
Leeds Genealogical Records

Leeds Birth & Baptism Records

Baptism records from people born in and around Stourton, St Andrew, Leeds between 1898 and 1910. Lists the name of people's parent's and other details.

Baptism registers are the primary source for birth documentation before 1837, though are relevant to the present. They record the date a child was baptised, their parent's names and more.

Name index linked to original images of the baptism registers of All Hallows, Leeds. Records document parent's names and date of baptism and/or birth.

Baptism registers record the baptism of those born in and around St Hilda, Leeds and were subsequently baptised in an Anglican place of worship. They are the primary source of birth details before 1837, though are useful to the present. Records can include name of child, parent's names, residence, occupations and more.

Baptism registers are the primary source for birth documentation before 1837, though are relevant to the present. They record the date a child was baptised, their parent's names, occupations, residence and more.

Leeds Marriage & Divorce Records

The Marriage registers of St John the Evangelist & St Barnabas, Leeds, document marriages 1934 to 1935. Details given on the bride and groom may include their age, father's name, marital status and residence.

Details on those who married at St James, Leeds between 1932 and 1935. Information given may include parent's names, ages, marital status, abode and more.

Marriage registers are the primary source for marital documentation before 1837, though are relevant to the present. They typically the record marital status and residence of the bride and groom.

The Marriage registers of St Margaret, Leeds, document marriages 1909 to 1935. Details given on the bride and groom may include their age, father's name, marital status, residence and signature.

Marriage records from people who married at Stourton, St Andrew, Leeds between 1898 and 1935. Lists an individual's abode, marital status and more.

Leeds Death & Burial Records

Burial registers record burials that occurred at St Saviour, Leeds. They are the primary source documenting deaths before 1837, though are useful to the present.

Burial registers record burials that occurred at St James, Leeds. They are the primary source documenting deaths before 1837, though are useful to the present. Details given may include the deceased's name, residence, age, names of relations, cause of death and more.

Records of burial for people buried at St George, Leeds between 1838 and 1926. Details include the deceased's name, residence and age. Some records may contain the names of relations, cause of death and more.

Burial records for people buried at Holy Trinity, Leeds, detail the deceased's name, residence and age from 1813 to 1854.

Burial registers are the primary source for death documentation before 1837, though are relevant to the present. They record the date someone was buried, their age & residence.

Leeds Church Records

The primary source of documentation for baptisms, marriages and burials before 1837, though extremely useful to the present. Their records can assist tracing a family back numerous generations.

A name index linked to images of birth and baptism registers from West Yorkshire non-conformist churches. These records document the birth or baptism of over 275,000 people.

The parish registers of Leeds provide details of births, marriages and deaths from 1600 to 1702. Parish registers can assist tracing a family as far back as 1600.

Tens of thousands of entries from non-conformist records detailing churches' membership. Records can include details such as date & place of birth, residence, familial relations and occupations. Records are indexed by name and connected to original images.


Leeds Census & Population Lists

A transcription of records naming those who had taxes levied against them for the privilege of owning a hearth.

A name index to records recording taxes levied against owners of hearths in the North Riding of Yorkshire.

A name index to records recording taxes levied against owners of hearths in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

The 1911 census gives details on over 30 million people living in England in 1911. Details include, age, birthplace, occupation, relationships to others, disabilities and more. Each person is indexed and linked to images of the original schedules.

The 1911 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.

Leeds Wills & Probate Records

Searchable index and original images of over 12.5 million probates and administrations granted by civil registries. Entries usually include the testator's name, date of death, date of probate and registry. Names of relations may be given.

A index to testators whose will was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. They principally cover those who lived in the lower two thirds of Britain, but contain wills for residents of Scotland, Ireland, British India and other countries. A copy of each will may be purchased for digital download.

An index and digital images of PCC wills, available on a subscription basis.

An index to wills and administrations that incurred a death duty tax. The index can be used to order documents that give a brief abstract of the will and details on the duty. It can be used as a make-shift probate index.

An index to over 60,000 wills of people who died with money in public funds. Useful when researching counties where wills have been destroyed. Also contains wills for citizens of British colonies.

Newspapers Covering Leeds

A local paper including news from the Huddersfield area, legal & governmental proceedings, family announcements, business notices, advertisements and more.

