3.047      HOR 1847 WRI        BHM 1173 B14

Revd. G Wright’s land, Little Horton Lane

Material: linen backed paper

Scale: unk       Size: 125*80 cm            Condition: good

This is that rarity: a map with a precise date and an exact location. It is annotated on the reverse, twice, ‘Revd G Wright’s land, Little Horton Lane, 1847’. It features the junction of Great Horton Road, Little Horton Lane and Manchester Road and provides detailed information about all the occupiers. It roughly corresponds with a map published on this site which I called Bradford at the time of Queen Victoria’s Coronation 1837. Detailed study of both maps reveals the rapid development of the city during this decade. Interestingly the style and hand-writing of the two maps is very similar and it is hard to believe that they didn’t originate from the same surveyor.

Since the current map corresponds in date with the first OS map (1852), the census of 1851, and an 1850 Trade Directory we have several sources for further exploration. Rev. Godfrey Charles Wright (1780-1862) owned land all over the district in the mid-nineteenth century. You will see his name in maps of Bradford, Horton, Manningham, Baildon, Otley and elsewhere. He does not seem to have lived in Bradford itself for any prolonged period, if at all. Certainly by 1822 he resided at Bilham House, Hooton Pagnell. South Yorks where he stayed for the next 40 years. In census reports he describes himself as ‘clergyman without cure of souls’.

Mary Bacon had a house and garden at the junction of the two principle roads (here labelled ‘Mrs. Bacon’s Property’). It is clear from newspaper reports that she supported many worthy causes: Temperance, the Mechanics Institute, Distressed Scotland, destitution in Canada, and Airedale College. In 1829 she donated two estates, in Fagley and Undercliffe, to support the college. In reports she is never identified by her first name or initial however William Cudworth, in Rambles Round Horton, describes her as Mary, the daughter of John Balme, the widow of William Bacon. Her residence, unnamed in this map, was known as Spring House. She died in 1853 having been a widow since 1818. After her death there was a substantial sale of her estates fronting Manchester Road and Horton Lane.

The Church of St John the Evangelist was not present in 1837 but Godfrey Wright was the owner of the land on which it was built, adjacent to Mrs. Bacon’s property. The first unambiguous reference to this building in the Bradford Observer is in October 1840. Tenders for its construction were advertised in 1838 and the expense was met as a generous gesture by Mr Berthon of the Isle of Wight who had no connection with Bradford himself. The first incumbent was Rev. Charles Pearson. The sad story of his quarrel with the Vicar of Bradford, William Scoresby, written by David Loose can be found in the 2019 Bradford Antiquary (number 80).

Several other places of worship were, in this age of faith, within a ‘stone’s throw’ of St John’s. The records of Horton Lane Independent Chapel, including an indexed grave book for the burial ground of almost exactly this date, are now held by the West Yorkshire Archives (Bradford). There were no less than three local Methodist chapels: Wesleyan Methodist Chapel – Great Horton Road, Wesleyan New Connexion Chapel – Little Horton Lane and the Primitive Methodist Chapel – Great Horton Road. The institution marked on this map is the Ebenezer Chapel of the  New Connexion. I believe this must have been built on a portion of land which had previously been a bowling green (also the property of Godfrey Wright), acquired in 1836. The chapel was rebuilt in 1861 but did not see out the nineteenth century.

Also mapped is Rand’s Mill: John & William Rand founded their company in 1803 and were clearly large landowners in the area. Among the smaller owners recorded the most interesting to me was the Free Gardeners Lodge. The United Order of Free Gardeners was a fraternal society that was founded in Scotland in the middle of the 17th century and later spread to the rest of the country. Like numerous other similar societies of the time, its principal aim seems to have been the sharing of secret knowledge combined with self help. Although the Free Gardeners was independent of the Freemasons, the history of the two orders does show similarities. The Free Gardeners are often mentioned in contemporary newspapers but are now virtually extinct.

Beanland is a common Bradford surname but I am sure that J & W Beanland identified on this map were the firm of Bradford builders and contractors. In contemporary trade directories William lived in Heber (Ebor?) Street, Little Horton Lane and John in Great Horton Road. The company’s best known yard was at Harris Street which connected the Bradford ends of Barkerend and Leeds roads. They were responsible for the building of Leeds Infirmary, Swan Arcade, Saltaire Mill (partly) and the Wool Exchange. Their greatest achievement must have been the construction of Lister’s Pride, the Manningham Mills chimney. I assume that the company was operated by several generation of Beanlands. Because of his slightly unusual first name I am sure that in the 1851 census Jarvis Beanland (1789-1865) was a 60 year old joiner and builder of Quebec Terrace.