The books on this CDrom will be of interest to anyone researching their ancestors in the Brighouse, Rastrick and Hipperholme area. There are thousands of names mentioned within these volumes, and both of the books are machine searchable.

J. Horsfall Turner is a renowned historian, writing many books on the history of various places in the Halifax area and also editing together the Northowram Registers.

The full title of the first of these books is:
"The History of Brighouse, Rastrick and Hipperholme with manorial notes on: Coley, Lightcliffe, Northowram, Shelf, Fixby, Clifton and Kirklees"
and that of the second book is:
"Independency at Brighouse, or Bridge End Chapel, Pastors and People."

In order to give you an idea of the contents of the books, the following are available here on line:

• The History of Brighouse, Rastrick and Hipperholme:
  • The transcribed index
  • The list of Contents is given below (and also in the Acrobat file on the next line).
  • The title page, Introduction, Contents and list of illustrations taken from the CDrom in pdf (Acrobat) format
• Independency at Brighouse:
  • There is no index in this book, but the list of contents is given below.
  • The Title page and Preface etc taken from the CDrom in pdf (Acrobat) format.

The above Acrobat files were extracted from the main pdf file and shows the quality of the images. You will need at least version 5 of Acrobat to open this file. If you do not have an up to date version please go to the Adobe web-site to obtain a free version of Acrobat Reader.

• The contents of the History of Brighouse etc.: (Please see also the transcribed Index)
  • Illustrations: 170
  • Introduction. Celtic Footprints
  • The Romans
  • The Angles
  • Norman Conquest. Wakefield Manor.-Its Lords
  • Brighouse Courts Baron and Leet. Greaves. Constables. Elland Tragedies
  • Manorial Rolls ; Hipperholme, Rastrick and Scamonden Greaveships. Development of Surnames and Sirenames. Crimes and Social Condition. Feudal tenures. The Dark Ages unveiled. Pedigrees traced. The Black Death. Elland Tragedies. Corn and Fulling Mills. Forest and Brewing Laws, &c.
  • The Poll Tax, 1379. Population. Condition of the Poor
  • Manorial Rolls, continued; Halifax Gibbet. Sporting Vicar. Forest land cultivated. Common-field System. Coal diggings. Cleansing ditches. Ringed swine and scabbed horses. Half-yearly courts. Jurors' names. Religious Benefactions. Marriages and Divorce. Stealing wood, turf, slates. Rastrick, Coley and Lightcliffe (or Eastfield) Chapels. Claiming Sanctuary. Poor maydens marry. Illicit games. Local Knights. Rastrick Chapel restored, 1605. Map, 1610. Local Battles and Soldiers .
    The Courts at Brighouse defunct, 1892
  • Sub-Manors. Rectorial. Brighouse. Hipperholme. Fixby. Toothill. Rastrick
  • Kirklees Nunnery and Robin Hood. Dumb Steeple. Clifton. The Hal or Jester
  • Wills from 1400. Furniture. Clothing. Trade. Priests. Creeds. Benefactions to church and poor. Books, &c.
  • Days of Romance. Ballads. Executions. Folk-lore
  • Civil and Religious Strife
  • Ancient Assessments. Population. Wealth
  • The Reigns of the Georges. Methodism. Moravianism. General Guest. Lady Ligonier. Burials in Woollen. Ballots for soldiers. Rushforth pedigree.
  • Assessment, 1769
  • Brighouse 1769, 1799. Bedford's School. Profligate Curate
  • Modern Brighouse, Roads and Railways. Workhouse
  • Notable families, authors, manufacturers, worthies
  • List of subscribers
    

• The Contents of "Independency at Brighouse"
  • RASTRICK EPISCOPAL CHAPEL.
    • Mr. Kay. Rev. John Robinson.
    • Rev. W. Ashley
  • REV. HENRY VENN, Huddersfield
  • REV. GEORGE BURNETT, Elland
  • REV. W. GRIMSHAW, Haworth
  • WESLEYANS On Rastrick Common
  • REV. B. INGHAM and Moravians
  • REV. J SCOTT, Heckmondwike. Cottage Meetings
  • REV. JOSEPH COCKIN, Chapel built
  • THE BLACKSMITH, and the Duke
  • TRUST DEED, 1788. Bridge End Bowling Green, 1728
  • TRUSTEES, 1796
  • TRUSTEES, 1798
  • TRUST DEED, 1818
  • PEDIGREE Of Osbornes, Dukes Of Leeds
  • REV. N. SCHOLFIELD. Henley. Over. Blind daughter. His son, Professor Of Greek, Cambridge. Family Notices
  • REV. R. SMITH. Leek. Nantwich
  • MR. SYLVESTER. Church Formed, 1780
  • REV. J. MELDRUM. Malton. Chapelhouse. Subscription list. Scotty Croft. Hatherlow. Author
  • REV. S. LOWELL. Church Reformed. Covenant. List of members. Lowell Family. Theatrical Profession. Stainland. Woodbridge. Bristol. Author. Death. Anecdotes
  • REV. E. HOLLINGWORTH. Eccentricities. Sowerby
  • REV. W. NORTHEND. Family Notices. Bridlington. Welford. Nayland. Haslingden. 'Briefs' for Collections, Hewley's Charity. Schoolmaster. Split. Slead Syke Kiln. Oaks Green. John Holland. Subscribers to Kiln. Idel Students. Violoncello
  • REV. J. H. CRISP. New Connexion. Idle. Church Covenant. Members. Sunday School. Chapel Lofted. Ladies' Bible Society. Airedale College. Freehold. Presentation. Ashby-de-la-Zouch
  • REV. R. BELL. Stainland. Sowerby Bridge. Cottage Meetings. Education. New Burial Ground. Salterforth. Popular Preachers. Anecdotes. Jesse Garside. John Battye. Musicians. Clerks. Abraham Horsfall. Deacons
  • REGISTERS. Baptisms. Burials
  • PEDIGREES, &c.
    • Morton. Holland Broughton, Brook, Battye, &c. &c
    • Jessop
    • Thornton
    • Goodare
    • Horsfall
    • Marshall and Sykes
    • Aspinall
    • Burgess
    • Bottomley
    • Marsden
    • Armitage, Wilkinson, Sugden, Ormerod
  • REV. R. HARLEY, F.R.S. "Farewell! Old Chapel." New Chapel and Schools. T. T. Ormerod. Professor Harley. Author. Manse. Leicester. Mill Hill
  • REV. J. B. LISTER. Northallerton. Lewisham. Author. Deacons. Trustees. Organ
  • REV. A. GALBRAITH. Whitehaven. Biblewomen. Native Missionaries in India. Agencies. Membership. Deacons.Waring Green Branch. Bridge End Class-rooms
  • REV. W. NORTHEND. Note
  • REV. J. MELDRUM. Subscribers to " Incarnation"
  • SERMONS.
    • Rev. J. Meldrum, on THEIR MUTUAL SALUTATION
    • Rev. J. H. Crisp, on EPHES : II. 8 110-119
    • Rev. R. Bell, on DEATH OF JOHN HOLLAND, Esq.

A brief review of this CD rom by Tana Willis Johnson:

"For anyone with Halifax/Calderdale interests anything by J Horsfall Turner is an absolute must and this duo is a natural companion to the Northowram & Oliver Heywood CD - you can't possibly buy one without the other! All of these books are packed from frontispiece to index with the meatiest morsels fit to grace the bones of any family history emanating from this area. Don't think this is just for those with Brighouse, Rastrick & Hipperholme families - the events, names, pedigrees, wills etc., concern families from Haworth to Huddersfield and everywhere between. Treat yourself - you won't be disappointed!"