Rawdon
Encyclopedia
Rawdon is a village in the metropolitan borough
of the City of Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England
.
At the time of invasion, Paulyn, in common with his peers, had no true surname, or family name. Surnames were not yet necessary to distinguish one man from another. In fact, it seems that the first real use of the surname came about because of the Norman invaders’ need to know how much land they controlled and what the value of the land was. To determine this, a census, called the Domesday Survey, was taken of the 5500-or-so land-holding knights and each was identified with a surname.
If Paulyn was still alive when the Domesday Survey was made, we assume that he received his surname – taken from the place-name Rawden (as it was spelled at that time). He is generally referred to as Paulyn de Rawden, meaning simply Paulyn of Rawden Hill Manor.
“Rawden,” means in Old English, “a dweller in the rough valley.” The manor, or tract of land, on the hill near the “rough valley” awarded to Paulyn was on the River Aire in the former Urban District
of Aireborough
in Yorkshire, England’s largest county. Rawdon, as it is spelled nowadays, is a quiet residential village with a fine view of Aire valley.
is a well known local landmark that can be seen from a considerable distance.
Rawdon has a conservation area called Little London which lies to the westernmost area of Rawdon. Little London conservation area
is unique in that the historic area covered by the designation straddles the boundary of the district and one of its neighbours, Bradford
. This area was, until the local government reorganisation
in 1974, part of a district called Aireborough
which was arbitrarily divided between Leeds
and Bradford
during reorganisation.
The portion of the conservation area lying in Leeds was designated in 1975 and was extended in 1988. The portion of the conservation area lying in Bradford was designated in 1977. The Bradford designation centres on Lane Head House, built for the steward of Esholt
Hall Estate c1710-1720, with its associated cottages, and outbuildings and other mainly late eighteenth century development completing the designation.
Little London is at the westernmost tip of the contiguous urbanised settlement of Rawdon which coalesces with Guiseley
, the centre of which is approximately 1.5 km to the northeast of the conservation area. Greengates
, and the edge of the Bradford urban area, is 2 km to the south of Little London. The area to the west of the conservation area is rural Green Belt
, with Esholt village lying 2 km to the west of Little London in the Green Belt.
There are many other places throughout the UK known as Little London
.
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
of the City of Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Early beginnings
With William the Conqueror was a commander of archers named Paulyn who rendered such faithful and courageous service to the Norman cause that he was rewarded with lands, a portion of which was the manor on Rawden Hill. Granting manors to military leaders was more than a matter of largesse on William’s part. It was the medieval method of controlling newly conquered countries. For Paulyn, as for scores of other new lords of new manors, it meant a continuing obligation to the new ruler, but it also meant a near guarantee of prosperity by means of a new family seat and the control over fiefdom.At the time of invasion, Paulyn, in common with his peers, had no true surname, or family name. Surnames were not yet necessary to distinguish one man from another. In fact, it seems that the first real use of the surname came about because of the Norman invaders’ need to know how much land they controlled and what the value of the land was. To determine this, a census, called the Domesday Survey, was taken of the 5500-or-so land-holding knights and each was identified with a surname.
If Paulyn was still alive when the Domesday Survey was made, we assume that he received his surname – taken from the place-name Rawden (as it was spelled at that time). He is generally referred to as Paulyn de Rawden, meaning simply Paulyn of Rawden Hill Manor.
“Rawden,” means in Old English, “a dweller in the rough valley.” The manor, or tract of land, on the hill near the “rough valley” awarded to Paulyn was on the River Aire in the former Urban District
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
of Aireborough
Aireborough
Aireborough was an urban district in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1937 to 1974, to the north of Leeds, England. It covered Guiseley, Yeadon and Rawdon, and was created as a merger of those three urban districts along with part of Wharfedale Rural District. The district was named after the...
in Yorkshire, England’s largest county. Rawdon, as it is spelled nowadays, is a quiet residential village with a fine view of Aire valley.
Claims to fame
- Rawdon is famous as being the home town of cricketerCricketerA cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
s Brian CloseBrian CloseDennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
and Hedley VerityHedley VerityHedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and in 40 Tests he took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37...