Local news; notices of births, marriages and deaths; business notices; details on the proceedings of public institutions; adverts and a rich tapestry of other local information from the Bradford district. Every line of text from the newspaper can be searched and images of the original pages viewed.

This fully searchable newspaper will provide a rich variety of information about the people and places of the Leeds district. Includes family announcements.

A short-lived newspaper that covered news and family notices from in and around Leeds. It was 'radical' in its politics, supporting universal male suffrage

Fully text-searchable articles from a local newspaper covering the Leeds district. It includes family announcements, obituaries, court proceedings, business notices and more.

Leeds Obituaries

The UKs largest repository of obituaries, containing millions of searchable notices.

A growing collection currently containing over 425,000 abstracts of obituaries with reference to the location of the full obituary.

A collection of 364 obituaries of Quakers from the British Isles. The volume was published in 1849 and includes obituaries of those who died in late 1847 through 1848.

This transcribed and searchable work by Sir William Musgrave contains 10,000s of brief obituaries. The work is a reference point for other works containing information on an individual.

Leeds Cemeteries

Photographs and transcriptions of millions of gravestones from cemeteries around the world.

Leeds Directories & Gazetteers

A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key historical and contemporary facts. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions. Also contains a list of residents and businesses for each place.

A comprehensive gazetteer of the district; to which are appended lists of their residents, trades and occupations.

A directory of residents and businesses; with a description of each settlement, containing details on its history, public institutions, churches, postal services, governance and more.

An exhaustive gazetteer, containing details of settlement's history, governance, churches, postal services, public institutions and more. Also contains lists of residents with their occupation and address.

A comprehensive gazetteer of the district; to which are appended lists of their residents, trades and occupations.

Leeds Court & Legal Records

From the late 18th century many prisoners in Britain were kept on decommissioned ships known as hulks. This collection contains nearly 50 years of registers for various ships. Details given include: prisoner's name, date received, age, year of birth and conviction details.

This collection lists brief details on 1.55 million criminal cases in England and Wales between 1791 and 1892. Its primary use is to locate specific legal records, which may give further details on the crime and the accused. Details may include the accused's age, nature of crime, location of trial and sentence. Early records can contain a place of birth.

A compilation of records from the Court of the Exchequer primarily dealing with taxes and land. These records are in Latin.

Details on the parole and revocation thereof, of over 4,400 female prisoners.

A publication giving brief details of bankruptcies, including the names of parties and companies involed.

Leeds Taxation Records

A transcription of records naming those who had taxes levied against them for the privilege of owning a hearth.

A name index to records recording taxes levied against owners of hearths in the North Riding of Yorkshire.

A name index to records recording taxes levied against owners of hearths in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.

An index linked to original images of registers recording apprenticeship indentures. Details are given on the trade and nature of apprenticeship. Many records list the parents of the apprentice.

Leeds Land & Property Records

An English translation of Yorkshire domesday records. This transcripts details the county's landowners in 1086.

This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.

Poll books record the names of voters and the direction of their vote. Until 1872 only landholders could vote, so not everyone will be listed. Useful for discerning an ancestor's political leanings and landholdings. The collection is supplemented with other records relating to the vote.

A compilation of records from the Court of the Exchequer primarily dealing with taxes and land. These records are in Latin.

A list of landowners in England giving their primary residence, extent of their land and estimated yearly rental.

Leeds Occupation & Business Records

A searchable book detailing the Yorkshire Rugby Football Union around the time of the Great War. Contains the names of many players and other persons associated with the sport.

A name index linked to original images of registers recording the education and careers of teachers in England & Wales.

Books listing doctors who were licensed to operate in Britain and abroad. Contains doctor's residencies, qualification and date of registration.

A rich collection of records documenting those who worked for railway companies that were later absorbed by the government. Records include: staff registers, station transfers, pensions, accident records, apprentice records, caution books, and memos. Records may include date of birth, date of death and name of father.

Indexed medical journals from British ships containing personal and medical details of patients. The journals list names, ages, rank/status, diseases, illness duration and notes on symptoms and treatment. Contains details on military men as well as people immigrating or being deported to colonies.

Leeds School & Education Records

A name index linked to original images of registers recording the education and careers of teachers in England & Wales.

A name index linked to original images of short biographies for over 120,000 Oxford University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.

A transcript of a vast scholarly work briefly chronicling the heritage, education and careers of over 150,000 Cambridge University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.

