Talk:Shepley

History section
Regarding the history section of this page. Does anybody know anything about 'Shepley Abbey'? It is marked on the 1850 map near the current site of Shepley spring water and is obviously the origin of the 'Abbey Road' road name. What happened to it and was it a 'real' abbey? MarcusThornton 15:00, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Shepley Abbey
I'm told that some kind of religious foundation did exist on the site of 'Abbey Road' though I'm sure that it wasn't as big as an Abbey. It might be worth having a look through the estate papers of Sir Joseph Radcliffe which I think are held at the public library in Huddersfield. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.171.226.20 (talk) 17:15, 30 January 2007 (UTC).

History section (again)
Regarding the history section of this page, it's too big. Who cares about 'Ye olde sheply'? We could at least have more info about Shepley, such as how it is full of building sites which will never be built on *cough* Firth Mill *cough* and is quickly becoming part of Shelley. In fact, an entire section needs to be devoted to whether Shelley is absorbing Shepley or vice-versa. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.107.159.108 (talk) 16:04, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

History
If you feel so passionately about whether Shepley and Shelley are merging together, and why land is not being built upon, tell us about it rather than moaning and groaning about the efforts other people make in contributing to the story of what is a great Yorkshire village. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Policymaster (talk • contribs) 12:19, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

Shepley Abbey and the Armitage/Armytage family
In the section for Shepley Abbey, it states: "The Abbey and Farm were later owned by the Armitage Family following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. They were a branch of the Armytage family of Kirklees Hall". Does anyone know where this information came from? I am trying to find evidence of a link between the Armitage family who owned the Abbey, and the Armytage family of Kirklees Hall. This Wikipedia article says that the Armitage family was a branch of the Armytage family of Kirlees Hall, but no reference is cited. Can anyone offer any advice? Thanks! Superquake (talk) 11:02, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Re Armitage Family - Shepley Abbey
I have not seen any physical evidence to suggest that the Armitage Families of Kirklees Hall and Abbey in Shepley were one and the same; however, I was informed as a child that this was the case.

The only way that this can be resolved is by looking into the deeds of the Armitage Family from Kirklees Hall, which are held in Wakefield. My understanding is that the Abbey referred to land given to the monks of Roche Abbey, South Yorkshire - there is no evidence to suggest that any abbey was built in Shepley! During the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Armitage Family gained possession of Kirklees Priory and it is quite likely that they were able to pick land belonging to other religious foundations, including the Abbey area of Shepley.

Armitage Family - Shepley Abbey Census Records
I've looked at all the census records from 1841 through to 1901.

I'll come back to 1841, but on the 1851 census Abbey Road is called simply 'Abbey'. Benjamin Armitage (born 1811 High Hoyland) is heading a household at '16, Abbey' and is a Fancy Waistcoat Manufacturer. Samuel Armitage (1806 High Hoyland) has a family next door at '17, Abbey' and is a Fancy Woollen manufacturer employing 135 hands. Edward Armitage (1844 Shepley) is one of his sons.

1861: 'Hall Royd House' is headed by Samuel Armitage. His wife and son Edward are present as is his grandson Samuel Armitage King.

1871: a row of houses (Armitage Row) now exists adjacent to the Abbey, presumably to house the Armitage workers. Samuel is now detailed as living at '134, Abbey House' and as a Retired Cloth Manufacturer. Edward is head of '135, Abbey House', Farmer of 26 acres and Woollen Manufacturer employing 12 men.

1881: house numbers now changed to '145, The Abbey' (Samuel) and '146, The Abbey' (Edward). Edward is now simply 'Manufacturer (wool)'.

1891: house numbers changed again. '177, The Abbey' is headed by Mary King whom we could assume is Samuel's daughter, given that he had a grandson with that surname, although she was born in Scisset. Edward is at '178, The Abbey' still as Woollen Manufacturer. His son Fred (1873 Shepley) is now the mill manager.

1901: William Henry Hirst a lecturer in mathematics is resident at '175, The Abbey'. Fred Armitage is now heading the family at '176, The Abbey' as a Woollen manufacturer.

1841: Benjamin and Samuel Armitage lived next door to each other in Shelley both Fancy Manufacturers. There was only one individual in Shepley with a surname of Armitage. He was a different Samuel Armitage (1826), a joiner lodging as an apprentice at Lanehead. The occupants of the Abbey location seem to be farmers Charles Hinchliff age 60 or Robert Sykes age 34.

Benjamin and Samuel were both baptised in High Hoyland to parents Isaac Armitage and Hannah. If I look at baptisms of Isaac Armitage in Yorkshire between 1750 and 1790. There are a few in High Hoyland, some in Emley, but none any closer to Shepley.

It seems that the Armitage family were a family of some considerable wealth in Shepley in the 19th century and that they probably built the present 'Abbey' residence sometime between 1851 and 1861. We can see though that there is no link of continual occupation of this family in Shepley back to the dissolution of the monastries. I do think we need to change the article to reflect this.

The idea of Matthew of Shepley giving the land to the Roche Abbey monks is the most convincing explanation of this mystery that I've heard. We could do with a supporting reference to prove it though.

--MarcusThornton (talk) 14:57, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Shepley Abbey and the Spencer-Stanhope Family
The Spencer-Stanhope family were the family from Cannon Hall at Cawthorne, which coincidentally (or not) is near High Hoyland.

