Major Update - New section named "Healey" with details of Ossett's first steps into the Industrial Revolution in 1786 at Healey Old Mill, followed by Healey Low Mill and Healey New Mill. The short-lived Healey New Canal. How Ossett's stubborn mill owners held up the building of the Manchester & Leeds Railway with a High Court injunction, which they ultimately lost. Ossett's little-known "Figure of Three" locks on the Calder & Hebble Navigation. How, in 1901, the Ossett Gas Company was sold for £9.2 Million (in today's prices) to Ossett Borough Corporation after a bitter High Court action, and which resulted in the price of Ossett's gas doubling overnight.

Press snippets from the 19th century including the Healey shooting incident at the Brewer's Pride (then the Miller's Arms), suicides, death on the railway, devastating mill fires and how Healey New Mill was involved in a child exploitation scandal back in the 1830s when the Factories Acts were beginning to be enforced in the West Riding.

Some original research is included in the Healey article, but, as ever, my thanks to Alan Howe, Neville Ashby and Richard Glover for their guidance and for our Healey and Ossett history walking trips, which are always informative and most of all, a lot of fun.

Added new information to "Ossett Collieries" page about Messrs. Haigh's Gawthorpe Pit and their prosecution at Dewsbury Petty Sessions in 1874 after the death of 16 year-old hurrier, Burman Lister in an underground explosion. Added details of the January 1875 fire in the same pit, which resulted in the death of 39 year-old Richard Oldroyd.

Also added additional details about the number of staff at Northfield Colliery in Church Street, Ossett, Low Laithes (Gawthorpe) and Wrenthorpe Colliery in 1908.

Added new information to "Ossett History - 19th Century" page detailing the crude Cow Pox vaccinations given to 1,000 children in the town in 1807 and the follow-up by Mr. Greenwood, Ossett surgeon who had to deal with the disastrous aftermath (in R.H. sidebar). Also, same chapter, under the heading "Industry", details of Henry Dobson, a French Spy during the Napoleonic War who was arrested in Ossett in 1802 with valuable machinery plans and was subsequently imprisoned. Also, same chapter, under heading of "Ossett Clothing and Rag Trade", details of one of Ossett's earliest recorded strikes by hand loom weavers in 1831.

Updated "Ossett Collieries" page with yet more information about Low Laithes (Gawthorpe) colliery with two additional pictures.

Added an advertisement from 1813 for a "Man and Wife" to live in and manage Ossett's Workhouse to the "Ossett History - 18th Century" page; the same info is duplicated on the "Flushdyke Sketches" Old Workhouse Yard page.

Added further information to the "Ossett Spa" page about Manor Colliery, Middle Common on the site of the "Engine" referenced above. Also added new picture of the last remaining Ossett Spa bath house dated September 2010, courtesy of Alan Howe. "Ossett Collieries" page updated with new information about Manor Colliery, Healey Lane Colliery and Chidswell Colliery courtesy of the Leeds Mercury and other 19th century newspaper archives. Added a couple of short anecdotes (source unknown) about Mark Wilby and David Pickard to the "Ossett Houses" page.

8th November 2010

Added three new pictures of pupils and teachers at Ossett Grammar School in 1963 to the "Ossett School" page courtesy of Dr. Janet Graydon (nee Kirby). Any help with filling in the unknown people in the pictures much appreciated!

Added the original text of "Highfield House" in PDF format by Ossett historian Joan P. Smith to the "Downloads" section of the web site.

Added three PDF files by Ossett historian Neville Ashby in the "Downloads" section describing some of the informal Ossett walks we've done recently looking at the area's local history.

Added three PDF files by Ossett historian Alan Howe in the "Downloads" section: "A History of Hagg's Hill, Ossett; A History of Ossett Spa and the History of Owlers Farm, Flushdyke."

Added new page "Ossett Grammar School Class Photographs" linked from the "Ossett School" page, which shows various OGS class photographs from various years. Sources of pictures and information listed on the new page.

Added "History of Sowood House, Sowood Lane", "Joseph Cox" and "Vicars of South Ossett Church" to the "Ossett Houses" page. Thanks to Joan P. Smith for the original articles, which have been edited slightly to fit the www.ossett.net web site.

Added two additional class photographs to "Ossett Grammar School Class Photographs" linked from the "Ossett School" page. Thanks Colin Thorpe.

Added some information about the WW1 exploits of pilot Flight Lt. H.L. Taylor who crashed his biplane in heavy fog in Ossett on the 19th November 1918 described in the "Picture Gallery" section. Taylor and his observer Lt. W.I.E Lane shot down German flying ace Walter Göttsche in his distinctive Fokker DR.1 triplane near to Amiens, France in April 1918. Göttsche was the leader of Jasta 19 squadron, and had attacked the RE8 reconnaissance biplane (BE6641) piloted by Taylor.

Taylor clearly was a very lucky man to walk away on both occasions.

Added a shortened web version of the "History of the formation of Christ Church, South Ossett 1851-1964." by Ossett historian Joan P. Smith. It is well worth downloading this detailed account of how the new South Ossett parish and church were founded in the 1850s and the amazing work of the Reverend Denis Creighton Neary who from 1851, by the sheer force of his character and willpower breathed life into the new parish and church. There are also some truly fascinating extracts from the vicar's log book begun by the Reverend John H. Ward and then continued by other incumbents that give us a real insight into life in Ossett in the 19th and early 20th century. (3.5MB PDF file, 27 pages with many illustrations)

This work is part of a much larger publication entitled “The South Ossett Triangle”: copies of which have been deposited in the West Yorks Archives, Newstead Rd., Wakefield; Christ Church South Ossett Parish Centre; Ossett Library and Wakefield & District Family History Society. A separate publication, containing more detailed information entitled “Christ Church South Ossett, Extracts from the Vicars Log Book", is available from the Society.

Added four more picture pages to the "Picture Gallery" page. These include: Gawthorpe primary school, class of 1960/61; Celebrations outside Ossett Town Hall to mark the end of WW1; Hepworth Brothers, Owl Lane Mill in 1952 and Gawthorpe Bethesda Cricket Team in 1915.

Added section about artist Christopher Cavania Sanders, RA (1905-1991), an ex-pupil of Ossett Grammar School who went on to become an eminent artist and was responsible for the iconic Birds Custard logo circa 1938. The new information is in the RH sidebar with pictures on the "Ossett School" page. Thanks to Roger Sanders for the information and pictures.

Major Update - New section named "Sowood" featuring four parts: Sowood Manor, Sowood Farm, Matty Marsden Lane and Rock Cottages. The new Sowood section is based entirely on new research carried out in 2012 by Ossett historian Alan Howe. The website version is an annotated summary of Alan's work, which is reproduced in full in the "Downloads" section of the website as four separate PDF files. The full version is recommended if you want to study the Sowood area of Ossett in more detail. My thanks to Alan Howe for giving me permission to put his research work on this website.

Corrections to the "Ossett Spa" page in respect of the Montpelier Pleasure Grounds, Ossett Spa and the performance at Easter 1884 of the "African Blondin" as opposed to Charles Blondin, which was originally assumed. My thanks to Kylie Robinson for her work on this.