Eastwood is a place within the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Todmorden Todmorden ( ; ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. It is north-east of Manchester, south-east of Burnley and west of Halifax, West Yorkshire, Hal ...

and

Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, whose population in 2020 was 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the ...

, in

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England. It lies west from Halifax, roughly equidistant from Todmorden's town centre, which is to the southwest, and

Hebden Bridge Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, England. It is west of Halifax and 14 miles (21 km) north-east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the Hebden Water. The town is the largest ...

, which is 2 miles to the northeast, along the course of the River Calder. Eastwood falls within the Calder ward of Calderdale council.

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

a part of the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, sources suggest that Eastwood's name was almost certainly taken from the Eastwoode family, who were local landowners active from the 13th to 17th centuries. Eastwood Old Hall is the former seat of this family, and remains as a landmark and manorhouse within the locality

History

The earliest reference for Eastwood is in 1286 when it was called ''Estwoode''. The name was almost certainly taken from the Eastwoode family who owned local land from the 13th to 17th centuries, and lived in Eastwood Old Hall. In the 19th century, Eastwood was an important (and relatively wealthy) habitation with a considerable amount of industry, supported by its own

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

, which was used to support local mill workers and industrialists travel to towns as far as

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. Though today a small hamlet, Eastwood once contained its own school, chapel and cricket team.

Eastwood family

The family of Eastwood is thought to have given its name to the locality. Eastwood continues to be a common name in and around this part of

northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

. Some members of this lineage included John Eastwood who fabricated

Todmorden Mills Todmorden Mills was a small settlement located in the Don River valley in Toronto, Ontario. It started out as a lumber mill in the 1790s. Originally known as "Don Mills", it grew into a small industrial complex and village before becoming part of ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Canada.

Governance

From a very early time, Eastwood formed part of the ancient ecclesiastical parish of Halifax. From 1894 until 1939, Eastwood, together with

Heptonstall Heptonstall is a small village and civil parish within the Calderdale borough of West Yorkshire, England, historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The population of Heptonstall, including the hamlets of Colden and Slack Top, is 1,448 ...

and parts of the

south Pennines The South Pennines is a region of moorland and hill country in northern England lying towards the southern end of the Pennines. In the west it includes the Rossendale Valley and the West Pennine Moors. It is bounded by the Greater Manchester co ...

formed part of the Todmorden Rural District, in the

, and from 1939 until 1974, lay within Hepton Rural District, also from the West Riding. Under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, the West Riding of Yorkshire was abolished and Eastwood has since formed part of the

metropolitan borough A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropolitan ...

Calderdale Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, whose population in 2020 was 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the u ...

, in

. Eastwood forms part of the

Geography

Eastwood, set amongst the easterly portion of two wooded areas, lies along the course of the River Calder, parallel to Halifax Road and a section of the Caldervale railway line, on the west side of Jumble Hole Clough. The

Rochdale Canal The Rochdale Canal is in Northern England, between Manchester and Sowerby Bridge, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. Its name refers to the town of Rochdale through which it passes. The Rochdale is a broad canal beca ...

passes through the settlement.

References

External links

www.charlestownhistory.org.uk
featuring a large section on the history of Eastwood. {{authority control Villages in West Yorkshire Geography of Calderdale Todmorden