A directory of registered teachers – their current school and date of registration. Also contains details on officers and operations of the Teachers Registration Council.

A collection of biographies (some with portraits) from throughout the world.

Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Leeds

Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.

A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.

Over 600 pedigrees for English and Welsh families who had a right to bear a coat of arms.

A compilation of lineage-linked family trees submitted by Ancestry users. The database contains over 2 billion individuals and is searchable by numerous metrics.

A lengthy working charting the descendants of Edward III, of England by the esteemed genealogist, The Marquis of Ruvigny. Contains much information from family archives.

Leeds Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records

Pedigrees compiled from a late 16th century heraldic visitation of Yorkshire. This work records the lineage, descendants and marriages of families who had a right to bear a coat of arms.

Pedigrees compiled from a early 17th century heraldic visitation of Yorkshire. This work records the lineage, descendants and marriages of families who had a right to bear a coat of arms.

Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.

A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.

Over 600 pedigrees for English and Welsh families who had a right to bear a coat of arms.

Leeds Military Records

Three books detailing the unit's history from the period before and during WWI. Also contains a list of members, with dates of service and a roll of honours and awards.

Lists of officers by rank, regiment and name.

A general history of the regiment, including biographies of its colonels.

Biographies of hundreds of men who served as officers in The Green Howards, an infant regiment in the King's Division. Details given include parentage, date of birth, military career and later professional career.

A general history of the regiment, including biographies of its colonels.

Leeds Immigration & Travel Records

A name index connected to original images of passenger lists recording people travelling from Britain to destinations outside Europe. Records may detail a passenger's age or date of birth, residence, occupation, destination and more.

A full index of passenger lists for vessels arriving in the UK linked to original images. Does not include lists from vessels sailing from European ports. Early entries can be brief, but later entries may include dates of births, occupations, home addresses and more. Useful for documenting immigration.

Details on over 600,000 non-British citizens arriving in England. Often includes age and professions. Useful for discerning the origin of immigrants.

Details on thousands of 17th century British immigrants to the U.S., detailing their origins and nature of their immigration.

A list of over 40,000 passengers traveling from North America to the British Isles. Details of passengers may include: occupation, nationality, gender, age, martial status, class, destination, and details of the vessel they sailed on.

Leeds Histories & Books

An English translation of Yorkshire domesday records. This transcripts details the county's landowners in 1086.


A growing database including millions of photographs of the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Ireland catalogued by latitude & longitude and OS grid reference.

Over 19,000 postcards depicting places in the UK & Ireland.

A sprawling website setting out and describing the historical divisions of Britain. Also contains countless maps of various sorts. Covers the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man & has fleeting details of other localities.

Biographical Directories Covering Leeds

A listing of the prominent residents of the county of Yorkshire, giving details on family, education, careers, hobbies, associations and more. Also includes details on the county's government officials, military officers, members of parliament, religious leaders and demographics.

Biographies of hundreds of men who served as officers in The Green Howards, an infant regiment in the King's Division. Details given include parentage, date of birth, military career and later professional career.

A name index linked to original images of short biographies for over 120,000 Oxford University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.

A transcript of a vast scholarly work briefly chronicling the heritage, education and careers of over 150,000 Cambridge University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.


Leeds Maps


A sprawling website setting out and describing the historical divisions of Britain. Also contains countless maps of various sorts. Covers the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man & has fleeting details of other localities.


An interactive index to thousands of maps covering the world, continents, countries and regions. The majority of maps cover Britain and Ireland.

Leeds Reference Works


A comprehensive guide to researching the history of buildings in the British Isles.

A comprehensive overview of wages in England & Wales from late medieval to modern times.

A dictionary of words used in heraldry, supplemented with over 1,000 illustrations.

A look at the origins of English surnames.

