The church and the maypole in the village centre in the middle of the nineteenth century. |
The SocietyChairman : Mr Geoff Thornton2. Its objectives are to :-
3. Currently there is a membership of over 60 and in addition there is a list of both UK and overseas subscribers to the Society's regular publication The Barwicker. The Editor of The Barwicker is Pauline Robson. The society can be contacted in a variety of ways Check the research section to see if one of the topics in which you are interested is specifically covered by an individual in, or known by, the society. Recently, we have developed a group of individuals who have a specific family history interest in some of the families who have lived in the parish. |
The village of Barwick-in-Elmet lies some 8 miles to the east of
Leeds in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Location Map
The parish of Barwick-in-Elmet originally covered the area from just to the east of the village westwards to Scholes and Roundhay (which is now a suburb of Leeds). It also covered a number of outlying hamlets from Terry Lug (part of the Bramham House Estate), Potterton, Kiddal and Woodhouse in the north to Barnbow and Manston in the south-west.
The church and the maypole in the village centre as it is today. |
It has a long history which starts with a recently discovered Bronze Age settlement about a mile to the south of the village. In the parish and just over the parish boundary there are a number of very large earthworks (still visible today) most of which have recently been the subject of archaeological examination during the course of the construction of the northward extension of the M1 motorway which has recently opened and passes through the south of the parish.
Early indications of the examination of the earthworks are that they are from about 100 A.D. and act as a defence from attack from the south. If this is so the current published accounts of the early history of the parish will have to be revised. Currently, the earthworks in the centre of the village of Barwick-in-Elmet are dated as being from about 600 B.C.
The most remarkable feature of the village is its maypole which has stood "since time immemorial" in the centre of Barwick-in-Elmet (see the illustration on this page). The pole is about 90ft. high. It was, until recent concern health and safety legislation got in the way, taken down by a proven age-old method using ropes, ladders and pitch forks and about a hundred men every third Easter. Now it requires a large mobile crane to assist in the process. After painting and maintenance it is re-erected by the same method in reverse on the Tuesday of the Spring Bank Holiday. The next ceremony is in 2014.
Articles in the Barwicker about the maypole
4th September 2024 7:30pm | The Middleham Jewel | Kate Giles | |
18th September 2024 7:30pm | Society 40 Year Celebrations | ||
2nd October 2024 7.30pm | Excavations at Garforth: High status Roman Burial and the Kingdom of Elmet | Jane Richardson | |
6th November 2024 7.30pm | Barwick Tithes and the Rectors Lands | Dave Teal | |
20th November 2024 7.30pm | General Topics | Geoff and Margaret Thornton | |
4th December 2024 7.30pm | From Rags to Riches | Pauline Robson | |
17th December 2024 (note Tuesday) | Christmas Social | ||
8th January 2025 2:00pm |(note 2pm) | Skipton Castle and Lady Ann Clifford | Gillian Waters | |
5th February 2025 7:30pm | Wish you were here | The Society | |
19th February 2025 7.30pm | General Topics | Ray Medd | |
5th March 2025 7.30pm | RFC Bramham Moor / RAF Tadcaster - World War I | Colin Carbert | |
19thh March 2025 7.30p | Annual General Meeting | ||
Members visiting the Kursaal Summer 2018 |
Photo: David Siviour |
Time | |||
To be advised | |||