Revd. Thomas James
The inspiration for the formation of "The Yorkshire Archaeological Society", which itself sprang from "The Huddersfield Archaeological and Topographical Association", came from an unexpected source. The Revd. Thomas James was born in Manordeifi, Pembrokeshire in 1817. He became perpetual curate of All Saints Church, Netherthong in 1846.
As a Welshman steeped in the history and folklore of his home country, he gathered around him a group of fellow Welsh clergymen resident in the area and in 1852 formed "The Association of Welsh Clergy in the West Riding of the County of York". Members included his brother David, curate of Marsden, Joseph Hughes, curate of Meltham, and the Revd. Lewis Jones, vicar of Almondbury. The group met to discuss topics related to the church in Wales, but James was also intensely interested in the Bardic movement which sought to revive the Welsh language and culture by holding Eisteddfod festivals. These included competitions with prizes for the best Welsh poetry, historical essays, music and singing. The Revd. James acted as one of the judges at the festivals and donated some of the prize money. He adopted a Bardic name for himself and participated in the "Gorsedd of the Bards", a procession based on the rituals of the ancient Druids, the highlight of the festivals. However, his role as one of the judges of the history prize at the Llangollen Eisteddfod in 1858 brought him to a bitter dispute with Joseph Hughes of Meltham over the winner, a row which caused an uproar at the time.
The Revd. James was a leading member of the Cambrian Archaeological Association and editor of a cutting edge archaeological periodical, "The Cambrian Journal". But he was also interested in the history and archaeology of his adopted county, Yorkshire. He wrote a paper on "the early antiquities of the district" and became editor of 'The Transactions of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Journal’, which became the better known ‘Yorkshire Archaeological Journal’. Despite their dispute he also helped the publication of the Rev Hughes ‘History of Meltham’, left unfinished by the author’s death in 1862. In 1863 he helped form "The Huddersfield Archaeological and Topographical Association ". The first meeting was held in his parsonage at Netherthong on 1st April. This group eventually became "The Yorkshire Archaeological Society".
In 1870 the Revd. James married Jan Hammet of Plymouth but sadly she died only 2 years later. The Reverend's health then went into decline but he continued to be involved in the Eisteddfod movement. He died in 1879 and his grave, just by the church door in Netherthong, celebrates his love for the Bardic past. The inscription, recording his birth and death and his curacy of Netherthong for 33 years, is in the Bardic Alphabet. The grave is also decorated with symbols of Wales - a leek, a harp and the druidic symbols of oak leaves and misletoe.