Leeds Information
| Province | York | York | York | York | York |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diocese | Wakefield | Wakefield | Bradford | York | York |
| Archdeaconry | Huddersfield | Pontefract | Craven | York and West Riding | York and West Riding |
| Deanery | Pontefract | Pontefract | Pontefract | Pontefract | Pontefract |

Historical Description
The town of Leeds, situated on the north bank of the river Aire, is one of the most commercial and opulent towns in Yorkshire. It covers an eminence gently rising from that river to the upper end of the town, and falling with an easy slope to the east and west as well as to the south. On the eastern side the town falls into a deep valley, through which a rivulet runs, having a number of dyeing-houses on its banks. Still this rivulet does not form the boundary of the town, as there are a considerable number of houses, and several streets, lanes, and alleys beyond its eastern banks. The town of Leeds is in general well built, almost entirely of brick; but its different quarters form, one with another, a striking contrast. The houses upon the rivulet just mentioned are mean, and the streets and lanes, dirty, crooked, and irregular, emitting disagreeable smells from the dyeing-houses and the different manufactures.
The southern edge of the town is almost as disagreeable; and though it has some good houses, it has been said in a great measure to have the appearance of a prison. But the middle and western parts display fine streets and several elegant buildings. The breadth of the town from north to south is not much more than half a mile; but its length from east to west, is not less than a mile and a half. It is divided nearly into two equal parts by Briggate and the marketplace, which open into each other, running nearly in a line from south to north. Briggate, the principal street in Leeds, is about 500 yards in length, and thirty in breadth. In this the cloth-market was formerly held on Tuesdays and Saturdays, at an early hour in the morning. At the upper end of Briggate, is the Moot-hall, the front of stone, supported by columns and arches, and the arms of the town, in relievo, between two maces, the ensigns of mayoralty. The fleece in the escutcheon, designates the woollen manufacture, supported by the birds of Minerva, in memory of Sir John Saville, afterwards created Lord Saville, the first honorary alderman when the town and parish were incorporated, in the second year of Charles I. In a niche over the arms of the town is a statue of Queen Anne in white marble, by Carpenter, the gift of Alderman Milner.
From the Moot-hall to the marketplace the street is divided by a row of buildings into two; that to the east is the shambles, and the other is called the back of the shambles. The marketplace, or as it is usually called, Cross-parish, is a very spacious street, having the large market-cross at the east end. At the top of the marketplace is the Head Row, so called from its rising with an easy ascent to the crown of the hill, on the southern declivity of which the town is situated.
At the upper end of New-street, entirely built by John Harrison, Esq. the great benefactor of Leeds, is the churchyard of St. John’s. A little further to the north is Mill-Hill, at the extremity of the town, where the castle formerly stood, and where there arc now a large house and gardens; this is one of the most delightful situations in Leeds. In the middle of the town, to the east and west of Briggate, are several good streets and large and handsome houses. But the western part displays the greatest degree of elegance. Here is a spacious square, environed with handsome brick houses, which being built at different times, has no general name. The east side is called Park-row; the west is denominated East-parade; and the north side the South-parade: the south side is formed by the Mixed-Cloth Hall and the general infirmary. The centre is partly laid out in gardens, but the largest proportion is used as a tenter-ground. Park-square is also composed of elegant modern houses, and the centre is laid out in walks and planted with shrubs. On the south side of this square is St. Paul’s church, a very modern and handsome structure of stone, having been opened on Christmas-day, 1794. To the south of Park-square, and separated from it by the new road to Kirkstall is Park-place, a row of very handsome houses fronting the south, and commanding a fine view of the river Aire and the neighbouring hills. Leeds contains five churches, viz. St. Peter’s, St. John’s, St. James’s, Trinity