Investigate the changes that took place in Horsforth between 1700 and 1900

Introduction

I am going to investigate the changes that took place in Horsforth between 1700 and 1900, and in doing so prove that these changes were because of the Industrial Revolution which took place at that time hence proving my main point that Horsforth, like most villages during that time, changed from an agricultural village to an industrial town. The evidences I will be looking at include buildings of historical value, road names that reflect ideas then, names of pubs which give an idea of the types of activities that went on in Horsforth, the census which could tell us how the population and types of jobs changed during that period.

Industrial Revolution

First of all we need some basic ideas about the Industrial Revolution itself and how it changed the entire nation:

As the 18th century began, an expanding and wealthier population demanded more and better goods. In the productive process, coal came to replace wood. Early-model steam engines were introduced to drain water and raise coal from the mines. The crucial development of the Industrial Revolution was the use of steam for power, and the greatly improved engine (1769) of James marked the high point in this development. Cotton textiles was the key industry early in the Industrial Revolution. John Kay's fly shuttle (1733), James Hargreaves's spinning jenny (patented 1770), Richard Arkwright's water frame (1769), Samuel Crompton's mule (1779), which combined the features of the jenny and the frame, and Edmund Cartwright's power loom (patented 1783) facilitated a tremendous increase in output. The presence of large quantities of coal and iron in close proximity in Britain was a decisive factor in its rapid industrial growth. The use of coke in iron production had far-reaching effects. The coal mines from the early 1700s had become paramount in importance, and the appeared in England at the same time that Lancashire and Yorkshire were being transformed into the greatest textile centers of the world. Factories and industrial towns sprang up. Canals and roads were built, and the advent of the railroad and the steamship widened the market for manufactured goods. The made a gigantic contribution, for it was largely responsible for the extension of the use of steam and steel that were the two chief features of industry in the middle of the 19th cent. Chemical innovations and, most important of all, perhaps, machines for making machines played an important part in the vast changes.

The Industrial Revolution did not in fact end in Britain in the mid-1800s. New periods came in with electricity and the gasoline engine. By 1850, however, the transformation wrought by the revolution was accomplished, in that industry had become a dominant factor in the nation's life hence giving average businessmen the opportunity to gain power and wealth through their occupation.

Pre-Industrial Revolution

First of all, we have to prove that Horsforth was a typical pre-Industrial Revolution agricultural village before the Industrial Revolution. In order for us to do this, we have to look at pieces of evidence from or about Horsforth during that time that would prove it to be a typical agricultural village. This evidence would include maps of Horsforth before the Industrial Revolution, names of Pubs and census during that period. I will now explain how each piece of evidence that I have available will help us in proving Horsforth to be a typical agricultural village before the Industrial Revolution:

1. Maps

The map will enable us to get an idea of how land was used in Horsforth before the Industrial Revolution, if Horsforth was a typical agricultural village(which we are trying to prove) we will probably find that a lot of the land was used for farming.

2. Census

The census will allow us to get information on the type of work the people of Horsforth did and its population, if Horsforth was a typical agricultural village(which we are trying to prove) we will probably find that most of the population were farmers and that the population was rather low.

3. Pub names

Pub names are usually related to the usual things being carried out in an area like the type of work being done in the area, if Horsforth was a typical agricultural village(which we are trying to prove) we will probably find that most of the pubs are named after agricultural symbols like cows and other livestock.

4.Graveyards

The graveyards give us a good idea into the population of the village and the markings on tombstones give us an idea into the social beliefs popular in the village. If Horsforth was a typical agricultural village before the Industrial Revolution(which we are trying to prove) we will probably find that the number of people buried would be low and that the markings on tombstones will represent pre-Industrialisation ideas.

5. Other evidences

Other pieces of information like the inspiration for the name of the village itself could also help us prove that Horsforth was a typical agricultural village pre industrial revolution. If Horsforth was a typical agricultural village(which we are trying to prove) we will probably find that the name for the village was inspired by an agricultural idea.

Post Industrial Revolution

To find out how Horsforth changed during this period, we have to look at evidence that is in the form of objects that have gone through the period of change and still survived to today, analysing ...

