

A newsletter outlining all the WW1-related events in the Craven area this Autumn can be viewed here.

We are always pleased to hear about topics of historical interest that we might research - some of our most interesting articles have started out as suggestions made by visitors to this website. If you have any information on the history of Farnhill or Kildwick that you'd like to share with us, or would like us to investigate further, please email history@farnhill.co.uk.

Even if all you have is a short personal anecdote about life in our two villages, please write. We might be able to include your contribution on our Anecdotes & Snippets page.

A Selection from our Archive

Each month we aim to display a different selection of items from our archive of photographs and documents.

Click on image to view larger picture or to leave a comment.

Do you have any interesting items to contribute to the archive ?
Please contact history@farnhill.co.uk


New and Updated Items Last updated: 26/01/2019
What's new this month ?
	A proposed housing development - Farnhill 1873 First posted 29/01/2019 These days it seems that there are housing developments wherever you look, with many of them being contentious. However, none of the developments currently proposed for Farnhill will have anything like the impact that a plan put forward in 1873 would have had on the village had it gone ahead.
	Farnhill and Kildwick 100 years ago In January 1919 the local press reported the appointment of a new Methodist minister, to replace Rev. Dalton who had died of flu in December; the ladies of the war-time knitting group met for a final time to tally up their total war-effort; and plans were put forward for the allocation of allotments to returning soldiers.

Other recent additions and updates
	Kildwick and Farnhill Brass Band (1866-1936) Updated 29/12/2018 Another update to our piece on the Kildwick and Farnhill Brass Band. This update includes some more photographs connected to the band.
	Some accounts of the Armistice First posted 24/11/2018 This article, from the Farnhill WW1 Volunteers website, examines the thoughts of some local people on Armistice Day - 11th November 1918.
	A snapshot of Kildwick Parish in 1764 – Archbishop Drummond’s Visitation First posted 29/09/2018 In 1764 the Archbishop of York went on a "tour" of his diocese - known as a Visitation. Prior to this, a questionnaire was sent out for the clergy of each parish to complete and return. In Kildwick, the questions were answered by the vicar, Rev. John Dehane. His responses give us an interesting snapshot of the parish in 1764. In this article we give the full text of the 12 questions asked, and Rev. Dehane’s responses to them.
	Kildwick swimming carnival (1909 - 1914) Updated 29/09/2018 Between 1909 and 1914, the last Saturday in July would see up to 5000 people gather on both banks of the river Aire, below the bridge, to watch the annual swimming carnival. Click to view an updated slideshow or read our article.
	Some short histories of Farnhill and Kildwick Updated 25/08/2018 We thought you might to take a look at what other people have written about the history of Farnhill and Kildwick: "The Villages of Craven - Farnhill" (an article from the Craven Herald of April 26th 1876) "Kildwick Hall - Historical Sketch" by J.J. Brigg "A History of Kildwick notes for a lecture given by Will Cowling in 1951 Some "Notes on Farnhill" written by George Bottomley in 1950.
	Belgian WW1 refugees in Airedale Updated 25/08/2018 At the start of WW1, as German troops overran their country, over 250,000 Belgians came to Britain as refugees. It was the single largest influx in the country's history. Some of them came to this area and this article, updated with photographs and information about the refugees in Crosshills, tells their story.
	A working life at Woodrow's Mill - a memoir of Alec Hargreaves First posted 28/07/2018 In the later years of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th, most employment was provided by the very many local mills. The loss of two mills in Farnhill at the end of 1905 and early in 1906 - see below - had a devastating effect on local people: they no longer had work on their doorstep they had to bicycle or walk to work; some chose to move to other townships. One of the nearby mills that continued to provide work was Woodrow's at Junction. Charles Alexander Hargreaves, known as Alec, left school at the age of 13, in 1906, and - apart from serving abroad during WW1 - was at Woodrow's Mill for all his working life, a total of 49 years. Towards the end of this time he wrote a memoir of his period there: A working life at Woodrow's Mill.
	Farnhill Mills - 1905 and 1906 Updated 28/07/2018 Two destructive mill fires in Farnhill, one in December 1905 and the other in March 1906, effectively ended industrial development within the village, as well as causing significant unemployment and hardship. We've updated our slideshow of photographs of the mill fires - including the only known image of Farnhill Mill before it burned down - and some of a third mill in Farnhill which, although it closed in 1906, is still in use today. View a slideshow of photographs taken at the time. You can also read our article about the devastating fires of 1905 and 1906.