Slack Lane Chapel and the Bancroft records

 

1st Slack Chapel - 2024

 I recently came across a book about the Slack Lane Chapel, Oakworth, nr. Keighley produced for it's 180th Anniversary Celebration with details of it's history and formation for as far back as 1819. 

There are also details of about 13 Bancrofts buried there and at least one wedding, but more about this later. 

The chapel's originates go back to about 1819 when the Pastor of the Baptist Chapel in Keighley had a disagreement with some of his congregation and they began to meet in a room of a house in nearby Oakworth for the regular services. This group of local started to try and raise funds for a local baptist chapel and by 1819 had raised £3.-3s-0p to buy a plot of land, and building work commenced. Originally known as “Shaw's Chapel, after Joseph Shaw, who the land was bought from, to later become known as “Slack Chapel”

 No ones knows how the name came about, but the story is told that a gentleman passing asked a boy the name of the place. The boy replied “Slack Chapel”....The man replied “Nay , never my lad, folk cannot be very slack , who come to a place so isolated” [ It never was isolated as there were many small villages within easy reach for worshippers.] 

 In 1847 further land was acquired across the road for a burial ground and in 1851 land at the rear of the chapel was also acquired to build a minister's house, which was known as Zion Cottage and this remained the minister's residence until further land was found nearer the village for a new Manse to be built on Slaymaker Lane, which at that time was known as Slack Lane, in 1907.

 In it's first 100 years 379 baptisms took place at the chapel and as was the custom, baptisms took place by immersion fully in water, and this had to take place outside in summer or winter just down the hill from the chapel on farm land.

Around 1867 it was decided that a second, larger chapel, should be built and money started to be raised for this, including one contribution of £500 from the local industrialist Sir Isaac Holden, who lived nearby. It however took till 1879 for this new chapel to be built at a final cost of over £3000.

In the late 1930's much work was done on the new chapel, including replacing gas lighting with modern electric one and the seating was undertaken to accommodate up to 650 people. It then remained as a working chapel until it was closed in the late 1980's and sold for conversion into residential use.

 

                                2nd Chapel, now Chapel Fold apartments
 

 

 The original chapel had been used only for social events and also as a Sunday School, but was then reinstated as the main chapel for worship, and finally closed in July 2018 and was recently sold for residential use.

 The graveyard contains twelve Bancroft individual from two family graves over several generations.

 In Loving memory of

George Bancroft

of Hardgate Cottage, Cross Roads,
Who died Nov 24th 1915,
Aged 55 years.
"At Rest."
Also of Maria, his Wife
Who died June 26th 1915,
Aged 56 years.
Also of Hilda,
Their Daughter
Who died March 9th 1936
Aged 36 years.
Also of Emma May,
Their Daughter
Who died Feb 11th 1970,
Aged 78 years.

  I was recently given a large cardboard box of items, which had originally been deposited at a local solicitors, on behalf of an Emma May Bancroft, who died in 1970, an unmarried lady, who was the last surviving member of her particular line...and what an interesting assortment of papers, letter and photographs it turned out to be! Emma May's father George, turns out to be a very interesting and rather “well-to-do" person of some note in the area. He, together with his three brothers, Abel, William and John Thomas, all ran tailoring business's in the area and he was, amongst other things a Grand Master of the local Masonic Lodge as well as a substantial property owner who at the time of his death in 1915 had at least eight houses and some land in and around the local area of Crossroads nr Keighley pic of George & Masons The collection, as well as having the usual collection of photos, letter and personal items also had many rent books recording the weekly rent collected from his various properties both by him and later his daughters. George was born in 1860 at Brow Top nr Haworth, the fourth of seven children of Abraham and Martha Bancroft [nee Sutcliffe] and married Maria Wood at St John's Church, Ingrow, Keighley on 18th June 1895. They went on to have two daughters, Emma May in 1896 and Hilda in 1900, neither of whom were ever married. George died on 24/11/1915 at the relatively young age of 55 years, and his estate with all the properties he owned together with his list of other assets and cash were valued at over £1500. George, his wife and two daughters are all buried here. George's story in full can be read HERE

 

George & Family 1911 census

In Loving Memory of
William Bancroft
of Bradford
Who died December 11th 1895,
Aged 53 years.
Also of Martha, his beloved Wife
Who died March 13th 1908,
Aged 73 years.
Also of James William, son of
Frederick & Melina Bancroft,
Who died December 3rd 1917,
In his 25th year.
Also of Lillian, their Daughter
Who died August 9th 1928,
Aged 30 years.
Also of the above named
Frederick Bancroft,

Who died Jan 31st 1930,
Aged 59 years.