church, and St. Paul’s. St. Peter’s, the parish church, is a spacious, plain, and venerable pile of considerable antiquity; but the name of its founder, and the time of its foundation, are unknown. A church here is certainly mentioned in the Doomsday Survey. St. Peter’s is 165 feet in length, and 97 in breadth, built in the form of a cross, with a tower or steeple 96 feet in height, rising from the centre on four massy columns with arches. The roof, 51 feet high, is supported by three rows of pillars, terminating in pointed arches; and the nave displays a sort of singularity in being divided into four aisles, which run from the transept to the west end. The choir is spacious, and before the Reformation, was divided into several distinct chapels. There are galleries quite round the church; on the front of that opposite the pulpit are the arms of the town, a golden fleece in a field azure, surrounded by a garter, on which is inscribed Sigillum Burgi de Leedes, supported by two crowned owls, in honour of Sir John Saville. Here are a fine peal of ten bells, with chimes that play at four, six, eight, and twelve o’clock, and an excellent organ built by Henry Price. On the ceiling of the nave, the Ascension is painted in fresco, by Parmentier.
In this church are many sepulchral monuments of the 15th and 16th centuries, now greatly defaced; but the inscriptions are mostly preserved by Thoresby. Among those of a modern date there are several upon young and promising officers that fell during the late revolutionary war. St. John’s was founded and finished by John Harrison, Esq., and consecrated Sept. 1, 1634. This eminent benefactor, who died anno 1656, in the 77th year of his age, is here interred under a tomb of black marble, with an appropriate inscription. Trinity church, erected about 1721, is a handsome stone structure with a tower and spire; the roof is supported by a double row of Corinthian columns. St. Paul’s, another elegant stone edifice erected by the Rev. Miles Atkinson, is neatly finished. St. James’s church is an octagonal building of stone, and was first occupied by the late Lady Huntingdon’s preachers, but was purchased by two clergymen of the established church, and has been since consecrated.
Besides the five churches, here are eight meetinghouses for Protestant Dissenters, viz. one Presbyterian, one Unitarian, three of Independents, one of Scotch Seceders, one for Baptists, one for Quakers, exclusive of two Methodist meetings, and a Roman Catholic chapel.
The General Infirmary is a large and handsome building of brick, built and supported by voluntary subscription. Every person, wherever his residence may be, is admissible, if recommended by a subscriber; but in cases admitting of no delay, this is not necessary. Mr. Howard, who visited this hospital in 1788, says, this hospital is one of the best in the kingdom. In Vicar-lane there is another hospital, called the House of Recovery, for the reception of poor persons having infectious fevers. Its objects are, first, to prevent the spread of contagious fevers, by removing into well-ventilated apartments every poor person on the first appearance of an infectious fever; by which separation the rest of the family and neighbourhood will probably be preserved from its ravages; and generally to effect the recovery of those who might otherwise fall victims to the disease.
To the old almshouses founded and endowed by John Harrison, Esq. for forty poor women, twelve more have been added, according to the will of the late Arthur Aikin, Esq., which now afford a retreat to sixty-four aged persons, each of whom receives the sum of six guineas per annum. The new almshouses, ten in number, forming three sides of a square, were founded by Mrs. Potter, for the widows of deceased tradesmen, each having a salary of ten pounds per annum.
The Free Grammar-School was also erected by the benevolent John Harrison, Esq.; and in 1692, Godfrey Lawson, Esq. added a new apartment. This school has produced several eminent men in church and state. The charity school instructs seventy boys and fifty girls in reading and knitting: this was likewise founded by Mr. Harrison. The workhouse was built by Richard Sykes, Esq. alderman in 1636; but has since been considerably enlarged. At the King’s Mills, held by J. P. Neville, Esq. by a grant from the crown, all the inhabitants of Leeds are obliged to grind their corn, except those whose houses stand on. ground formerly belonging to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem.
