Part 3 of Henry Harrison's articles appeared in the Cleckheaton Guardian on 14 Oct 1910.

I will now leave my Cleckheaton friends and describe to them some of the Spenites who were living in the year 1842. Not very far from Mr Mann's boundary fence, on the Taylor estate, was a straw-thatched cottage, with weather-beaten stone walls and small-paned windows, fronting on to Spen Bank, and approached by a flight of steps and a sloping road. Here lived Mrs Rachel Marsland and her husband, who rented the house and field from the Taylor's of Gomersal. Marsland was a hand woolcomber, and kept a cow and also a donkey or two to bring home the wool to be combed, and take it back to the manufacturer. Mrs Marsland once ran on a small score at Mr Mann's corn mill and wanted to set off against it an amount due for donkey hire, for having carried out for Mr Mann single bags of flour. Mr Mann was very eccentric in many ways and he refused to recognise this set-off, and put her into the twitch court for the recovery of small sums.This court was held at the Black Bull Inn, Birstall. The old lady, prompted by Mr Mann's two sons (who delighted in a lark), went to court to defend her claim. The presiding barrister heard the old lady's story, and then asked to look at her book. Book she had none, but she said she had it all written down behind the milk house door. Mr Mann was one of the gentlemen who constituted the court, and he insisted on the door being produced as evidence in support of Mrs Marsland's claim. At the next court day, the old dame appeared with the door, which she had carried on her back all the way. The door was found to be pretty well filled with hieroglyphics in chalk, but the old lady having explained what a "round O and X" and other signs meant, she convinced the presiding judge, and returned home with flying colours, much to the amusement of Mr Mann's sons. Many are the anecdotes told of the mischievous larks of these sons, perpetrated at the old corn mill.

After Mrs Marsland's death, the homestead was taken over by her married daughter, Mary, wife of John (sic...should be James) Gomersall. Jim was a curious character. When he did work, it was as a foundry labourer. In course of time they removed into Pavement Street, Cleckheaton. Jim was very fond of "Old Tommy's" and "Old Nanny's" home brewed beer. The spark in his throat took a lot of slaking, and his wife often gave him a bit of her mind and called him a name not be mentioned here. The tenant of the old homestead to follow Jim was old John Briggs, who hailed from the low-decker cottage which stands today on the right hand side up Hartshead Moor. While Briggs was living up Moorside, he was the only person who sent new milk into Cleckheaton. It was brought in cans on a donkey's back and was served out by one of Briggs' daughters. For a great number of years, John was engineer at Peg Mill, and while living at Spen he kept a cow or two and farmed a field reaching up to the footpath at the top of Alec Hill. Some time before Briggs left the mill, he had a fit, and they sent for his son, Sam, who lived lived in the house that was in olden times, the Punch Bowl Inn, Westgate. On his arrival the first thing done was to search the old man's pockets, and this, at once, brought him round!

Leaving the cottage, and passing through the stile at the toll-gate, one came to two stone houses fronting on to the road. In the first lived Samuel (Sam) Mortimer and his wife Susy. The second house was Sam's shop, in which the goods were of a miscellaneous kind. A story was often told of Sam. He frequently went to Leeds to purchase his goods, and on one occasion brought back a small keg of tobacco. On reaching home, he told his wife about this, adding, "we can do with plenty more at the price." Susy, on opening the keg, and going a bit lower down, found to his dismay, something very different. Some tome later, in 1842, Mortimer began to build Water Lane Corn Mill and eight cottages. He occupied the two lowest. They had cellar kitchens and fronted the mill. The first they used for a kitchen and the other for the shop. The two bottom houses were pulled down by John Gill to erect an engine house, at present used by Messrs. Sugden office. In front of the mill was a stone slab built into the wall, with the inscription "S.S.M., 1844."

Behind Mortimer's house and shop at Spen, was and is today, a cottage with the end to John Briggs' field. In that cottage lived Johnny Womersley and his wife Mary. Johnny was a woolsorter at Peg Mill, and always wore a white brat and smock. On one occasion he had put a half crown into the Bible as back-set. One evening, he said to his wife, "I'm going to read a chapter or two, lass," and Mary's reply was "Tha needn't: that chapter's been read long sin'!" Johnny was in many a scarpe at Peg Mill. There are many good stories of him which one might tell if space permitted.

At the top end of the field named, was the footpath at Alec Hill, and behind the high wall was Mr Dixon's chemical works. These works were carried on there up to the time of building Nellroyd Mill in the years 1844 and 1845. Previous to 1842, Mr Dixon and his wife and children resided at the ancient homestead at Spen Hill, and while living there he sent their two daughters to a boarding school at Spen Cottage - the house at present owned by my brother, Mr John Harrison. This school was kept by two maiden ladies, called the Misses Bottomley. In 1842, at that place, lived a Robert Kitchen and his family. Mr Dixon, when very young, was put town's apprentice to a man named John Brooke, a manufacturing chemist. Brooke had a drunken foreman, and he left young Dixon in charge of the still. I cannot say exactly where Brooke's place was, but I am inclined to think it would be over the boundary in Liversedge. Alec Dixon watched the attack by the Luddites on Rawfolds Mill from his own house, which was close at hand, and he went to render assistance. He bent down to one poor fellow nearest to him, whose pitiful cry went to Dixon's heart, and he at once went into his house and fetched some wine and water for him. Billy Clough, having been spending a pleasant evening with some friends at Littletown, was carrying out his usual plan of not going home until morning, and he came upon the scene at the same time. He crept cautiously down to the mill, and he and Dixon bent down to help a sorely wounded man. Cartwright, the owner of the mill, forbade them, but honest Bill could not stand the groans of the dying man any longer, and in spite of Catrwright's stern order, he brought a stone and placed it under the poor fellow's head. We have no direct proof that many of the working people of Cleckheaton were involved in the Luddite rising, but it is certain that one of the known leaders lived in a cottage near the Green, and only escaped capture by leaving the locality. 

