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Meltham is a town and
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 ...
within the
Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees Kirklees is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Kirklees Council with the status of a metropolitan borough. The largest town and administrative centre of Kirklees is Huddersfield, and the district also includes ...
, 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 in the
Holme Valley Holme Valley is a large civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 25,049 (2001 census), increasing to 34,680 for the two wards in the 2011 Census. Its administrative centre is in H ...
, below Wessenden Moor, four and a half miles south-west of
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
on the edge of the
Peak District National Park Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...
. It had a population of 8,089 at the 2001 census, which was estimated to have increased to 8,600 by 2005. The population assessed at the 2011 Census was 8,534. It has 12 elected council members who meet up around every 6 weeks.


History

The valley has been inhabited since pre-historic times and there are two Iron Age sites overlooking the town. In 1086, Meltham was recorded in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
as a village in the hundred of
Agbrigg Agbrigg is a suburb of the city of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. History The village of Agbrigg was historically within the parish of Sandal Magna and a large area of present-day Agbrigg was common land and can be seen on older maps as ...
and the county of Yorkshire although in 1086 the village had been laid waste. The town used to have a station on the
Meltham branch line The Meltham branch line is a disused railway line that ran for from Lockwood to Meltham, in West Yorkshire, England. The line was single track for its entire length. The last regular passenger service was on 21 May 1949. It closed completely ...
, which ran from Lockwood outside of Huddersfield. The line opened to passengers in 1869, closing in 1949, the it survived as a freight only line until the 1960s.


Geography

Meltham also includes the small village of
Helme The Helme is river in central Germany that is about long and which forms a left-hand, western tributary of the Unstrut in the states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. Course The river rises in Thuringia south of the Harz mountains in the dis ...
which has its own school and church. Meltham is situated within close reach of several major cities.
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
is to the north,
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
is north-east,
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 ...
is to the south-west and
Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
is to the south-east. Surrounding Towns and villages within the Kirklees area include
Crosland Moor Crosland Moor is a district of the town of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. Location It begins 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south west of Huddersfield town centre. Crosland Moor begins at the junction of the Manchester Road A62 and B ...
,
Golcar Golcar (pronounced 'Go Car' or 'Golker') is a village on a hillside crest above the Colne Valley in West Yorkshire, England, west of Huddersfield, and just north of the River Colne and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The 2021 population censu ...
,
Honley __NOTOC__ Honley is a large village in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated near to Holmfirth and Huddersfield, and on the banks of the River Holme in the Holme Valley. According to the 2011 ...
,
Holmfirth Holmfirth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, on the A635 and A6024 in the Holme Valley, at the confluence of the River Holme and Ribble, south of Huddersfield and west of Barnsley. It mostly consist ...
,
Linthwaite Linthwaite (known as ''Linfit'' in the local community) is a village in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated west of Huddersfield, on the A62 in the Colne Valley. The village to ...
, Marsden, Netherton and
Slaithwaite Slaithwaite , locally ''Slawit'' (Old Norse: Timber-fell clearing), is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies in the Colne Valley, lying acr ...
, with the villages of
Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills. Areas include Austerlands, Delph, ...
not far away across the county border in
Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...
. The
Pennine Way The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England, with a small section in Scotland. The trail stretches for from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Park and ends at Kir ...
runs across Wessenden Head around to the south-west and the
Peak District Boundary Walk The Peak District Boundary Walk is a circular walking trail, starting and finishing at Buxton and broadly following the boundary of the Peak District, Britain's first national park. The route was developed by the Friends of the Peak District (a ...
also runs past the west side of the town.


Education

Meltham itself contains three
primary schools A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...
, namely Meltham Church of England (C of E) School, Meltham Moor Primary School and Helme (C of E) junior and infant school.
Secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
s serving Meltham primarily include
Honley High School Honley High School is a coeducational secondary school situated on the edge of the village of Honley in the Holme Valley, West Yorkshire, England. The catchment area includes the neighbouring villages of Brockholes, Honley, Meltham and Netherto ...
, Holmfirth High School and Colne Valley High School, all of which are located in neighbouring areas.


