Welcome to The Briercliffe Society Forum

I am writing on behalf of my father John Nutter (only child of Robert Nutter and Alice - nee Caygill of Askrigg House)

My father is 89 years old and was born and raised in Harle Syke. His family on is mother's side are the Caygills of Upper and Lower Saxifield Farms. His grandfather built Askrigg House, Briercliffe Road,

Both his parents were mill workers and he has many memories of local people, history and Harle Syke in years gone by. He is related to the Storeys, Parkers, Metcalfes and Caygills.

Should you wish to have a doorway into the past please feel free to contact us......I'm sure he can answer many questions about the area and folks who lived there in the past 80+ years....

Hello,

In Victorian times, I had many ancestors living in nearby Cop Row, and other places in the area. I would be interested to know which of the following local place names your father might know.

Best Pasture (certainly a farm there in my youth, c1960), West Pasture (same ?), Pasture Gap (again, same ?), Lacycaul/Lassycaul (etc). I do have some references for this.

Also, maybe down towards Heasandford, down Walshaw Lane, Fesons Green (Pheasant Green ?)

Cop Row also known in its early days as New Row, and Long Row. Built about 1819.

I can elaborate on most of these if need be.

Rex Watson

Hello Rex,

Best Pasture was indeed a farm run by Miles Greenwood, it was opposite the Craven Heifer Pub. Miles lived there with his wife and his sister, There were no children. It was a dairy farm.

My father's family had Higher Saxifield farm (which was around the corner at the top of Oakham Bank) run by my father's uncle Jim Caygill. Lower Saxifield farm was owned by the Rogers family.
His relations also had Stoney Raikes farm which was run by his Uncle Fred Caygill.

Walshaw Lane is where my father played football as a teenager. The farm there was run by Robert Townson (who had 4 children; Robert junior, Olive, Peter and Margaret.)

My father returned to live at Askrigg House as a boy so his mother could look after her ailing mother Elizabeth who lived at the house following the death of her husband. On her death in 1942 my father's family moved into a house in Oaken Bank and so he lived in that area throughout his childhood and teens. His family originally lived in Cross Street by St James Church Briercliffe.

Both his parents worked in the mills around Queen Street until the war, they then moved to London to work there as work in the mills was very limited during the war years.
They returned in 1942 to Askrigg House when he was 11 years old.

Obviously he has many memories of the people in and around Briercliffe, Harle Syke etc and asks if there was anything specific you wanted to know?

Many thanks John (?), interesting.

I wouldn't know any of the people you mention, since I lived as a boy on Casterton Ave, Briercliffe Rd (opposite the General), and Eastern Ave. My links to Cop Row and Haggate were 19th century ones. I am 76 now.

Possibly your father might remember my great uncle Ernest WATSON, who lived on Duke St, and died 1972. Son Kenneth, daughter Hilda (BLAKE).

The other placenames I mentioned died out I am sure, probably by about 1880 !

I remember as a student around 1960 doing an Xmas post round, involving the Saxifield farms, and Bullions Close. Sometimes in the dark !

My relatives in the area were WATSON, HEAP, EMMOTT, the latter two being Briercliffe through and through.I

Cop Row has long been of interest.

Thanks again, and regards to your father.

Rex

My Briercliffe ancestors were mostly Kippax, Stanworth, Brierley, Thornton and Foulds. My father was Kenneth Kippax and my grandfather was Rowland Denis Kippax better known as Th’owd Syker. It would be interesting to hear about Harle Syke in your fathers early years.

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.