. - Leeds United utility man Paul MadeleyPaul MadeleyPaul Madeley was a footballer during Leeds United's glory era of the 1960s and 1970s and the last high-profile 'utility' player....
used to live in Rawdon. - Benton Park SchoolBenton Park SchoolBenton Park School is a comprehensive school in Rawdon, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a Technology College for ages 11-18.- Status and awards :The school achieved Beacon status in 1998...
in Rawdon is used as a fictional location in the soap operaSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EmmerdaleEmmerdaleEmmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
. - Rawdon is situated next to YeadonYeadon, West YorkshireYeadon is a town within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. It is home to Leeds Bradford International Airport.-History:...
, where Leeds Bradford International AirportLeeds Bradford International AirportLeeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
is located. - William Thompson, a Quaker from Rawdon, is claimed to have been the first wool merchant in the country to import Australian woolWoolWool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
(in 1808). He lived in a houseHouseA house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
called "The Mount" situated between Town Street and Layton Avenue, which was formerly known as Back Lane. There is still an active Quaker meeting in Rawdon in the original building, built in 1697. - Frazer HinesFrazer HinesFrazer Hines is an English actor best known for his roles as Jamie McCrimmon in Doctor Who and Joe Sugden in Emmerdale. Hines was born in Horsforth, a civil parish of Leeds.-Acting career:...
ex Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
actor, and ex-EmmerdaleEmmerdaleEmmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
star, used to live in the Little London area of Rawdon. Originally from nearby HorsforthHorsforthHorsforth is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England, lying to the north west of Leeds. It has a population of 18,928....
Areas of interest
Rawdon BillingRawdon Billing
Rawdon Billing, sometimes referred to as Billing Hill, is a tree-topped hill situated in Rawdon, West Yorkshire, England. Reaching an elevation of , it is a significant landmark in the Aireborough area....
is a well known local landmark that can be seen from a considerable distance.
Rawdon has a conservation area called Little London which lies to the westernmost area of Rawdon. Little London conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
is unique in that the historic area covered by the designation straddles the boundary of the district and one of its neighbours, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. This area was, until the local government reorganisation
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
in 1974, part of a district called Aireborough
Aireborough
Aireborough was an urban district in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1937 to 1974, to the north of Leeds, England. It covered Guiseley, Yeadon and Rawdon, and was created as a merger of those three urban districts along with part of Wharfedale Rural District. The district was named after the...
which was arbitrarily divided between Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
and Bradford
City of Bradford
The City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and...
during reorganisation.
The portion of the conservation area lying in Leeds was designated in 1975 and was extended in 1988. The portion of the conservation area lying in Bradford was designated in 1977. The Bradford designation centres on Lane Head House, built for the steward of Esholt
Esholt
Esholt is a village between Shipley and Guiseley, in the metropolitan district of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.- Derivation of name :The name "Esholt" indicates that the village was first established in a heavily wooded area of ash trees....
Hall Estate c1710-1720, with its associated cottages, and outbuildings and other mainly late eighteenth century development completing the designation.
Little London is at the westernmost tip of the contiguous urbanised settlement of Rawdon which coalesces with Guiseley
Guiseley
Guiseley is a small town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Situated south of Otley and Menston, it is a suburb of north west Leeds. At the 2001 census, Guiseley together with Rawdon had a population of over 21,000. The A65, which passes through the town, is the...
, the centre of which is approximately 1.5 km to the northeast of the conservation area. Greengates
Greengates
Greengates is a small suburban area in the north-east of the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, in England. The area is bordered by Idle and Thackley to the north west, and the large council estate known as Thorpe Edge to the west. To the south of Greengates is Ravenscliffe with the village of...
, and the edge of the Bradford urban area, is 2 km to the south of Little London. The area to the west of the conservation area is rural Green Belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
, with Esholt village lying 2 km to the west of Little London in the Green Belt.
There are many other places throughout the UK known as Little London
Little London
-United Kingdom:*Little London, Brill, Buckinghamshire*Little London, Oakley, Bucks*Little London, Cambridgeshire*Little London, Cornwall*Little London, East Sussex*Little London, Essex*Little London, Gloucestershire*Little London, Andover, Hampshire...
.
External links
- The Leeds Quakers Website. The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Leeds, Otley, Gildersome, Rawdon & Ilkley Rawdon was in this parish