Sport

Meltham has active teams in a variety of sports, including
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
and
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
. The football team, Meltham Athletic FC, currently play in the
West Riding County Amateur Football League The West Riding County Amateur Football League was a football competition based in Yorkshire, England. Formed in 1922, it had one division when it closed in 2019 due to a lack of participating clubs. The Premier Division sat at level 11 of the E ...
Premier Division. Notable honours include the West Riding Challenge Cup in 2005, the Huddersfield and District League on two occasions and the Barlow Cup 4 times (including three in a row 2003-05). The cricket side, Meltham CC, has won the 1st XI Byrom Shield on 7 occasions and the Sykes Cup 8 times. The 1st XI and 2nd XI currently play in the Drakes Premierships 1 and 2 respectively. Notable ex-players include England international cricketer
Ryan Sidebottom Ryan Jay Sidebottom (born 15 January 1978) is a former England international cricketer who played domestic cricket for Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire and retired in 2017 after taking more than 1,000 career wickets. He is the only player in the ...
,
Dilip Doshi Dilip Rasiklal Doshi (born 22 December 1947) is a former Indian cricketer of Gujarati origin who played in 33 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals from 1979 to 1983. Doshi is one of only four Test bowlers that played their first Test af ...
(father of Nayan),
Madan Lal Madan Lal Udhouram Sharma (; born 20 March 1951) is a former Indian cricketer (1974–1987) and Indian national cricket coach. He was a member of the 1983 Cricket World Cup winning India squad. Playing career Madan Lal enjoyed outstanding all ...
and
Shahid Mahmood Shahid Mahmood (Urdu: شاہد محمود) (17 March 1939 – 13 December 2020) was a Pakistani cricketer who played in one Test in 1962. He played first-class cricket in Pakistan from 1957 to 1969. He played his only Test on the tour to ...
. The rugby league side, Meltham All Blacks ARLFC, currently play in the
Pennine League The Pennine Amateur Rugby League, or Pennine League is a rugby league competition for amateur open-age clubs that runs from September to April. The clubs are drawn from West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the east of Lancashire. ...
Division 4.


Arts


Music

Meltham is home to the Meltham and Meltham Mills Band, which was established in 1846 as a brass band. They became the first band to win the British Open Title for three consecutive years, a feat only matched by 5 others.


Television

Meltham has been used as part of the location for several television projects. The third episode in 1995's ''
Coogan's Run ''Coogan's Run'' is a 1995 UK TV series featuring Steve Coogan as a series of odd characters living in the fictional town of Ottle. It was written by various people including Coogan, Patrick Marber, David Tyler, Graham Linehan, Arthur Mathews, ...
'' was set in and around Meltham Parish Church Hall. In addition scenes of long-running
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''
Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes foll ...
'' and
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
'' Where the Heart Is'' used some Meltham houses as character's homes. The scout hut has also been used as well as streets for shooting outdoor scenes.


Industrial history


Brook(e) family

Meltham Mills was the former site of Jonas Brook and Brothers, a
silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
mill complex that employed over 1,000 workers during the late 19th century. The Brook family originally came from New House Hall in
Sheepridge Sheepridge is a hamlet in the parish of Little Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England. The hamlet is located in a small indentation of an outlying part of the Chiltern Hills. It can be found on Sheepridge Lane, which connects Flackwell Heath to ...
, moving to Thickhollins towards the end of the 18th century. William Brook married Martha Smith at Bradford Parish Church - the daughter of a prominent
Mirfield Mirfield () is a town and civil parish in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury. At the 2011 census it had a population of 19,563. Mirfield f ...
banker. Their sons Jonas, James and Joseph established their business in Meltham Mills, using a goat's head - the
crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
from the Brook's
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
- as their brand. The goat's head can still be seen on the old office building to the mill complex and their arms are emblazoned in St. James' Church, in Meltham Mills (which the family built) - a hawkes lure: motto ''"en dieu ma foy"'' (in God my trust). Meltham Mills Band also carry the Brook family coat of arms as their official logo. Edward Brook died in 1904 at
Hoddom Castle Hoddom Castle is a large tower house in Dumfries and Galloway, south Scotland. It is located by the River Annan, south-west of Ecclefechan and the same distance north-west of Brydekirk in the parish of Cummertrees. The castle is protected as a ...
, the house near
Ecclefechan Ecclefechan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Eaglais Fheichein'') is a small village located in Dumfries and Galloway in the south of Scotland. The village is famous for being the birthplace of Thomas Carlyle. Ecclefechan lies in the valley of the Mein Wate ...
, south-west Scotland, which he had purchased in 1878. The Brook family were
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
s and built housing in Meltham Mills for their employees, including the convalescent home. They also built Meltham Hall, Meltham Town Hall and Helme Church and owned an estate at Enderby in
Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
. William Brook is buried with his wife Martha in Meltham Church, but his descendants are buried in the crypt underneath St. James Church, Meltham Mills. Jonas Brook and Brothers became United Threads in 1890 and Sir Hildred Carlile of Ponsonby Hall, Hertfordshire was a Director of the business. United Threads was closed in 1939 - the business was transferred to Paisley as part of J & P Coats - now
Coats Group Coats Group plc is a British multi-national company. It is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of sewing thread and supplies, and the second-largest manufacturer of zips and fasteners, after YKK. It is listed on the London Stock E ...
. The factory site was taken over by David Brown Tractors.
John Charles Brooke John Charles Brooke (27 August 1748 – 3 February 1794) was an English antiquarian who served as Somerset Herald from 1777 until his death. Early life Brooke was born at Fieldhead in the parish of Silkstone, Yorkshire in August 1748, the sec ...
, who originated from the Silkstone branch of the Newhouse Hall family was
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
Herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...
during the 18th century. He was crushed to death at the
Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
following the crowd's clamour to see
King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
in 1794. He is buried in
St Benet Paul's Wharf The Church of St Benet Paul's Wharf is a Welsh Anglican church in the City of London. Since 1556, it has also been the official church of the College of Arms in which many officers of arms have been buried. In 1666 it was destroyed in the Great F ...
in London.


