Resources about Thornton

Sources of information about Thornton (in progress)

BOOKS

Denholme and Thornton, Survey and Valuation 1800 (in stock for reference only at Bradford Local Studies Library)

Enclosure Awards for Thornton 1772 (in stock for reference only at Bradford Local Studies Library)

Forgotten villages: Raggalds, Mountain and West Scholes, by Stan Ledgard, available for borrowing from Bradford Libraries.

Friendly village, Thornton, by J. Stone

Glimpses of Seventeenth Century Thornton, by Thornton Antiquarian Society. 2002.

Great Northern Outpost, volume 1: Bradford and Thornton Railway, by Alan Whitaker and Jan Rapacz. Willowherb Publishing, 1 April 2016. 112 page, coloured illustrations. ISBN 9780993567803

Great Northern Outpost, volume 2: The Halifax, Thornton and Keighley Railway, by Alan Whitaker and Jan Rapacz. Willowherb Publishing, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9935678-1-0

History and Topography of Bradford with topographical note of its parish, by John James, 1841. Electronic copy available to view (Harvard University’s copy) Pages 337 to 345 are specifically about Thornton, but Thornton is mentioned elsewhere in general terms in the book.

Hoyle Ing: some early owners, by Thornton Antiquarian Society. 2002

Kipping Congregational Church and Sunday School, Thornton: a brief historical sketch, 1915. Published by Cockroft, Bell and Co. Ltd., at Girlington

Kipping House and the Brontëes (sic), By Henry A Beaton, 1972

Leventhorpe: the early years, by Thornton Antiquarian Society. 2002

The Mechanics’ Institute, Thornton: A Brief History – Alan Whitworth in The Bradford Antiquary, series 3 volume 13, 2009.

Memorial of the Rev. James Gregory, late minister of Kipping Chapel, Thornton near Bradford published by Charles Goodall in 1876, 40 pages.

Mount Pleasant Meeting House, by Thornton Antiquarian Society, 2002

The Old Bell Chapel Thornton: a brief history of the Chapel of St. James, by Alan Whitworth Culva House Publications, 2005 ISBN 9781871150346

150 for 3: a brief history of Thornton Cricket Club, 1853 – 2003 by P. Duncan Lodge, 2003.

Registers of the Independent Chapel of Kipping, Thornton, Parish of Bradford, published by Bradford Historical and Antiquarian Society, 1937 (Local record series vol.4 Pt. 1)

Round about Bradford: a series of sketches, descriptive and semi-historical, of forty-two places within six miles of Bradford, William Cudworth, Published by Thomas Brear, Bradford, 1876. Thornton is from pages 139-166. This book can be borrowed from Bradford Libraries. A digitized copy can be seen on line by clicking on the green book title. That copy cannot be used for business purposes.

Stone quarrying in Thornton: an exhibition of working drawings, South Square, Thornton

Thornton and the Brontës, by William Scruton. 1898 Published by John Dale.

Thornton: a history, by the City of Bradford Metropolitan Council. n.d.

Thornton, a village history, by Alan Whitworth. Culva House Publications. 2000. ISBN 9781871150186 208 pages, 50 illustrations

Thornton Cemetery monumental inscriptions, by Duncan Lodge, 1998.

Thornton Conservation Area Appraisal, by Bradford Council, December 2006. Free to download.

Thornton Conservation Area Assessment, by Bradford Council. October 2003. Free to download.

Thornton in times past, by Alan Whitworth. 48 pages. Culva House Publications. 1 July 2003 ISBN 978-1871150254

Thornton School, 1673-1973, by P.A. Wheeler

Thornton thoroughfares: people and places, by Michael Smith. Published by Thornton Antiquarian Society. 2017. Mainly about people living in Thornton Road and Market Street, through time. 202 pages Previously published in two volumes: Market Street, and Thornton Road. Well illustrated guide to Thornton.

Thornton: through time, by Alan Whitworth

Thornton -Who’d ‘ave thought it, by Thornton Antiquarian Society. 2009. ISBN 9781904408567. 282 pages. Illustrations, some coloured.

Urban growth in Thornton by T. Franks, n.d.

When I wor a lad: Thornton in the 1880s and 90s, by Wilfrid B. Tapp. Published by Bradford Arts, Museums and Libraries Service, 1992 ISBN 9780907734345.

FILMS

The Bradford Beck film starts with Pinch Beck and includes Pitty Beck. Those walks referred to, which are within Thornton, can be found in the Walks section of this website.

Formation of the Home Guard, Thornton, Bradford located at Yorkshire and North East Film Archive. No sound. Available to view online

The History of Thornton Grammar School, located at Yorkshire and North East Film Archive, no sound but information given within the film. Includes details of the school on Thornton Road and the Mechanics Institute and onto the building of the new school at Leaventhorpe Lane. Starts with a boy cycling across the junction of Thornton Road and School Green, then continues to show the original TGS at School Green. Film dates from 1938 onwards. Available to view online

LOCAL HISTORY LIBRARIES

Bradford and Keighley Local History Libraries have their own website (Updated 31 May 2023)

MAPS

Bradford Local Studies Library has maps about Thornton. The link is to their Maps website.

Ordnance Survey Maps c1840s to 1960. Digitised maps, including 25″ to the mile, 6″ to the mile, and 1″ to the mile, and others. free to view on line for non commercial purposes, from the National Library of Scotland. Other maps and plans. also available.

Thornton Antiquarians’ Archive has several maps of the area. See https://southsquarecentre.co.uk/our-tenants and scroll down to Thornton Antiquarian Society Archive.

Thornton Conservation area map, by Bradford Council. February 2004. Free to download

Thornton Tithe Map 1840 available to view online at West Yorkshire Archive service..

West Yorkshire Archive Service, and especially Bradford Archives Office have historical maps to view, amongst its collections

NEWSPAPERS

Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Bradford Local Studies Library has issues of former Bradford newspapers and the T&A on microfilm. Some local newspapers can be searched online

PAMPHLETS

Thornton Old News, by Thornton Antiquarian Society.

VIDEOS

Forgotten Relics Rambles: Thornton to Queensbury Issued November 2020. A very good 30-minute film about the former Bradford and Thornton Railway, and its environs, concentrating most of the time on the Great Northern Trail.

ARTICLES IN PERIODICALS and WEBSITES

The Reverend James Gregory, of Kipping Chapel, a biography. Mr. Gregory is buried at Undercliffe Cemetery. The Undercliffe Cemetery Charity website includes his biography with an illustration.

NOTE The Thornton Directory has ceased production. (Updated 31 May 2023)

All About Thornton