The water works are near the bridge crossing the Aire; by means of these works the town is abundantly supplied with soft water. Adjoining these are the vast warehouses belonging to the Aire and Galder navigation. Here are also assembly-rooms, consisting of a ballroom, tearoom, and card-room; the dancing assemblies are held every fortnight during the winter. The theatre was built by the late Tate Wilkinson, Esq. Plays are performed here generally three nights in the week, during the summer months; the season commencing about the middle of May. In this town there is also a circulating library, which contains a good collection of books, and some valuable manuscripts; to these it has been in agitation to add an annual exhibition of pictures. The Mixed-Cloth Hall, erected in 1758, at the expense of the manufacturers, is a quadrangular building, inclosing an open area. The structure is 127 yards in length, and 66 in breadth, and is divided into six covered streets, each containing two rows of stands, making in the whole 1800. Each stand is 22 inches in front. About twenty individuals have been in possession of two stands each. All these persons have served a regular apprenticeship to the making of coloured cloth. Each stand cost the original proprietor three guineas each; but they have since been raised from eight to fifteen pounds, according to the situation. The White-Cloth Hall was built in 1775, and is a quadrangle like the other, having five covered streets, each with a double row of stands: The first cost of these was thirty shillings; but they have been sold from three pounds to eight guineas. Manufacturers of an inferior class, who have served a regular apprenticeship, but have no property in the halls, bring their cloth into the inclosed area, and pay a fixed price for every piece exposed to sale. In Albion-street is a small hall, for clothiers who cannot be admitted into the other halls, not having served a regular apprenticeship. The cloth-market at both the halls is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and the commencement is announced by ringing a bell, and the whole business of the market must be concluded in an hour and a quarter. Any merchant remaining in the hall after the last bell has done ringing, must pay five shillings every five minutes, or be excluded till the fines are paid. The corn-market is held every Tuesday in Cross-parish. The shambles display great abundance of butchers’ meat; and the fish-markets are held on Monday and Thursday. The quantity of fruit and garden stuff sold every market-day is very great. Besides cloths, here are several manufactures of sacking, canvas, linen, and thread. Here are also carpet manufactories; and a number of cotton-mills, most of which have been worked by steam. Numerous mills cover the banks of the Aire, for grinding corn, dyers’ wood, rapeseed, fulling-cloth, turning machinery, &c.
In 1811 the population of Leeds was 62,534 persons, an increase of nearly ten thousand since the census of 1801. The navigable river Aire, with the Leeds and Liverpool canal, have been the means of increasing the trade of these places by an easy communication with the eastern and western seas. This canal, which commences about a quarter of a mile above the bridge at Leeds, passes by Kirkstall Abbey and Shepley, above which it crosses the river Aire. It then proceeds to Bingley, and passing within a short distance of Keighley, continues its course to Skipton. Near Gargrave, four miles and a half west of Skipton, it again crosses the Aire, and is afterwards continued into Lancashire, through which county it is carried to Liverpool, an extent of 109 miles.
The borough of Leeds, which comprises the whole parish, is governed by a corporation, consisting of a mayor, twelve aldermen, and a common-council of twenty-four members. The mayor and aldermen are justices of the peace; and one or more of them attend every Tuesday and Friday at the Rotation-office, for the dispatch of business. A sessions for the borough is held every three months, at which the mayor presides; and a general sessions for the West Riding is held here at Michaelmas. The Moot-hall, till the year 1811, was the sessions or courthouse, but at that time the magistrates voted three thousand pounds towards the building of a handsome new one, since completed.