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5. Other evidences

Post Industrial Revolution

To find out how Horsforth changed during this period, we have to look at evidence that is in the form of objects that have gone through the period of change and still survived to today, analysing the difference in the characteristics of this single evidence like the Hall Park estate will allow us to conclude how Horsforth was different after the Industrial Revolution. We could also look at two pieces of similar evidence where one was before the Industrial Revolution and one was after the Industrial Revolution, analysing the difference between these two pieces of evidence like the census of two different years(one pre Industrial Revolution and one post Industrial Revolution) will enable us to conclude how Horsforth changed. We could also look at how similar objects were built before the Industrial Revolution and how they were built after the Industrial Revolution, analysing the difference in how these evidences like houses were built will allow us to conclude how Horsforth was different after the Industrial Revolution.I will now explain how each piece of evidence that I have available will help us in proving Horsforth to be a typical industrialised town after the Industrial Revolution:

1. Maps

The map will enable us to get an idea of how land was used in Horsforth after the Industrial Revolution, if Horsforth was a industrialised town after the Industrial Revolution(which we are trying to prove) we will probably find that a lot of the land was used industrial purposes like factories or residential areas.

2. Census

The census will allow us to get information on the type of work the people of Horsforth did and its population, if Horsforth was a industrialised town after the Industrial Revolution(which we are trying to prove) we will probably find that a lot of the population would have been working in industries like cloth trading and that the population would have increased after the Industrial Revolution.

4. Buildings

The structure of buildings after the Industrial Revolution will give us a chance to stereotype Horsforth as an Industrial Town where there is high density housing, increased size in local pubs and the presence of a factory to support its industry.

5. Street names

The names of streets will tell us about the popular ideas that were around that time since the street names would have been inspired by ideas around at that time. If Horsforth was a industrialised town after the Industrial Revolution(which we are trying to prove) we will probably find that some streets would have been name after post-Industrial Revolution ideas.

6. Graveyards

The graveyards give us a good idea into the population of the village and the markings on tombstones give us an idea into the social beliefs popular in the village. If Horsforth was a industrialised town after the Industrial Revolution(which we are trying to prove) we will probably find that the number of people buried would have increased and that the markings on tombstones will represent post-Industrialisation ideas.

7. Others

Other pieces of information like the type of churches in the area might give us a glimpse into the religious ideas that were popular then, if Horsforth was a industrialised town after the Industrial Revolution(which we are trying to prove) we will probably find that post-Industrial religious beliefs like non-conformism would have been popular.

How to come up with a conclusion

By comparing the differences in the evidences above before and after the Industrial Revolution and attempting to stereotype Horsforth as a pre-industrial agricultural village and a post-industrial town we can prove that Horsforth changed just like a typical village would because of the Industrial Revolution.

The way Horsforth changed can be summarised in the following categories:

The most important family
Religion
Population
Work
Transport

The most important family

The Stanhopes were the most important family in Horsforth before the Industrial Revolution. This idea is proven as according to my secondary source context by Laurence, “They were the outstanding leaders of Horsforth”. This statement is referring to the Stanhope family, which proves their importance since they were the leaders of Horsforth. Their wealth was also outstanding as they lived in Hall Park which was a huge estate that could only have been purchased or built by the wealthy. The estate of Hall Park was huge and even though the house itself is not around today we can get an idea of its size since its 7 massive stables are still present(as seen in the picture below)

These stables prove the massive size of the estate itself because the size of the stables should give us an idea of the extreme grandness of the estate itself. The stables also prove the wealth of the family since the more stables you have, the wealthier you were because the number of stables you had were an accurate measure of your wealth, which from the other evidence above we can see was considerable. The credibility of the stables as a measure of the Stanhope’s wealth and house size is high because according to a stone carving on the stables, the stable block was built in 1707 as shown in the picture below:

The estate itself was completed in 1699 as proven by this quote from the Whitfield secondary source context, “Built New Hall in 1699”. All this proves that the stable block is a credible source since the stable block was built around the same time as the house itself (they were completed 8 years apart). All this evidence proves the wealth of the Stanhopes, furthermore the huge garden in the Hall Park estate(in the picture below)

