1086 - 1799

Abbreviations used for sources of information:

BNA – British Newspaper Archives
CiTP – Cleckheaton in Times Past by Margaret M Wood
RAB – Round about Bradford by William Cudworth
SVPP – Spen Valley Past & Present by Frank Peel
S2S – From Scales to Scholes by the Rev. David Wilding
S2SR – From Scales to Scholes (Revisited) by the Rev. David Wilding
SFT - The Spen Fame Trail, hosted by the Spen Valley Civic Society.
SG - Spenborough Guardian
SN - Source needed
SVC - Booklet on the Charter of Incorporation regarding the formation of Spenborough (author unknown)
TD - Various Trade Directories

1086
Cleckheaton recorded in the Domesday book as "Hetone."

1134
First known structure of Whitechapel church (CiTP). See The History of Whitechapel for more information.

1228
First record of “Scales” (Scholes) mentioned in the grant of corn tithes (S2S)

1254
Cleckheaton divided into two manors of “Hetun & Akenscale” (Cleckheaton & Oakenshaw) (S2S)

1379
Poll Tax introduced to fund the wars with Scotland and France (SVPP)
At this time Cleckheaton had 22 married couples, 2 single men, 6 single women and 7 children.

1390
The Black death plague wipes a third of Yorkshire’s population (SVPP)

1455
First battle in the "Wars of the Roses."

1588
Defeat of the Spanish Armada

1605
The Gunpowder Plot (incidentally, Guy Fawkes was born in Yorkshire)

1642
The English Civil War starts.

1643
Battle of Adwalton Moor.

1645
Whitechapel Church, Cleckheaton used as a non-conformist venue until 1660 (CiTP)

1647
After the end of the English Civil War, the people of Cleckheaton send a petition to Parliament asking to be reimbursed for £1000 due to the damage caused by Royalist Troops and for the billeting of the Scottish Army. (SVC)

1652
George Fox (founder of the Quaker movement) preached at Hightown (SFT)

1665
The Greene family make a Quaker graveyard at Sepulchre, Hare Park Lane, Hightown (SFT)

1672
Licence obtained to preach at “Ye Closes” (Egypt Farm), Gomersal (CiTP)

1682
10 Jan -  Huge floods along the course of the river Spen (SVPP)

1701
Quaker Meeting house is built just off Halifax Road down Quaker Lane, Hightown

1706
Whitechapel Church, then known as "Heton Chapel" was rebuilt (CiTP/SVPP)

1707
The Act of Union, uniting the kingdoms of Scotland and England.

1710
Cleckheaton gets it's first Congregational Chapel built at Scott’s Yard, built of brick, it was known as the Red Chapel (CiTP/BNA)

1739
Earliest documented record of road repairs made in Cleckheaton (SVPP)

1751
Moravian Chapel at Little Gomersal built (SVC)

1766
Healds Hall, Liversedge built by Joseph Bilton (SVPP)

1767
Aug - The Rev. Occum, of an Indian tribe in the colony of Connecticut, preached at Heckmondwike after which, considerable collections were made for the benefit of Indian charity schools. At Call Lane, upwards of £13 was collected, worth over £2,700 in today's money (BNA)

1770
1 Feb - Meeting held at the Red Lion, Cleckheaton regarding a proposed canal from Dewsbury to Bradford along the Spen rivulet (BNA)

1774
Clothiers from the district build a cloth hall near to where Burnley's mill, Gomersal now stands. (SVC)

19 Apr - John Wesley opens the "Theyked" Chapel at Hightown (SN)

1780
The second Cleckheaton Congregational Chapel constructed, still referred to as the Red Chapel (BNA)

1786
Lower Chapel, Heckmondwike (Westgate Congregational) built. (BNA)

1789
The Low Moor Company (iron & mining) established (S2SR)

1790
Scholes "Old School" built by subscription (S2S)

1795
The Rev. Hammond Roberson arrives in the district and opens a school at Healds Hall, Liversedge (SVC)

Cleckheaton Enclosure Act (SVPP)