North Bierley (Low Moor)

2.71    BIE 1828 FOX    BHM 1751 B27

North Bierley (Low Moor): Plan of Low Moor Company’s Estates

Joseph Fox

Paper Scale: 12 chains per inch Size: 62*54 cm  Condition: Poor

The map is is annotated: ‘this map seems to be a replica of the map entitled Plan of the Low Moor Co’s estate situated in North Bierley, Bowling and Horton in the parish of Bradford … surveyed in 1828 & 9 Josh. Fox’. It is subtly different from other versions I have seen.

The most likely way of confirming its date seemed to be by considering an indicated another prominent land-owner, Rev Edward Balme. Edward’s father, Abraham Balme (1707-1796), was a very significant Bradford citizen who took a major role in promoting the Leeds-Liverpool canal and had interests in coal, lime and land. He is commemorated by a tablet in the cathedral. William Cudworth says that Abraham acquired property by inheritance and marriage, and for part of his life lived at Bolling Hall. When he died in 1796 his will was proved by ‘Edward Balme, clerk’ the only son of his second marriage. Rev Edward Balme inherited the bulk of the estate since his father and elder brother had fallen out. He was a fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge and by 1799 Vicar of Finchingfield in Essex. William White in his 1837 Directory mentions that the interest of £80 had been left to the parish church by the Rev. Edward Balme, presumably on his death. Edward died in 1822, unmarried, leaving the property to his niece Mary Wheatley.

The fact that Edward Balme is mentioned by name on the map suggests that its survey pre-dated 1822. The West Yorkshire Archives (Bradford) also have a copy of this map, generously donated by Geoff and Mary Twentyman. The donors suggest that it was kept on display at the ironworks, and it has certainly been annotated at a later date. The original map is too fragile to be handled, a common problem with old material, but images of excellent quality are available on CD-ROM. This Local Studies Library reserve collection map is labelled North Bierley, which closely resembles WYA Fox map. It has deteriorated quite badly but many details are perfectly clear. The same landowners are mentioned in both maps, although the script in which their names are written differs. The plan of the Low Moor Ironworks is identical in the two maps, as are most buildings included. In the top left corner of the image are a collection of roughly circular features. These represent coal or ironstone mines. It is hard to imagine now that in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Bradford was densely covered by mines, abandoned mine-shafts, and piles of colliery waste. The Low Moor and Bowling Iron Companies smelted iron ore, obtained locally from the roof of the Black Bed coal seam, using as fuel the excellent coke made from the deeper Better Bed seam. The production of cast iron and ‘best Yorkshire wrought iron’ was extremely profitable for more than a century.

This map contains hints of a wholly forgotten Bradford industry however. In the approximate centre is the place name ‘Glass House’. This represents the site once occupied by Bradford’s only known glass-making furnace. The builder of the glass-works, known to be in existence by 1748, was Edward Rookes Leeds (1715-1788) of Royds Hall, Lord of the Manor of Wibsey. In that era the space needed for a furnace and its attendant glass-workers was enclosed by a tall brick cone, and coal firing required large underground flues. An excellent surviving example of such a cone can still be seen at Catcliffe, South Yorkshire. The Fox map in the WY Archives places a large circle at this site which could easily represent a glass cone drawn in plan, but the map illustrated here has no such feature. Have the two map versions ‘caught’ the brick cone in the process of being demolished? The fate of the glass works is being actively researched at present. It is probable that the works was not in active production for many years, but ‘Glass House’ long remained as a place name in Low Moor.

Joseph Fox drew other maps; the LSL reserve collection contains a beautiful example showing Harden Moor, with the roads connecting Keighley and Bingley, drawn in 1830.