Clifford, West Yorkshire
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Clifford is a village 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 1,662. The village is south of
Wetherby Wetherby ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire and lies approximately from Leeds city centre, from ...
. Many of the older buildings are built of magnesian limestone.


Etymology

The name ''Clifford'' is first attested 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086. It comes from the
Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
words ''clif'' ('cliff, bank') and ''ford'' ('ford'), thus meaning 'ford at the bank or cliff'. This perhaps referred to the crossing of the
River Wharfe The River Wharfe ( ) is a river in Yorkshire, England originating within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. For much of its middle course it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Its valley is known as Wharfedale. ...
at
Boston Spa Boston Spa is a village and civil parish in the Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and th ...
, which was then within the manor.


History

According to the Domesday Book, in 1086, Ligulf held the manor, which comprised six
carucate The carucate or carrucate ( or ) was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season. It was known by different regional names and fell under different forms of tax assessment. ...
s with four ploughs. In the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
Clifford was a subordinate settlement to Bramham, and had no parish church or manor house. A Wesleyan chapel was built some time before 1838, and the three churches soon after. The Anglican St Luke's Church was built in 1840. Clifford was originally a farming community, but in 1831, corn mills powered by Bramham Beck on Old Mill Lane, were transformed into
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
mills, making patent yarn and shoe thread. The mills were owned by the Grimston Brothers. At its height, the business employed about 300 workers, some of them Irish immigrants, and many of whom lived in the stone terraced cottages in the village.


Governance

Clifford was a
township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
in the old parish of Bramham, in the upper-division of the
wapentake A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and in Cumberland County in the British Colony of ...
of
Barkston Ash Barkston Ash is a small village and civil parish close to Selby in North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of C ...
, in the
West Riding The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The lieutenancy at that time included the city of York a ...
of Yorkshire. It became a separate civil parish in 1866 as Clifton with Boston, which was split into the civil parishes of Clifford and Boston Spa in 1896.


Geography

Clifford is a
rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...
village, with a
conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...
at its centre. It has a mix of buildings from traditional
magnesian limestone The Magnesian Limestone is a suite of carbonate rocks in north-east England dating from the Permian period. The outcrop stretches from Nottingham northwards through Yorkshire and into County Durham where it is exposed along the coast between Ha ...
cottages to modern family housing. All construction within the conservation area must use local limestone.
Green Belt A green belt or greenbelt is a policy, and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wilderness, wild, or agricultural landscape, land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts ...
land separates the village from Bramham and
Boston Spa Boston Spa is a village and civil parish in the Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and th ...
. Limestone for building was quarried locally. Clifford is situated in the British county of West Yorkshire, a short distance from the North Yorkshire border and district of Selby. The nearest train station to the village is Ulleskelf, a small village in the district of Selby. The village has a mix of historical buildings and modern new housing estates. The nearest city to the village is Leeds, with York and Harrogate (town) being close behind. The
A1(M) A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate motorway sections in the UK. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1, a major north–south road which connects London, the capital of England, with Edinburgh, the capita ...
motorway is just over to the west. Bus services coordinated by West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive go to
Tadcaster Tadcaster is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, north-east of Leeds and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the lowest road crossing-point o ...
, Leeds,
Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...
, Wetherby and
Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...
. The roads around the village lead to Boston Spa, Bramham and Toulston, as well as the nearby towns of Wetherby and Tadcaster.


Religion

There are three churches in Clifford. The
Anglican church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
dedicated to
St Luke Luke the Evangelist was one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical gospels. The Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Prominent figu ...
on high ground at the western end of the village is built in the Gothic style of architecture and was consecrated by the Archbishop of York in 1842. The church cost £1200 raised by subscription and the site was donated by George Lane-Fox. The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel, and the Roman Catholics built St Edward King and Confessor Catholic Church to serve the population of Irish workers that came to work in Grimstons
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
mill established in the village in 1831. The Grimston, Clifford and Vavasour families contributed to the cost of building the church.


Economy

Clifford has two public houses ''The Albion'' and ''The Old Star'') and a fish and chip shop (Clifford Fisheries). There were no other shops or businesses in 2009 as the post office had been converted into houses.


Public houses

The Old Star is a historic multi room pub owned and operated by
Samuel Smith Old Brewery Samuel Smith Old Brewery, commonly known as Samuel Smith's or Sam Smith's, is an independent brewery and pub operator based in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England, established in 1758. It claims to be Yorkshire's oldest brewery. It is known fo ...
. The Albion is situated on the edge of the village is run under lease from Enterprise Inns.


Education

There are three schools in the Clifford parish
Bramham Primary SchoolSt. John's School for the Deaf
an
Boston Spa School


Culture

The Village Hall is a small venue for concerts and plays. Clifford's first Beer Festival took place in June 2010. Clifford's second Champion Beer Festival took place on 2 July 2011 and due to its popularity took place for a third and fourth time (2012, 2013) and has become an annual event. The village hall holds drama groups, history 'clubs' and also walks around the local area as well as the surrounding country. Clifford has a monthly magazine, ''The Outlook'', that is delivered free to every resident by the committee.


References


Bibliography

*


External links


Clifford Methodist Church

Clifford Parish Council
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111114316/http://www.clifford-pc.org.uk/ , date=11 November 2009 City of Leeds Civil parishes in West Yorkshire