Also of Melina, beloved Wife

of the above Frederick Bancroft,

Who died May 23rd 1944,

 Aged 72 years.

 

The other Bancroft grave is of William Bancroft [1842-1895] and his descendents. William was the son of Abraham and Mary and spent his early years growing up in the Oakworth area, before marrying Martha Wadsworth and then moving to the Bradford area as a Mill Overlooker. Interestingly his father, Abraham, by 1891 was living in the Keighley Workhouse and described as an “Imbecile” as many of the other inmates there were also described, and which today would probably be diagnosed as dementia. Why he ended up in the workhouse is not clear as he had at least 5 children as well as more distant relatives where he could have gone to. Below is a copy of the Workhouse census for 1891 showing Abraham together with other unfortunate individuals with the same medical condition who must have lived in grim conditions there. 

 

1891 census - Keighley Workhouse

William spent most of his adult life in Bradford as initially working as a butcher and later in the skin tanning trade. It is not clear why he ended up being buried at Slack Chapel, some way from his home in Bradford.....maybe he wanted to be nearer his early life and was a baptist?

Frederick & Family 1911 census

 

To finish on a brighter note, records show a Bancroft marriage here with another William Bancroft marrying Hannah Whittaker in 1933 and here is a link to an article I wrote some time ago, click HERE

William & Hannah  1933

 

Horkinstone Chapel, and it's new Organ.

Horkinstone Chapel....in the bleak mid winter

 

 This is the story of Horkinstone Baptist Chapel, built on the outskirts of Oxenhope, which has sadly long since been demolished, although the graveyard is still in existence.

 I am sure several Bancroft individuals were regularly amongst the congregation here because there are at least six separate Bancroft graves on the site, all of families who lived in the Bradshaw Head and Far Oxenhope area, including Jonas & Betty Bancroft and their family, who lived in the Tancy End and Sykes areas of Far Oxenhope. Jonas occupation was a quarryman, an occupation sometimes also referred to as a ‘stone delver’ Another grave denotes what must have been a sad story of the death of four of the children of John and Harriet Bancroft, which shows their children dying at the ages of 7 months, 15 months, 19 years and then an unnamed stillborn child. John and his family lived in the Leeming area of Far Oxenhope, and carried on the business of a Greengrocer there. Thankfully at least three of their children reached adulthood. My own Great-Grandparents Timmy & Jane Bancroft also have a grave there denoting the death of their firstborn child Fred, who died as an infant in 1871. At the time they were tenant farmers, living at nearby Dole Farm, Bradshaw Head.

 On 25th April 1836 it was reported that a Baptist ‘Sabbath School’ had commenced in the hamlet of Horkinstone, Leeming, Oxenhope, with 124 scholars enrolling on the first day. The construction of the new school began a month later, to be completed in 1837, with a small burial ground adjacent. Records show that a ‘church’ was formed in 1849, with the building then able to be used for formal services. In 1863 a new day School was built further down Denholme Road at Leeming with the support of the British and Foreign School Society. The school was let to the Haworth School Board in 1879, sold to them in 1910 and at some stage was taken over by the Keighley Education authority. A local newspaper article from 1890 mentions the new organ at Horkinstone Chapel and who donated to buy it.

 Opening of a new Organ – A new organ has been erected in the Horkinstone Baptist Chapel was opened on Saturday by a recital and vocal concert. The new instrument is an outcome of the effort instituted at the beginning of the year, with the object of not only of providing an organ, but also paying off a debt of about £190 for paying off the Sunday School, which was erected in 1863, and renovating the chapel. The entire scheme involved an outlay of £300. The expense connected with the following contributions:- £50; Mr Abel Kershaw £50; Mrs Wm Crabtree £20 and Mr Jos Crabtree £20. The instrument has been built by Messrs Driver & Haigh of Drewton Street, Bradford. The organ which consists of nearly 1200 pipes, is sufficiently powerful in tone for a much larger building, and its arrangement allows for arrangement and combination, the organist has his command a good range of solo stops of brilliancy and beauty. The first public performance on the new organ was given by Mr William Wilson of Warrington [formally of Keighley] whose programme included the choicest works of music for the organ. The programme was shared by Mrs Wilson of Warrington, who sang with much taste and acceptance Cowen's “The better land” and “The lost cord” She was loudly and deservedly applauded for her chaste rendering of the latter. Mr Fred Cockroft also sang two pieces including Gounode's “ Nazareth” Under Mr Crabtree's baton was ranged a fine and balanced chorus of some fifty voices, including over thirty Thornton friends, who rendered gratuitous service. Their contribution's included “ Sing unto God” “Worthy is the lamb” “ Let their celestial Chords”, and the “ Hallelujah Chorus”