Sheffield archives have the documents of their estate and there is a catalogue of it on-line at The National Archives. Viewing this catalogue there is an entry:-

Deed to lead the uses of a Common Recovery (by means of lease and release, lease missing) SpSt/132/5/3  11 May 1756

''Contents: John Spencer of Cannon Hall, Cawthorne, Yorks., esq., eldest son of William Spencer, late of the same place of the first part; Jonathan West of Cawthorne, Yorks., gent., of the second part, and Thomas Newsome of the par. of St. Andrew, Holbourn, Middlesex, gent., of the third part. In order to bar all estates tail, and for vesting the estates in John Spencer, in fee simple, and also for 10/-, the parties agree to suffer a common recovery in the following lands: the manor of Cannon Hall, in Cawthorne, with all appurtenances; a farm or capital messuage with appurtenances, called Cannon Hall;'' ...........

......a very long list of property follows including......

''2 messuages called the Abby, in Shepley, par. Kirkburton, Yorks., and closes called Wharley Field, Upper Donfin, Nether Donfin, Upper Royd, Hall Royd, Nether Hall Royd, Great Lee, Little Lee, Hanging Croft, Well Ing, Storth, High Owler Ing, New Lands, Lower Close, Little Close, Upper Cross Field and Nether Cross Field; messuage in Shepley with the farms and lands attatched; chief or fee farm rents, and quit rents of 14/8, i.e. 6/8 per annum from Shepley Hall, and the lands belonging,''

So we can say that the Spencer-Stanhopes owned the Abbey in 1756, and that the property if not the area were known as The Abbey quite some time before the Armitages were resident. I do not believe that even if they are connected with the Kirklees Hall Armitages, that this has anything to do with 'The Abbey' name.

Having said that, there are strong connections between the Spencer-Stanhope family and the Armitage (High Hoyland) family. There are many Armitages mentioned in the document catalogue and maybe it is through these connections that 'The Abbey' passed to them.

From the Yorkshire County map of 1851-54 can be seen Hall Royd (field?) with ajoining house, just set back from The Knowle, Shepley. Head of the house on the 1871 census was William Armitage, woollen manufacturer employing 79 hands.

--MarcusThornton (talk) 09:47, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Later History of the Abbey
I'm moving the discussion about the later history of The Abbey to this talk page. Although I find it interesting, I don't think it's important enough to be included on the main page. On the other hand I hate to delete someone's contribution out of hand.

Samuel Armitage (aged 73 years) and his son Edward Armitage (bn 1843), both Wool Manufacturers are noted as living at The Abbey in 1881. The Abbey property was then bought from the Armitage family by Edgar Dickinson who was a Farmer and a Threshing Contractor In about 1930 he built a new Dairy Farm and mew mistals.......  He sold the farm to George Tom Wragg who continued with it until the beginning of the second World War.....  After the war he sold out to Luther Chapell but the Abbey itself and the paddock adjoining were sold separately to George Greenwood. He, in turn, sold the property to Richard Field (of Fields Rugs in Skelmanthorpe) in 1960. In 1987 Mr Field split the Abbey to make it into two houses, selling one half and now living in the other half himself.' —Preceding unsigned comment added by MarcusThornton (talk • contribs) 13:14, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Armitage of Shepley
I can confirm that Benjamin and Samuel Armitage did indeed come from High Hoyland and seemed to have moved only to Shepley after the mill was established. This was the Armitage Mill at the end of the Knowle, Shepley. I have been unable to trace Isaac Armitage any further back as there were several Isaacs born in the village at around the same date. Hannah was a KAYE and family oral history indicates she came with a dowry. Perhaps the start of the Armitage industrial deveolpment. Issac is buried in 1849 in Scisset. The only son of Benjamin, Joseph born Shelley 1840, died young and his family moved to Clayton West. The family of Samuel contined to run the mill until its closure. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lynneviews (talk • contribs) 13:13, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Hannah Kaye
Thanks for the info. Do you (or anyone else) happen to have any more information about the parentage of Hannah Kaye? Thanks. Superquake (talk) 17:14, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

I've had a look on the IGI for this. Unfortunately Kaye is a common name locally and Hannah is a very common christian name in this period. I can tell you that Isaac Armitage and Hannah Kaye were married 27 Feb 1792 in High Hoyland and at marriage Isaac was put down as being born 1767 in Clayton (Clayton West). There is a baptism of Isaac to Mathew Armitage 5/7/1767 in High Hoyland.

When I look at trees on Ancestry there are several people with Isaac and Hannah in their family trees but nobody has identified Hannah's parents.

There was a Kaye family with serious money within Kirkburton parish though Woodsome Hall --MarcusThornton (talk) 14:06, 3 February 2010 (UTC)

Isaac Armitage
Isaac and Hannah were still alive on the 1841 census. Listed as a farmer at 'Busker' in Skelmanthorpe. Isaac Armitage Jnr is living next door as a manufacturer. Jnr is still at Busker in 1851 now as a Fancy Manufacturer like his brothers in Shepley. I don't know a great deal about worsted manufacture, but maybe sticking a mill on your farm was a fairly common way to start in those days. --MarcusThornton (talk) 14:54, 3 February 2010 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 05:57, 30 April 2016 (UTC)

Additional Information added
References to the Village Association and Shepley Hub were added in AGAIN. Request made to official Wikipedia editors to monitor these additions for unnecessary deletions by persons unknown.

Further information was also added to early origin section - re: furrows.

Barnsley and Shepley Lane Head Turnpike
How could Blind Jack of Knaresborough have built this in 1825? He died in 1810! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.12.192.171 (talk) 07:45, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

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