To this has been added a prison, very different, in point of convenience, from that which was visited by Mr. Howard. When that gentleman pointed out the insalubrity of this wretched dungeon, on being told that prisoners seldom remained in it more than a month, he observed, "an hour was too long to stay in such a place The recent establishment of a Vagrant-office in Leeds has already been attended with the most beneficial consequences. Street beggars are already considerably diminished; and the lodging-houses, which used each to harbour twenty or thirty vagrants daily, are quite clear of visitors, and are likely to be closed.
In March 1818, the first stone of Wellington-bridge was laid here; it consists of one handsome arch; the architect was J. Rennie, Esq.
With respect to the cloth-market at Leeds, finished goods on the ground story are offered for sale from half past eight till ten minutes before ten o’clock, down to the quantity of half a piece, and at ten the market up one pair of stairs for white, or undyed goods, commences. In this town butchers’ meat of good quality, together with roots and vegetables, as well as fruit, are exposed in great abundance for sale. Dyed yarns, and even cartloads of the plant woad, are also exposed in the market for sale. New buildings even in the latter end of the summer of 1819, were erecting, and excited the appearance of a town in a thriving state. The manufactories are now extended to the whole process of carding, spinning, weaving, shearing, and pressing, all by steam.
The pleasant village of Knostrop is upon the banks of the Aire; and the environs of Leeds, in general, are pleasant.
— Topography of Great Britain by George Alexander Cooke, written: 1802-29
Surnames Found in Leeds
| Rank | Surname | No. of People | % of Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smith | 2629 | 1.53 |
| 2 | Walker | 1441 | 0.84 |
| 3 | Wilson | 1417 | 0.82 |
| 4 | Wood | 1290 | 0.75 |
| 5 | Brown | 1173 | 0.68 |
| 6 | Taylor | 1170 | 0.68 |
| 7 | Robinson | 1056 | 0.61 |
| 8 | Thompson | 935 | 0.54 |
| 9 | Wright | 891 | 0.52 |
| 10 | Harrison | 838 | 0.49 |
| 11 | Johnson | 835 | 0.48 |
| 12 | Jackson | 781 | 0.45 |
| 13 | Atkinson | 729 | 0.42 |
| 14 | Wilkinson | 684 | 0.40 |
| 15 | Shaw | 594 | 0.34 |
| 16 | Watson | 583 | 0.34 |
| 17 | Turner | 581 | 0.34 |
| 18 | Hall | 574 | 0.33 |
| 19 | Clark | 573 | 0.33 |
| 20 | Holmes | 551 | 0.32 |
| 21 | Simpson | 548 | 0.32 |
| 22 | Green | 540 | 0.31 |
| 23 | Barker | 535 | 0.31 |
| 24 | Richardson | 526 | 0.31 |
| 25 | Parker | 511 | 0.30 |
| 26 | Dixon | 504 | 0.29 |
| 27 | Hudson | 497 | 0.29 |
| 28 | Roberts | 495 | 0.29 |
| 29 | Hodgson | 480 | 0.28 |
| 30 | Ward | 477 | 0.28 |
| 31 | Marshall | 466 | 0.27 |
| 32 | Foster | 463 | 0.27 |
| 33 | Ellis | 456 | 0.26 |
| 34 | Pearson | 446 | 0.26 |
| 35 | Stead | 433 | 0.25 |
| 36 | Dawson | 426 | 0.25 |
| 37 | White | 425 | 0.25 |
| 38 | Whitaker | 420 | 0.24 |
| 39 | Lee | 418 | 0.24 |
| 40 | Scott | 404 | 0.23 |
| 41 | Booth | 399 | 0.23 |
| 42 | Mitchell | 391 | 0.23 |
| 43 | Rhodes | 380 | 0.22 |
| 44 | Webster | 376 | 0.22 |
| 45 | Briggs | 365 | 0.21 |
| 46 | Jones | 363 | 0.21 |
| 47 | Bell | 360 | 0.21 |
| 48 | Lister | 357 | 0.21 |
| 49 | Firth | 356 | 0.21 |
| 50 | Greenwood | 353 | 0.20 |
| 51 | Brook | 344 | 0.20 |
| 52 | Sharp | 340 | 0.20 |
| 53 | Hartley | 340 | 0.20 |
| 54 | Gill | 335 | 0.19 |
| 55 | Kelly | 324 | 0.19 |
| 56 | Moore | 315 | 0.18 |
| 57 | Naylor | 312 | 0.18 |
| 58 | Sykes | 306 | 0.18 |
| 59 | Myers | 306 | 0.18 |
| 60 | Schofield | 305 | 0.18 |
| 61 | Nicholson | 302 | 0.18 |
| 62 | Cooper | 293 | 0.17 |
| 63 | Hill | 292 | 0.17 |
| 64 | Carter | 290 | 0.17 |
| 65 | Armitage | 288 | 0.17 |
| 66 | Mason | 286 | 0.17 |
| 67 | Hirst | 282 | 0.16 |
| 68 | Hutchinson | 279 | 0.16 |
| 69 | Whitehead | 278 | 0.16 |
| 70 | Dickinson | 271 | 0.16 |
| 71 | Fawcett | 265 | 0.15 |
| 72 | Wade | 263 | 0.15 |
| 73 | Riley | 262 | 0.15 |
| 74 | Clarkson | 262 | 0.15 |
| 75 | Hobson | 261 | 0.15 |
| 76 | Blackburn | 259 | 0.15 |
| 77 | Holdsworth | 256 | 0.15 |
| 78 | Coates | 255 | 0.15 |
| 79 | Walton | 254 | 0.15 |
| 80 | Chadwick | 251 | 0.15 |
| 81 | Haigh | 251 | 0.15 |
| 82 | Dobson | 247 | 0.14 |
| 83 | Pickard | 243 | 0.14 |
| 84 | Young | 241 | 0.14 |
| 85 | Fletcher | 241 | 0.14 |
| 86 | Gibson | 240 | 0.14 |
| 87 | Crowther | 240 | 0.14 |
| 88 | Moss | 235 | 0.14 |
| 89 | Hargreaves | 233 | 0.14 |
| 90 | Chapman | 231 | 0.13 |
| 91 | Stephenson | 230 | 0.13 |
| 92 | Newton | 229 | 0.13 |
| 93 | Dean | 229 | 0.13 |
| 94 | Anderson | 223 | 0.13 |
| 95 | Walsh | 221 | 0.13 |
| 96 | Kay | 221 | 0.13 |
| 97 | Bradley | 220 | 0.13 |
| 98 | Beaumont | 220 | 0.13 |
| 99 | Allen | 219 | 0.13 |
| 100 | Williamson | 218 | 0.13 |
* Statistics based on the 1881 census
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