The modest Horkinstone Baptist Chapel at Oxenhope could muster this impressive choir, photographed in 1906. Choirmaster Amos Dewhirst sits baton in hand, with organist Victor Sunderland on the left. Amos Dewhirst, being a newsagent and stationer, could order his choir music through his own shop, his records revealing that in 1906 he bought 26 copies of “Shepherd of Souls”, “They Shall Mount Up and Stand Up”, with “On the Banks of Allan Water” and “Ye Mariners of England” for secular relief, the latter, with only 13 copies, being sung by men only. A choir like this occupied a wider sphere than its Sunday services, for chapel formed the centre of its worshippers’ social life. Public teas and Saturday-night concerts were as important as Sunday School anniversaries and missionary Sundays. For some years the Horkinstone Baptist Chapel choir took part in great non-conformist festivals in London, a demanding experience which necessitated leaving Oxenhope on a Friday night and getting back early on a Sunday morning.

 

Horkinstone Choir  1906

 The Horkinstone chapel building was declared unsafe in 1924 and the last service was held on 15th May 1927. It would be interesting to know what happened to the chapel's organ as it was only thirty odd years old. 

A new chapel was opened on 21st May 1927 further down Denholme Road under the name of Oxenhope Baptist Chapel. The cost of the new chapel including furnishings was circa £3,600. The Keighley News report of the chapel centenary on 25th April 1936 says that the old chapel was demolished about ten years previously and that some of the stone was used in building the new chapel and school. 

 The building closed as a school in 1957 but was bought by the Sawood Methodists to be used as a chapel and Sunday School. The Methodist Society disbanded in 1997 and the building is now a private residence.

Oxenhope 'New ' Chapel

Below is a ceremonial trowel used for the opening of the new chapel.

Horkinstone Baptist Burial Ground remained in use until the early 1950s and is situated on the left of Denholme Road at the junction with Blackmoor Road. The burial ground lies in open countryside near to two farms and three cottages.

 For the Centenary of Sunday Schools’ celebrations in 1880 Horkinstone Baptist Sunday School is listed as having 120 scholars and 30 teachers, giving some indication of the population and community that it once served.

Horkinstone Graveyard

 

Urine collected from the home for the Woollen Trade

 

18th century men scouring wool with paddles

A little known fact is that men's urine was collected from people's homes in the 17th to the 19^th century for use in the processing of raw wool, and there is still evidence of this outside houses today locally in Yorkshire.

Urine, or as it was known locally as “Lant” was collected by men going house to house and collecting from outside through a spout, and many of these spouts still exist to this day. The following picture shows one outside a house in Denholme near Bradford for use in the local mill of Fosters, where many Bancroft men, women, boys and girls worked.

A lant spout outside a Denholme house

For centuries in the woollen and worsted areas of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lant was a valuable commodity and was used for scouring and washing raw wool prior to spinning.

Fermented urine was known as lant and was retained not only for household use, but also collected to be used for commercial purposes. Many houses during the 17th and 18th centuries had special lant stones located on an outside wall. Internally they consisted of a recess into which urine could be poured from chamber pots and from where it passed through a spout in the wall and was collected on the outside in tubs. Surviving examples of lant stones can be found locally at properties in Haworth, Stanbury, Utley, Denholme and Sutton-in-Craven.

Wool for scouring was put into a large tub, or trough, containing a mixture of water and lant and vigorously agitated, to remove dirt and grease, by men using long paddles. A large internal stone trough found in a farm in Newsholme, near Keighley, was probably used for this purpose. During the early 19th century, a mechanised process was developed. The wool was drawn along a wooden trough by paddles before being passed through rollers that squeezed the liquid out. The wool was fed into the rollers by hand with the inevitable consequence that operators lost fingers and even limbs. In 1812 at a mill in Scotland, “a man working some rollers of a new scouring machine had one of his hands drawn under a roller...with the loss of one finger”. Eventually a fully mechanised process for scouring was developed, but it does not appear to have been in common use in Yorkshire until the 1830s.

