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EARLY PUDSEY

The first inhabitants

No one knows for certain when the first inhabitants came to the area which we now know as Pudsey. The evidence is quite scarce. Only one or two finds of early archaeological material are recorded from the district. For example in 1879 a cremation urn was found at Hough End. However, in those days there were no such techniques as radiocarbon dating and the description is vague. This makes impossible to judge from the antiquarian reports of the find whether the remains were prehistoric or Roman in date. Certainly there must have been some activity in the area by Roman times as a number of hoards of Roman coins have been found in the vicinity.

Anglo-Saxon Pudsey

Perhaps the first substantial settlement occurred in Pudsey during the Anglo-Saxon period. Certainly they gave it the name it has now. The name Pudsey is derived from two Old English words (the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons). The first element Pudoc is a personal name and the second is derived from either heeg or haagh which means 'high ground'. The whole name might therefore be translated as 'Pudoc's hill'.

Pudsey is only one of many place names in the Aire valley which date back to the Anglo-Saxon period. Many of these place as Armley or Wortley end in the element ley meaning a clearing in a wood. Taken together they suggest that the Anglo-Saxons settled on land in the area which was not used by others and had to clear it from the heath or woodland. This probably happened in the 7th century AD.

The effects of the Norman Conquest

Pudsey is first mentioned by name in the Domesday survey compiled for William the Conqueror in 1086 where the name is spelled Podeschesaie. Domeday is essentially a revenue document in which William's agents compare the value of each manor with its value in the time of Edward the Confessor (1043-1066). In Edwards's time Pudsey was said to be worth 40 shillings (£2). This compares well with other settlements in the area. Armley, for example is only assessed at 20 shillings (£1). Leeds itself is only worth six pounds.

At the time of Domesday Pudsey was said to be waste. This does not necessarily mean that no-one lived there, just that the land produced nothing of taxable value. Like many other settlements in the Leeds area, Pudsey seems to have suffered from the Harrying of the North, a series of punitive raids through which William put down the rebellious northern lords. The effects of this devastation were to last for many years. Some historians believe that it is in part responsible for the founding of many religious houses like Kirkstall and Fountains in the North of England. Even in the 12th century the land on which the new abbeys were founded was still unproductive and the founders were giving the monks relatively little of value.

Before the Norman Conquest Pudsey had been in the possession of two Anglo Saxon noblemen, Dunstan and Stainulf. After the Conquest it was given to Ilbert de Lacy as part of a vast holding known as the Honour of Pontefract. This consisted of much of West Yorkshire and parts of Lancashire, including Clithero Castle.

Medieval Pudsey

Medieval Pudsey seems to have been divided into a number of small hamlets or outlying settlements. Apart from Pudsey itself there were settlements at Barecroft, Owlcotes, Tyersal, Wild Grove, Lowtown and Ulversthorpe. Many of these are still remembered as modern place names but Ulversthorpe (located somewhere in the modern Bankhouse area) and Barecroft (located on the Pudsey Stanningley border) had already disappeared by the 18th century.

The Old Chapel

Pudsey was originally part of the parish of Calverley but a chapel of ease was built in Pudsey at some time in the early Middle Ages. This enabled the inhabitants of Pudsey and its surrounding hamlets to hear mass in the town itself. This is why so many of the old route ways converge on the district still known today as Chapeltown. However, they would still have had to go to the parish church at Calverley for christenings, marriages, and funerals.

The exact location of the medieval chapel is unclear but it was probably on or near the site of the present war memorial. This was erected on the site of a later chapel demolished in 1879. This chapel had been dedicated to All Saints, and this may also have been the dedication of the original medieval chapel. Pudsey did not get its own parish church until 1824 when the present church was built. It is dedicated to St Lawrence

Later development

The early settlement pattern can still be seen on the first surviving map of Pudsey. This dates to around 1740 and is now in York Minster Archives. Although there is some ribbon development along the roads Pudsey is still consists of scattered groups of houses joined by minor roads. Most of the houses shown on the map are only one or two stories high. The only building of any consequence is what appears to be a three gabled house at Low Town. This is probably the old Manor House. Even when the first Ordnance Survey map was published just over a century later Pudsey was still surrounded by green fields. Industry would soon join the isolated settlements together and make Pudsey part of the Leeds conurbation, but the shape of old Pudsey can still be traced through its district and street names.

* There's lot more information about local places on the WYAAS website at: www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk
Have a look today. You never know what you might find.

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