is another prove of their wealth and is also a credible source to estimate the size of the house itself. All the above evidence proves the power and wealth of the Stanhopes but does not tell us much about the impact they had on Horsforth. The Stanhopes were important to Horsforth because they were the local MPs of Horsforth as proven by this statement by Whitfield(a secondary source context) “Became the local MPs from the late 18th century”, this proves that the Stanhopes were important to Horsforth since they were the local MPs. Their impact on Horsforth is further proven as according to Laurence they “sponsored the building of the first Calverly Bridge(1710) and the Bell Chapel on the Green (1757-1758)”, this proves their importance to Horsforth and the impact they had on the village since they not only help build the Bell Chapel but also a Calverly Bridge. Besides their impact on the Horsforth community, they owned a considerable amount of land in Horsforth as proven by this statement by the secondary source context by Laurence “They purchased a share of Horsforth in 1566”, this proves the power the Stanhopes had in Horsforth since they owned a reasonable share of the village. This share of Horsforth the Stanhopes increased according to Laurence(a secondary source context about the Stanhopes), “They had an advantageous Spartan, frugal and puritanical lifestyle which helped them acquire more land(unlike the other important families)”, this proves that the Stanhopes gained more land thereby naturally increasing their importance to Horsforth. All this showed that the Stanhopes were the most important family in Horsforth before the Industrial Revolution and that the lived in the naturally grandest estate in Horsforth, Hall Park.

After the Industrial Revolution, the Stanhopes were not living in Hall Park anymore, instead J. Marshall was living in Hall Park. The fact that J. Marshall lived in Hall Park after the Industrial Revolution is proven in the 1851 census as it clearly states that J. Marshall who was a widower lived in Hall Park in 1851. The idea that the Stanhopes were no longer living in Horsforth is supported by the Laurence secondary source context as it says, “The Stanhopes left Horsforth to live at “Cannon Hall” near Barnsley” which further adds to the credibility of the census that claims J. Marshall was living in Hall Park instead of the Stanhopes. The fact that J. Marshall was now living in Hall Park is important because J. Marshall was a cloth merchant, this is proven by the census because under the category of occupation J. Marshall was a cloth merchant. This fact that J. Marshall was a cloth merchant is important because he must have been a very wealthy cloth merchant to afford to live in Hall Park(for reasons proven earlier like the size of the estate), wealthy cloth merchants were uncommon before the Industrial Revolution but became common after the it because the Industrial Revolution made it possible for normal businessmen like J. Marshall to gain considerable wealth because industry had become the dominant factor in the nation’s life. The fact that a cloth merchant lived in the grand estate of Hall Park after the Industrial Revolution proves that Horsforth was affected by the Industrial Revolution like many other towns in England that transformed from an agricultural village to an industrial town.

Religion

Population

The population in Horsforth before the industrial period was not outstanding but rather average for a agricultural village as proven by the 1851 census since there were only 33 families in the Hall Park, Chapel Green and Fink Hill areas in 1851 but this number rose to an outstanding 61 families in these areas in 1861. This allows us to conclude an increase in population that is typical for an agricultural village turning into an industrial town. The increase in the population in Horsforth is also apparent in the overspill graveyard on Fink Hill. The fact that there is an overspill is clear because the land seems to be unnaturally raised up, probably caused by burying too many dead bodies. This means that there are more deaths, it is backed up by the death register which clearly suggests that there were more deaths in 1861 than in 1851. The increased deaths was not caused by an epidemic of any kind instead it was probably caused by an increased population, this is proven as the number of births in the 1861 birth register outnumbers the number of deaths in the 1861 death register. This suggested increase in population is backed up by the extension of the Old King’s Arms pub, this could only have been an extension(and extended after 1851, well 1879 to be exact) because the doorway at the front is larger and has a larger fan-light than the doorway at the back. This extension is vital as it means that there were more customers than before, which could only be explained by an increase in population(the idea that there were more customers because there were more visitors to Horsforth is ruled out because the pub is a local pub for locals). All of this proves that there was an increase in Horsforth’s population(typical for any agricultural village that turned into an industrial town because of the industrial revolution). This increase in population according to the 1861 census in especially apparent in the Fink Hill area since it has the highest percentage of increase in number of families in 1861 compared to other areas:

1851 Population 1861 Population Percentage increase (%)

Hall Park 6 12 100

Chapel Green 11 11 0

Fink Hill 16 37 131.25

The idea that the increase in population is highest in the Fink Hill area is backed up the fact that high-density housing was found in the area:

The reason why we conclude that it is high-density housing is not only because it matches up with the diagram of ‘houses for poorer people’ we were given of typical houses after the industrial revolution (since it has both fan lights above the door to let light in and a plain door) but also the fact that it is a terrace house so it must have been built to accommodate a large population. This type housing is post industrial housing not only because it matches up with the diagram of ‘houses for poorer people’ we were given of typical houses after the industrial revolution but also since an increased population after the industrial revolution would have forced the building of high density housing to accommodate a large population. This piece of evidence (terrace housing) is important as it backs up the population increase seen in the census so it assures us that the census is correct. According to the census there is a large number of woollen related workers and factory related workers in the Fink Hill area hence we can conclude that they were working in a factory nearby. During the industrial revolution, factories were set up to produce goods at a faster rate in order to make more money. These factories were set up in industrial towns where workers would labour in poor conditions in these factories for low pay, these workers would stay in cheap high density housing(like the Fink Hill terraces) . A factory site can be seen in the Fink Hill area:

The idea that this is a former factory site can be proven by the 1908 and 1964 maps and since it is near the high-density housing in Fink Hill(where there is a large number of woollen related workers and factory related workers) we can conclude that the car park was once a factory site and that the workers who worked in it lived in the Fink Hill terraces. Another proof that there was a factory in Horsforth is the William Thornton gravestone:

This is important as on the gravestone, it says “Fellow workmen” meaning that there must have been a factory in the area. This factory was not established until after 1851(this is important as it allows us to conclude that Horsforth did not have a factory before the industrial revolution like many other typical agricultural villages) as there was practically no factory related workers in Fink Hill so there could not have been a factory there in 1851, this is backed up by the 1851 map where there is no sign of a factory. Also accommodation for factory workers(Fink Hill terraces) were not there until after the industrial revolution(as proven by the diagrams of typical pre and post industrial revolution houses). All this proves that a factory was set up in Horsforth(like in many other industrializing towns) because of the industrial revolution allowing us to conclude that Horsforth turned from a typical agricultural village to an industrial town.

Work

Based on my contextual knowledge, any typical pre industrial revolution agricultural village should have had agricultural work as their main source of income and type of work. This characteristic can clearly be seen in Horsforth before the industrial revolution in the form of Pub names. Pubs with agricultural related names like Grey Horse, Black Bull, Brown Cow, Old Ball, Brown Cow, Foxhounds and Fleece can be found in Horsforth at one time or another in its history. The pub Old Ball might not sound agricultural at first but it was formerly know as Old Bull, only to be mis-spelt as Old Ball. The pub names are a reliable reflection on the main type of work a village does because pubs are usually named after the type of work a village does. The names of these pubs back up the idea that Horsforth was a typical agricultural village before the industrial revolution. The immense number of stables in Hall Park estate further supports this idea, these stables were used to keep horses probably used for agricultural purposes. The sheer number of stables in Hall Park meant that horses were in great demand since the Stanhopes(being frugal as they are as proven by this quote about the Stanhopes by Laurence ‘Had an advantageous Spartan, frugal and Puritanical lifestyle”) would not have built so many stables if they were not necessary. Further proof of Horsforth’s agricultural past can be seen in the farmer’s cottages in Hall Lane. We can tell that it is a

Transport

Before the industrial revolution the main mode of transport for people and goods were horse carriages so you could see horse stables in any pre industrial agricultural village. The horse stables can clearly be seen in Horsforth’s main housing estate(Hall Park):

And since Hall Park estate and its stables were built between 1699 and 1707 as shown in the picture below and proven by this quote from the Whitfield secondary source context, “Built New Hall in 1699”:

We can conclude that the main form of transport in Horsforth was horse carriages(like all other agricultural villages before the industrial revolution) before the industrial revolution for the reasons above. The former stables in Fink Hill further back this up:

We can clearly see that an archway was bricked up, based on my contextual knowledge this type archway is usually the entrance to a horse stable hence proving that there used to be a stable here. This backs up the idea that the main form of transport in Horsforth was horse carriages(like all other agricultural villages before the industrial revolution) before the industrial revolution. This piece of evidence can be used to prove another idea, the fact that the main mode of transport in Horsforth changed from horses to trains(as it did in many agricultural village turned industrial town during the industrial revolution). This is so as the stable was bricked up proving that it was not used anymore. This is sensible as based on my contextual knowledge, after the industrial revolution the affected towns did not use horses as a major mode of transportation anymore instead railways which were built to connect all parts of Britain were used. This meant that many horse stables in towns affected by the industrial revolution were either demolished or used for other purposes(a typical change in any agricultural village turned industrial town). This change can be seen in Horsforth because of the bricked up archway. The idea that railways were the more popular form of transport in Horsforth after the industrial revolution can be proven because the Horsforth railway was built during the industrial revolution. Further evidence of the building of railways in Horsforth can be seen in the census as there were a few platelayers in the 1861 census, these platelayers probably helped in the building of the Horsforth railway itself. Therefore, because of the bricked horse stable and establishment of the Horsforth railway we can conclude that Horsforth was a typical agricultural village turned industrial town.