Bradford

Bradford, an important manufacturing town and parliamentary and municipal borough in the West Riding of Yorkshire, on a tributary of the Aire, at the meeting of three vales, 9 miles W. of Leeds, 34 SW. of York, and 191 NNW. of London by rail. Besides very convenient railway communication, there is a branch canal in connection with the Liverpool and Leeds Canal. It is said to derive its name from a ford over the river here called Broad Aire, or from brae, 'a hill,' and ford. The area of the ancient parish is 34,146 acres, and includes 13 townships. Bradford in 1832 was created a parliamentary borough, returning two members. It became a municipal borough in 1847, and is governed by a mayor, 15 aldermen, and 45 councillors. The municipal borough was extended in 1873 and again in 1882, and the parliamentary borough made contiguous with it in 1885. For parliamentary purposes it is now divided into 3 districts, each returning one member. The corporation has been noted for its activity and spirit of improvement shown in beneficial local acts; in the execution of main drainage-works, the remodelling of portions of the town, its splendid water-works, and the acquirement of the gas-works (1871). Bradford is the chief seat in England of the spinning and weaving of worsted yarn, and the great mart for the long wools used in worsted fabrics. It has developed of late worsted coating, velvet, and plush industries. The first mill was built in 1798; there are now more than 300 mills, employing a large population. There are great merchants' warehouses for worsted goods; also a 'conditioning-house' (the only one in this country), established by the corporation in 1887 for the weight, measure, &c. of such goods. Manningham Mills, for silk and velvet, erected at a cost of £500,000, are among the most extensive in the kingdom. For the alpaca and mohair industry in the neighbourhood, see also SALT (SIR TITUS), SALTAIRE. Coal and iron mines occur near Bradford, and the ironworks at Bowling and Lowmoor are very large and important; the making of machinery is a considerable industry; and stone is exported from quarries in the neighbourhood. There are 30 churches belonging to the establishment in the borough, and more than 80 Dissenting churches. The parish church of St Peter is a fine building in the Perpendicular style, with a tower of later date, and contains a number of interesting monuments. It has a town-hall (1873) of medieval design, which cost over £100,000, with campanile tower, and carillon chimneys; mechanics' institute (1870); St George's Hall (1853); exchange (1867); extensive wholesale and retail markets, which have cost £150,000, exclusive of an annual rental of £5000 a year for market rights; grammar-school; technical college (1882); free library (1872); new post-office, a fine building in the Italian style (1887); and two court-houses. The gross rateable value of the borough was in 1887 £965,231. It has five public parks, Peel Park, with an area of 56 acres; Lister or Manningham Park (56 acres), Horton Park (39 acres), Bowling Park (53 acres), and Bradford Moor Park (15 acres), and also many excellent charities. The early history of Bradford is connected with the De Lacies, in whose hands the manor remained until the beginning of the 14th century, when it passed by marriage to the Lancaster family. On the death of John of Gaunt, in 1399, it was afterwards held by the crown till the reign of Charles I., who sold it to the corporation of London. After being held by the Marsdens and the Rawsons, the manorial rights were leased by the corporation. In the civil wars, the people of Bradford took the parliament side, and twice defeated the royalists, but were afterwards themselves defeated by the Earl of Newcastle. The worsted trade, introduced to Bradford at the end of the 17th century, has made rapid progress since the era of the steam-engine. In a riot at Bradford, against the introduction of worsted power-loom, in 1826, two of the rioters were shot dead by the defenders of the mill which contained the obnoxious machinery, and many more were wounded. In 1825 a strike for increased wages, in which 20,000 persons were concerned, lasted six months. The Baptists had a college here, which has been removed to Rawdon, 6 miles distant, and the Independents have Airedale College. This town is the seat of the first English temperance society. The National Association for Promoting Social Science met here in 1859, and the British Association in 1873. The merchants of Bradford are distinguished by their liberality and enterprise, the names of the Listers and the Salts being conspicuous. Statues of Sir Robert Peel, Richard Oastler, Sir Titus Salt, S. C. Lister, and W. S. Forster (1890) adorn the town. The population of the municipal borough in 1881 was 183,032, the population of the same area in 1871 being 145,830. The population of the area now composing the municipal and parliamentary borough, in 1881 was 194,495; in 1891, 216,361. The local government measure of 1888 constituted Bradford a county by itself. See James's History of Bradford (2 vols. 1841-66).