Alec Dixon and Billy Clough afterwards became well-known Cleckheaton worthies, and their names are held in honour. Dixon especially was a man of sterling worth, and was much esteemed by his fellow townsmen. Before leaving Billy, let me say he was a blacksmith at the Old Pear Tree, and resided in the house formerly occupied by Mrs Fearnley. While here, he opened a beerhouse, and the house next to this was for a long time occupied by Saddler Herring. These two houses were purchased by William Brooke, butcher, who sold them to a draper named Mr Scott, who in turn, pulled the houses down, re-built them, and for some years carried on his business there.

Let me now come back to Dixon. Prior to living at Spen, he built Pyenot Cottage and resided there. While at Spen, he, along with Mr George Anderton, built the brick houses known as Providence Row, and also the four houses today known as Elm Bank and The Hollies, fronting on to the Old Red Chapel. The tenants were then Mr. A Dixon, Mr Ed. Atkinson. Mr G Anderton and Mr G.T. Lister, respectively. Mr Dixon married Mary, the daughter of Jonas Yates, who built the Nag's Head, now the George Hotel. Mary had a sister named Harriet, and she married a man called Wrathmell, who during one period of his life, kept a beerhouse known as the Upper George, where the Co-operative Central Stores now are. She had another sister, who with her husband kept the Gate Inn, at present the house and shop of Mrs A Naylor. This was prior to the Nag's Head being built. 

Mr Dixon was an ardent reformer of an advanced type in his day, and took a deep interest in the repeal of the Corn Laws. In local matters his name is frequently found in the town's books. One of his two daughters, the eldest, married Guy, the eldest son of Mr Christopher Goldthorp, of Pyenot Hall, but their married life was a short one. She afterwards married a Mr Shaw of Stainland, a manufacturer of that town. Mr Dixon's only son was brought up in his father's business, and in course of time he went to Australia. As he failed to return, his father started out to that far colony in search of him, without giving any notice to his friends. He was overcome with trouble and grief, and the closing years of his life were clouded by the death of his wife, and other difficulties. Mr Dixon's landing in Australia could not be traced, notwithstanding many enquiries and much diligent search. Nothing further was heard about him until a person from Cleckheaton, happening to be crossing in the same vessel in which Mr Dixon was known to have booked his passage, saw his well-known autograph with the date below. This led to further investigation and it was eventually found that Mr Dixon had jumped overboard in a fit of temporary derangement, and was drowned before any assistance could be rendered. 

He was a man of strict integrity and respected by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. His son James, after the absence of some years, returned to Cleckheaton, and I believe he died a bachelor, but I cannot say where. Previous to Mr Dixon commencing business for himself, he was for a short time in partnership, on a small scale, with a Mr Crowther (grandfather to present Mr Crowther of Gomersal), but this partnership was of no long duration. His business was confined to the manufacture of dye-spirits, and he eventually realised a considerable fortune. From Alec Hill, to my knowledge, he sent a lot of goods to Kendal, with his own waggon. The journey there and back occupied about a week. His teamer's name was William Heaton, and he lived in the yard. This William Heaton was father to John Heaton, who, after Dixon went to Nellroyd, built the first house and chemical works in Horncastle Field, now known as Heaton Street, on his own account. John married Ann, a daughter of old Joe Mortimer, a card nailer. Ann was a niece of Mrs Ed. Darnley, and lived with her, and was married from her house. Mrs Darnley left her a nice block of property in Northgate, near to Market Square, now pulled down. After her husband's death, she married a Wm Holliday, who carried on the business for a time.

Coming back to Spen Hall, sometime after 1842, Robert Kitchen and his family removed there. With him lived a sister, and she took in as a lodger the Rev. Mr Daly, who resided there up to the time of Gomersal Vicarage being built. Then he married a Miss Knowles, sister to Mrs Henry Mann. Gomersal church would be built in 1850 or 1851. Prior to that, Mr Daly preached in the school. At the time the Kitchens were living at Alec Hill, in one portion of the then old building there resided a Mr and Mrs Hemingway, who were related to Obadiah Brook of Leeds. Brook was intending to give a library to some place in Leeds, but this did not come off, and at his death the books were made into three lots, and one of the lots was left to the Old Red Chapel Sunday School. The writer of these articles fetched these books from Hemingway's house in a wheelbarrow. Another lot was left for the soldiers' barracks at Leeds, but about the third I cannot say. All the books were in one class of binding.

Before closing this article, allow me to say that all the Taylors' land, from Gomersal, down to Spen Bridge, then following the river and stream on to the bottom of Drub Lane, back to Gomersal, was preserved by Mr Sigston of Gomersal Hall, for hare coursing with greyhounds, and I have seen fine sport there. Mr Sigston was brother to Mrs Booth, and uncle to Mrs Joshua Taylor, and her sister, Miss Booth, who lived so long at Gomersal New Hall. The buildings surrounding the old hall were being pulled down by Mr George Oldroyd not long ago. Mr Sigston's gamekeeper was named Halstead and he lived at Owlet Hall, afterwards pulled down for the L & NW Railway.