Hebden Bridge in the time of the Brontes

 

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Steep hills with fast-flowing streams and access to major wool markets meant that Hebden Bridge was ideal for water-powered weaving mills and the town developed during the 19th and 20th centuries; at one time Hebden was known as "Trouser Town" because of the large amount of clothing manufacturing.^[2] Drainage of the marshland, which covered much of the Upper Calder Valley before the Industrial Revolution, enabled construction of the road which runs through the valley. Before it was built, travel was only possible via the ancient packhorse route which ran along the hilltop, dropping into the valleys wherever necessary. The wool trade was served the Rochdale Canal (running from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester) and the Manchester and Leeds Railway (later the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) (running from Leeds to Manchester and Burnley).

The first Hebden Bridge Railway station opened in 1840, with a small booking office and separate waiting rooms for the first class ladies and gentlemen. hebdenbridge  hbstationfriends

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Sutcliffe and George Sowden

 

Sutcliffe Sowden was a graduate of St Mary Magdalene College, Cambridge.  In 1839 he became curate of Cross Stone under the Revd Joseph Fennel. His appointment to Hebden Bridge two years later seems to have been due to a sermon that he preached at Cross Stone. Revd Sutcliffe Sowden was the intimate friend to the Revd Arthur Bell Nicholls, who was ordained along with Sutcliffes younger brother George at Ripon Minster in October 1846 A.B.Nicholls became curate of Howarth in 1845. Out of this friendship came Revd Sowdens aquaintance with the Bronte family. the-bronte-connection

 

Archdeacon Musgrave ensured that Sutcliffe's brother, George, suceeded him as vicar at Hebden Bridge. Whilst staying with his brother at Cross-Stone in 1840, George first saw the Brontë family. Here is an extract from his description of Patrick Brontë on that occasion: "... his quaint old fashioned look and his stupendous necktie: how it was constructed, I never could imagine." 

Unlike Sutcliffe, George did not know Charlotte personally before her marriage, but when invited to stay at Haworth in 1854, soon after Charlotte's marriage to Arthur Bell Nicholls, he got to know her quite well. In 1894 he described Charlotte as being "... a thoroughly ladylike woman, and very self-possessed..." and days that her conversation was quite 'unaffected'.

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Coming downstairs to breakfast one morning at Haworth Parsonage, George found Charlotte "ascending the steps from the cellar... with a teacake in her hand, which she took into the kitchen to toast for our breakfast, perfectly unconcerned and natural, never dreaming of an apology for being caught in a domestic employment."

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Yesterday morning the whole of Hebden Bridge and it's district was thrown into a state of great excitment and sorrow by the news spreading rapidly that their incumbent the Rev. S Sowden had met with his death by drowning. The sad news proved but to be true.His remains were removed to the Neptune Inn, and afterwards to his home.  The funeral obsequies were performed by Mr Sowdens most intimate friend,  the Rev. A. B. Nicholls of Howarth

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Halifax antiquary Francis Leyland recorded that Charlotte Brontë, in the lonely days before her marriage, would sometimes walk, or occasionally drive, to Hangingroyd, Hebden Bridge, the residence of Sutcliffe Sowden.  visitcalderdale/brontelinks

 

St_James_the_Great

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The Lane Ends Burial Society responsible for building Old Town Clubhouses met at the Hare and Hounds and built the cottages in 1823. They were originally designed as weavers’ cottages, at a time when hand loom weaving was still a profitable trade, with a shared weaving room across the top floor, and connecting doors between the houses to enable workers to get access to the shared room. The census returns showed that most of the residents were engaged in worsted weaving until the trade began to fail later in the century. Many of the small cottages housed families of six or seven adults: impossible to imagine now. hebdenbridge

 

 

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