Hartshead is a village in the Kirklees district of West Yorkshire, England, 3.7 miles (6 km) west of Dewsbury[1] and near to Hartshead Moor.[2]

The centre of Hartshead village
Hartshead is located in West Yorkshire
Hartshead
Hartshead
Location within West Yorkshire
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
PoliceWest Yorkshire
FireWest Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°41′53″N 1°43′30″W / 53.698°N 1.725°W / 53.698; -1.725

The village has pre-Norman Conquest origins; the Walton Cross is believed to be dated from the 11th century.[3]

The name Hartshead is derived from Herteshevet or Herteshede which is Scandinavian in origin and means Hill of Heort, Heort meaning Hart in modern English.[4]

Patrick Brontë served as curate of St Peter's Church in Hartshead between 1811 and 1815,[5] in which time he met his wife, Maria Branwell (although they met in Rawdon, some dozen or so miles away from Hartshead).[6] They were married in Guiseley and became the parents of Anne, Branwell, Charlotte and Emily Brontë.[7]

Kirklees Hall is between Hartshead and the nearby village of Clifton.

Robin Hood is reputed to have been buried near Hartshead[8] or in the grounds of the nearby Kirklees Hall.[9] The exact place is not known, as the gravestone has been moved at least 3 times.

Governance

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Hartshead was historically a chapelry in the parish of Dewsbury, becoming a civil parish in 1866.[10][11] In 1931 the parish had a population of 849.[12] On 1 April 1937 the parish was abolished, with most of the area, including the village, being added to the parish of Liversedge in the urban district of Spenborough (which became a borough in 1955). The remainder was added to Brighouse.[13] Spenborough Urban District was abolished in 1974 when Kirklees was created. No successor parish was created for the borough and it became an unparished area.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "GENUKI: Dewsbury Supplementary". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  2. ^ "288" (Map). Bradford & Huddersfield. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 9780319244852.
  3. ^ Historic England. "Walton Cross, 100 yards north of Walton Cross Farmhouse (Grade II*) (1313305)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Malcolm Bull's Calderdale Companion : Foldout". www.calderdalecompanion.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Brontë, Patrick". Clergy of the Church of England Database. King's College London. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  6. ^ Juliet Barker The Brontes
  7. ^ "Reverend Patrick Brontë | Brontë Parsonage Museum". www.bronte.org.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  8. ^ "History of Hartshead, in Kirklees and West Riding | Map and description". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  9. ^ "New book explores myths surrounding Robin Hood's grave at Kirklees Estate". Huddersfield Examiner. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  10. ^ "History of Hartshead, in Kirklees and West Riding". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Relationships and changes Hartshead Ch/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Population statistics Hartshead Ch/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Halifax Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  14. ^ Local Government Act 1972
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  Media related to Hartshead at Wikimedia Commons