51. A stone from Castle Hill.
Not just any old stone! This stone is reddened by fire and it is from stones like this found on Castle Hill that we can learn some of the history of the site. It is thought that Castle Hill was occupied and fortified in very early times. However this all came to an end when the developments were destroyed by fire sometime in the fifth century BC, long before any Romans came to Briton. It is thought that after this fire the Hill was not occupied again until medieval times. Tolson Museum.
52. Pay Containers.
No privacy about what you were paid for work in the mill! Your pay was put in a pot for you to collect at the end of the week. Judging by the size of the pot you can tell not a lot was earned from long hours, a long week and not many holidays. Tolson Museum
53. Huddersfield Market Charter 1671.
The Ramsden family, owners of the Manor of Huddersfield, applied to the Crown for the right to hold a weekly market in Huddersfield. King Charles II,’ after making enquiries of the suitability of such action’, granted the request. ‘Letters patent’ dated 1st November 1671 granted the right to hold a weekly market every Tuesday. This was held in the area of the current Market Place. A Market Cross was erected. Charter in Tolson Museum
54. Knurr, Spell & Pommel Game.
A very popular game in this area, with money won and lost on the results. The spell is the wooden board with a spring loaded cup at the end. The board has wooden spikes which were pressed into the ground to secure it. The knurr or nut is the ball. The pommel is the stick to release the spring and hit the knurr as it rises into the air. The aim was to hit the knurr as far as possible. It was played locally until the 1950s. Picture and examples of kit in Tolson Museum
55. Waggonette.
The waggonette was a versatile vehicle which could carry a variety of loads. Pulled by horses, it could carry passengers or the seats could be removed and it would become a delivery van.
This one was built by Ellis Hardy of Huddersfield. The wagonette was a common sort of transport from the 1840s to the 1920s. Waggonette in the Transport Gallery in Tolson Museum
56. Pack Horse Bridge.
A picture of the Pack Horse Bridge on the Marsden to Rochdale Road. This was called the Close Gate Bridge or the Eastergate Bridge. Ester Schofield was the landlady of the Packhorse Inn which was nearby in the 19th Century. A typical packhorse bridge has low walls or parapets so that the packs that the horses carried would not catch on the sides. Picture in Transport Gallery, Tolson Museum.
57. An Ordinary.
This ‘Ordinary’ was a bicycle in use in the 1880’s. it was also called the penny-farthing. It was the first machine to be called a bicycle. The large front wheel gave the bicycle greater speed. It was these bicycles that created the interest in bicycles that made them into a sport.
This particular one was owned and ridden by Mr Denham of Darlington. He was an enthusiastic cyclist who won a silver cup for endurance for cycling for 8 hours without a stop. Transport Gallery in Tolson museum.
58. Station Omnibus.
This was used to carry 6 passengers inside with three or four on top plus luggage. They were used from 1870’s – 1910. This one was built by Rippon Bros of Huddersfield. Transport Gallery Tolson museum.
59. Fancy Cloth.
An example of the cloth that won a medal at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Fancy cloth was fabric that was woven from wool and other fibres such as silk or cotton. Joseph Etchells, who settled in Almondbury, was famous for his designs of figured silk and woollen fabric. Material such a this was used for waistcoatings, dress materials, shawls, table covers and all kinds of soft furnishings.
This is one of many examples in Tolson Museum
60. Great Exhibition Medal 1861.
The Fancy Trade in Huddersfield had a high reputation which was recognised nationally at the Great Exhibition 1851. It was reported that Huddersfield was second only to Leeds in the quality and variety of woollen clothes that it produced. Many firms exhibited examples of their work and in total eleven won medals. These were awarded for such qualities as ‘excellence of manufacture’, ‘beauty of design’ or ingenuity of design in new materials’. One of two medals in Tolson Museum,