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Cowling from the South Craven Official Guide Book
(Late 1940's.)

Credits: Kay Halstead for loan of book.

COWLING

COVERING an area of 4,712 acres,  and with a population, according to the 1931 census, of 1,745, the parish of Cowling was originally known as "Collinge", the name having been given to it, presumably, because of the presence of coal in the area. The village has a recorded history of well over a thousand years, although the Domesday Survey dismisses it in the following words : "Manor In Collinge (Cowling) Archil had two carucates and two bovates to be taxed." In the days when this record was made, a carucate consisted of land to the extent of 120 acres and a bovate was land to the extent of about 8 acres.

Cowling is noteworthy for its association with Philip Snowden, who became Chancellor of the Exchequer in the first Labour Gov­ernment of this country, under the Premiership of Mr. Ramsay Macdonald. Philip Snowden was born in a cottage at Middleton, Cowling. He became a pupil teacher in the parish, which has a history of radicalism which was well expressed in the life and times of Philip Snowden.

The first Parish Council of Cowling was formed in 1894. The first Chairman was Mr. John Hartley, and Mr. Philip Snowden acted as the Clerk in an honorary capacity.

The present-day industries consist of silk and rayon manu­facture, and there is a large farming community in the parish. The high ground in the area is eminently suitable for the purpose of rearing poultry, which is carried on here extensively, and many thousands of day-old chicks and older pedigree birds leave here each year. Several of the farms in the parish are situated in and around the village.

The Parish Church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and in addition to the established church there are the following places of worship in the parish : Ickornshaw Methodist Church ; Walton Street Methodist Church; The Bar Methodist Church, and the Cowling Hill Baptist Church.

Among the places of interest in the parish, mention may be made of Ickornshaw Mill, which was erected during the year 1791, its original purpose being premises for the making of wicks for candles. In the parish, also, is situated Carr Head, which was the home of the Wainman family for about 300 years. The huge cairn of rough stones, called Wainman Pinnacle, which stands at the very edge of the brow, is popularly supposed to be a memorial of the Civil Wars. Another place of interest in the parish is Hitchingstone, the joining point of Keighley, Cowling and Sutton Moors. There is some doubt as to whether this was brought into its present position by glacial action, or whether it is, in fact, in its own native spot, and has been left isolated by the weathering of time.

No survey of the parish of Cowling, however brief, could be complete without a mention of the history of Ezra Laycock's bus. Mr. Laycock, who was a postman, began his transport business in the village with a horse and wagonette, which he bought to ease his duties, and in consequence of which he increased his business in the West Riding villages. Rivalry between Mr. Laycock and another Cowling bus proprietor led him to look for a new motor bus which he had heard of in the south of England. He eventually purchased a 20 horse power Milnes-Daimler and it was driven all the way from London to Cowling. This was in the year 1905, and in the following year he acquired a 30 horse power omnibus of the same make. Subsequently a large business was built up, and Mr. Laycock was always proud of having been instrumental in introducing the motor omnibus to the north of England.

The centre of the social life of the village is the Cowling Village Institute, which was formerly the Liberal Club and Institute. The premises were handed over to the local Parish Council in 1940, and since then have been controlled by the Parish Council, with seven other members, as a management committee. The Institute is a veritable hive of social activities, offering among its facilities the games of billiards, snooker, dominoes, etc., and having an admirable reading room with up-to-date reading matter—daily newspapers, weekly and monthly magazines, etc. The Institute also houses the local branch of the County Library, which is open on Tuesdays and Fridays.

In addition to these facilities, there is a large Assembly Hall which is used for the giving of entertainments of all types, and in which a cinema show is given each Friday evening.

MORE TEXT FROM THE BOOK ON DETAILS OF SOME OF THE MANY TRADES IN COWLING CAN BE FOUND IN 'COWLING SHOPS' SECTION OF THIS WEBSITE.