Liesl Beckles tells us that in William Henry Hargreave’s grave there were also two infants buried there who were Norman and Edwin Hargreaves. Edwin was the son of Herbert Hargreaves, the Blacksmith and Norman was his brother. Elsie his sister sadly died at Highroyds Ayslum. I have recently obtained the records of Elsie’s time at Highroyds from Wakefield Archive.
This photo is her Great Grandad, Herbert Hargreaves, with the gates he made on Oxenhope Methodist Chapel. Herbert was the President of the Uppertown Co-op in Oxenhope.
Liesl has given us this article that first appeared on the Oxenhope village council site, about Herbert Hargreaves.
Herbert Hargreaves – Oxenhope Smithy & Gatemaker
Born in Oakworth but with strong links to Oxenhope from an early age, records show that Herbert lived at North Ives between 1905 and 1907. His Dad, William Henry, had been a Stonemason and was the owner of the grave Herbert’s sons are interred in at Dockroyd.
Herbert is shown on the far right of this photograph, with his parents and brothers and sisters.
Photograph courtesy of Andrea Leighton-Eastwood. Left to Right: Bertha Hargreaves (married Smith Hudson), Sydney Hargreaves (married Emma Shackleton), William Henry Hargreaves, father, Elsie Hargreaves (died aged 18), William Hargreaves (married Martha Bailey)(emigrated to Canada), Grace Ann Hargreaves (mother), Frank Hargreaves (married Margaret Dent), Herbert Hargreaves (married Ada Wall).
In the 1911 Census, Herbert was living at 7 Uppertown, Oxenhope. He lived with his wife Ada and children Nellie and Louisa. He was working as a self-employed Blacksmith and Shoeing Smith.
The original Smithy is shown in this early photograph, believed to be circa. 1920.
Herbert Hargreaves moved his Blacksmith shop from the ‘chip shop’ in the 1920s to a building across the main road (no longer present).
Herbert was President of the Uppertown Co-operative Society in Oxenhope from 1921 and he lived in Uppertown until March 1957, when he died aged 77.
Gate Making
Herbert made the gates originally installed at the entrance to the old Wesleyan Methodist Chapel (on the corner of West Drive and Station Road).
Some years following demolition of the chapel, and subsequent demolition of the Sunday School, the gates were installed at the entrance to the ‘new’ Methodist Chapel at the top of West Drive, where they can be seen today.
Lowertown Methodist Chapel, 1890 – 1971.
Herbert Hargreaves also manufactured the ‘Oxenhope Gate’ – used as field gates in various locations around the village. The ‘Oxenhope Gate’ was a distinctive design, thought to be peculiar to the locality and mentioned in several publications and documents, including the Oxenhope & Leeming Conservation Area Assessment and the Oxenhope Village Design Statement.
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