Sowerby, West Yorkshire#History
{{Short description|Village in West Yorkshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2019}}
{{distinguish|Sowerby Bridge|Sowerby, North Yorkshire}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| official_name = Sowerby
| coordinates = {{coord|53.707234|-1.935608|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = United Kingdom Calderdale
| population =
| metropolitan_borough = Calderdale
| metropolitan_county = West Yorkshire
| region = Yorkshire and the Humber
| constituency_westminster = Calder Valley
| post_town = SOWERBY BRIDGE
| postcode_district = HX6
| postcode_area = HX
| dial_code = 01422
| os_grid_reference = SE042234
| london_distance = {{convert|170|mi|km|abbr=on}} SSE
| static_image_name = Pinfold Lane, Sowerby - geograph.org.uk - 990614.jpg
| static_image_width =
| static_image_caption = Pinfold Lane, Sowerby
}}
Sowerby ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɔɹ|b|i|}} {{respell|SOR|bi}}){{cite EPD|18}} is a village in the Calderdale district, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Pennines, contiguous with Sowerby Bridge, {{convert|3.7|mi|km|1}} west-southwest of Halifax.
History
Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Sowerby appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, and was an important settlement long before Halifax began to dominate. The ancient district of Sowerbyshire, a stretch of forest centred on the town leading down the Ryburn and Calder valleys and almost up to Halifax, was a Royal chase.
The name Sowerby is made up from the Norse Sor for sour and suffixed with by representing a parished area.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A793668 Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire - BBC] The local pronunciation follows the original Norse. (saw+bi).
A local legend described a castle in Sowerby, and its presence was confirmed by excavations on 'Castle Hill' at the high end of the old town in the early 1900s by the Halifax Antiquarian Society.{{Cite web |last=Kerridge |first=John |title=Castle Hill - Sowerby Town |url=https://sowerbytown.org.uk/history/castle-hill/#:~:text=The%20site%20of%20the%20castle,instigation%20of%20the%20Rawson%20family. |access-date=23 November 2024 |website=sowerbytown.org.uk}} Archaeologists uncovered the foundations of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle.
Governance
Sowerby was the centre of the Sowerby parliamentary constituency until the 1983 general election, when the constituency was expanded and renamed Calder Valley. Sowerby now falls within the Calderdale Ward of Ryburn.
Sowerby was formerly a township in the parish of Halifax,{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/place/1154|title=History of Sowerby, in Calderdale and West Riding|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=25 November 2024}} in 1894 "Sowerby Bridge" civil parish was formed from Warley, Skircoat, Sowerby and Norland, in 1894 it also became an urban district under the name "Sowerby", on 1 April 1926 the parish was renamed to "Sowerby", on 1 April 1937 the parish was abolished to form Sowerby Bridge and Ripponden.{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/halifax.html|title=Halifax Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=25 November 2024}} On 1 April 1937 the district was abolished to form Sowerby Bridge Urban District and Ripponden Urban District.{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10478820|title=Relationships and changes Sowerby UD through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=25 November 2024}} In 1931 the parish had a population of 14,680.{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10469260/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Sowerby CP/Tn through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=25 November 2024}}
Landmarks
Once home to many chapels and churches of several Christian denominations, the Anglican St Peter's Church is of architectural interest and the main focus of religious worship in the town.
Notable people
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2008}}
John Tillotson, 'The people's priest', Archbishop of Canterbury between 1691 and 1693, was a native of Sowerby. A statue of Tillotson exists in St Peter's Church and an avenue is named after him in the lower end of the town.{{cite web |title=Paul Mellon Centre. Photographic Archive |url=https://photoarchive.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk/objects/details/406905|accessdate=6 June 2025}}
The summer home of the former MP for Great Grimsby, Austin Mitchell, was situated in the town. The nearby mansion of Field House was the seat of the Stansfeld family, who contributed much to the local community, including building St Peter's Church. Sowerby Hall, close to the church, was built by Josiah Horton in 1650 and the Rawson family, who owned the Brockwell estate at the lower end of St Peter's Avenue, contributed to the construction of several notable buildings in the town during the 18th century.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Sowerby, West Yorkshire}}
- [http://www.sowerbytown.org.uk/ Sowerby Website]
- [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sowerbybridgenews/ Sowerby Bridge Chronicle newspaper website]
{{West Yorkshire}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Villages in West Yorkshire