Barkisland
Coordinates: 53°40′38″N 1°55′08″W / 53.677141°N 1.918973°W
Barkisland is a village in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Ripponden, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Sowerby Bridge and 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of Halifax town centre.The village falls within the Ryburn ward of Calderdale. Barkisland has one school, a church, a post office and a local cricket club which play in the Huddersfield League.[1] There are two pubs in Barkisland, the Fleece and the Griffin.
History
A ten-thousand-year-old axe has been discovered near Ringstone Reservoir, providing evidence of human activity in the area now known as Barkisland dating back to the Stone Age.[2] The origin of the name is in dispute. In a book of place names printed in 1944 it was stated that Barkisland derived from it being a settlement ('land') of a chieftain called 'Barkis'. While much earlier, in 1789, the Rev. John Watson, vicar of Ripponden church between 1754 and 1769, theorised that "Barsey or Barkesey are Anglo-Saxon words meaning low-lying enclosures where birches grow. It also is the Anglo-Saxon for a district where there are wolves."[3]
The parish of Barkisland was recorded on 1 July 1837 as part of the Halifax Registration District. It was abolished as a distinct parish on 1 April 1937 and merged with the neighbouring parish of Ripponden.[4]
Industry
Bower's Mill was built in the 18th century as a water-powered fulling mill.[5] it has also been used as a corn mill, a worsted mill and a woolen mill. Textiles manufacturer J. & S. Taylor Ltd occupied the mill from 1882 to 1991 before moving production to Sowerby Bridge.[6] The mill has now been converted for smaller businesses.[5]
Barkisland Mills is a 6-storey building which was used for textile production in the 19th and 20th centuries. At the start of the 21st century it was converted into residential flats.[5] There was also a Bottomley's Mill in Barkisland. Its presence as a cotton mill was recorded when a fire broke out there on 13 January 1871.[5]
Governance
Barkisland is a village in the civil parish of Ripponden, which is part of the Ryburn ward of Calderdale, a metropolitan borough within the ceremonial county of West Yorkshire in England.[7]
Geography
Barkisland is situated on a hilltop that gently rises from Greetland in the north-east and declines westwards to Ripponden and eastwards to Stainland. The hill continues to climb southwards towards Scammonden.
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Triangle | Norland | Greetland | |
| Ripponden |  |
Stainland | ||
| ||||
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| Rishworth | Scammonden | Sowood |
Landmarks
A surviving historic landmark of Barkisland are the original stocks. They are located on Stainland Road roughly 550 yards east of the post office and are a Grade II listed building.[8]
Part of the Anglican Diocese of Wakefield, Christ Church is Barkisland's only church and is linked with the nearby school.[9]
Barkisland Hall is a grade I listed country house built for John Gledhill in 1638, constructed in stone in three storeys to an F-shaped floor plan. It was bought in 1967 by Lord Kagan to provide accommodation for his textile company (makers of the Gannex raincoat).[10]
Education
Barkisland's school is a high-performing junior and infant school[11] many of its pupils progress to one of the two high-performing grammar schools, North Halifax Grammar School and Crossley Heath Grammar School.
Barkisland School Association (BSA) is a parent-teacher organisation supporting the school by organising events and fundraising.[12]
References
- ↑ "Barkisland Cricket Club". barkislandcricketclub.co.uk/. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ↑ A Rinder. "The Early Inhabitants of Barkisland". dawtrina.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ↑ "The Etymology of Barkisland". dawtrina.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- ↑ "HALIFAX REGISTRATION DISTRICT". 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 "Mills & Mines – B". Malcolm Bull's Calderdale Companion. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ "History". Taylors Direct. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ "Ripponden". 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ↑ "View of the stocks at Barkisland, West Yorkshire". calderdale.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ↑ "Barkisland Christ Church". A Church Near You. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ↑ Historic England. "Barkisland Hall (1276881)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ↑ "Barkisland CofE VA Primary School Inspection report" (PDF). Ofsted. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ↑ "Barkisland School Association". barkislandcofeschool. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
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