Tractor factory

Meltham Mills was also the former base of the
David Brown Tractors David Brown Engineering Limited is an English engineering company, principally engaged in the manufacture of gears and gearboxes. Their major gear manufacturing plant is in Swan Lane, Lockwood, Huddersfield, adjacent to Lockwood railway stat ...
factory opening in 1939 and closing operations on the site in 1988. The various building have now been converted into a diverse number of industrial units, one housing a
Tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...
museum and other large sections containing an indoor
Kart racing Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on kart circuit, scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are als ...
track (now closed down). Durker Roods, the former home of Sir David Brown was converted into a hotel and the grounds were sold for private housing. The hotel closed in 2021, and is currently falling into disrepair. The town has its own joint Scouting and Guides Association buildings.


Notable people from Meltham

Meltham was the birthplace of Lance Sergeant James Taylor (25B/82) E Company 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment (2nd Warwickshire), who fought at, and survived, the
battle at Rorke's Drift The Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879), also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was an engagement in the Anglo-Zulu War. The successful British defence of the mission (station), mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenants ...
in the
Zulu war The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coup ...
. Although born in the village, to parents William Dyson Taylor and Sarah Taylor of Helms Lane, both of whom were also born there, he grew up in Manchester and died in Wales, but can still be regarded as a native of Meltham. Albert Craig, dubbed the Surrey Poet, was also born and raised in Meltham. His ditties mostly related to cricket and football. Australian textile magnate Godfrey Hirst was born at Royd Edge, Meltham in 1857. In 1890 he founded the Godfrey Hirst Woollen Mills at
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
, which in the early 20th century became the largest manufacturer of textiles in Australia. The company still operates, as
Godfrey Hirst Carpets Godfrey Hirst Carpets is the largest manufacturer and exporter of residential and commercial carpets in Australasia. The business was founded in 1888 in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, by Godfrey Hirst, an English immigrant from Meltham, West Y ...
. Hirst died in 1917.
Dora Thewlis Dora Thewlis (1890–1976) was a British suffragette whose arrest picture made the front page of the ''Daily Mirror'' and other press. Early life Dora was born on 15 May 1890, at Shady Row in Meltham Mills, near Huddersfield in the West Ridi ...
, who gained brief national notoriety as a young suffragette when a photograph of her arrest appeared on the front page of the ''Daily Mirror'', was born on Shady Row, Meltham Mills, in May 1890. Within a few years of her birth, the residents of the row had successfully petitioned to have the boundary redrawn so that the entirety of Meltham Mills was within the township of Meltham.Prior to the boundary change in 1896, parts of Meltham Mills were within the township of Honley boundary. It seems likely that Dora's father, James Lindley Thewlis, organised the petition.


See also

* Listed buildings in Meltham


Gallery

Image:Meltham_Village viewed from Wessenden Moor.jpg, View of Meltham from Wessenden Moor,
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
is in the far distance Image:David Brown Tractors, Meltham Mills (RLH).jpg, David Brown Tractor Factory Meltham, 1981 Image:David_Brown_990_Implematic_Tractor.png, David Brown 990 Implematic Tractor Made in Meltham around 1964 Image:Meltham Cub Scouts, late 1970s (RLH).jpg, Meltham Cub Scouts, on Blackpool Bridge, near Digley reservoir (late 1970s) Image:Royd edge.jpg, Meltham viewed from Royd Edge


Location grid

The above grid is based on exact directions rather than close to.


References


External links


Meltham Town CouncilMeltham on the WebDavid Brown history at Textron websiteMeltham Crossroads
{{authority control Towns in West Yorkshire Geography of Kirklees Holme Valley Peak District Towns and villages of the Peak District Civil parishes in West Yorkshire