Lant was also used as a mordant, or fixative, for dyeing wool and cloth. In the 1770s Bridgehouse Mill at Haworth was an indigo mill. Here lant, which was said to be particularly beneficial for dyeing indigo, would have been used for dyeing finished cloth, perhaps shalloon, a fine worsted used for lining coats. During the first half of the 19th century, small dyeworks were established in Keighley attracting specialist dyers to the town..

William Partridge in his Practical Treatise on Dyeing, published in 1823, wrote that the urine of beer drinkers was the most sought after and this may well be so as a row of lant stones still survive in the yard at the rear of the Friendly Inn at Stanbury, for use by anyone leaving the Inn.

A  lant spout outside a local farm house

I am grateful to the Keighley news for some of the information in this article

 

Grandmother liked to keep up with fashions of the times.

Whilst going through some old family photos left by me Grandmother, Hettie Bancroft, who herself was a keen photographer, I was struck by the variety of some of her outfits and in particular her head gear, which must have been the height of fashion at the time. I always remember her telling me once, she liked to keep up w'fashons of the time and how, having always had long hair tried up, she decided to go with the fashion of the time in the 1920 and took a trip to the hairdressers, without checking with her husband first, and had her hair ‘bobbed’and her long locks brought back in her shopping bag!. She said my Grandfather, John, “went mad at what she had done” but it was too late by then. This first photo shows Hettie before marriage in a studio setting, probably done to celebrate her coming of age at 21 years. The hat looks as though it might be a dead bird on her head!

The next photo is of her wedding to John, showing a beautiful wedding dress, which must have been the height of fashion at the time in 1911, but again what’s that on top of her hat?....another dead animal?

 

And now with the family on Blackpool beach in the 1930’s….but what’s that around a neck!....could it be a dead fox!

And finally, here is one of my favorite photos of my grandparents and family, together with some of their friends all enjoying a walk on the prom, again at Blackpool. Interesting all nine people , including Hettie, have ‘normal’ hats on and fur collar, and my grandfather, John, who for some reason is wearing a bowler hat!

John Thomas Bancroft....quite an entrepreneur in business

Here's an interesting story of a John Thomas Bancroft, which started with the find of an old machine oil bottle in a garage. who although came from humble beginnings, went on to be quite an entrepreneur in business.

John was born in Haworth in 1862, the son of Abraham and Martha Bancroft. His father was a Stone Quarry Labourer living in the Brow area of the village and with his wife had eight children. John's story started with the find of an old machine oil bottle in a garage, and although came from humble beginnings, went on to be quite an entrepreneur in business

The 1871 census shows John Thomas working at 9 years of age with most of his siblings in a local Worsted Factory.

 

By the 1890's he had married an Emma Ruth Reddihough and had become a tailor with three of his brothers George, Abel And William in what must have been a reasonably profitable way of earning a living to support four men and their families. I wrote an article about the tailoring business which can be read HERE. https://bancroftsfromyorkshire.blogspot.com/2011/05/bancroft-brothers-tailors-of-haworth.html

 

While working in the tailoring business, he must have used light and fine oil to lubricate the various sowing machines, which probably gave him the idea of setting up business selling the oil as can be seen from the bottles.

 

 

I'm not sure exactly when he moved away from the family tailoring business but by the time of the 1901 census he had moved to Bradford with his wife Ruth and young family and had set up a new business as a “Mineral Water Manufacturer”, possibly connected to his earlier business using glass bottles....but a big change from his past employment!

By 1911 he had changed jobs again, and was now shown as a “Rag Merchant”

This business must have developed somewhat because when the next census was taken in the war years of 1939 he was a widower, his wife Emma Ruth having passed away in 1929, and his daughter and her husband Martha and her husband Harry White were living with him at a substantial house called “Thornfield” in the Pudsey/Stanningly area of Leeds.

John Thomas died in 1943, and was buried with his wife and later with his daughter and her husband ,Harry, at Haworth.

 

Inscription

In Sacred Remembrance
Of A Devoted Wife & Mother
Emma Ruth,
Wife of John Thomas Bancroft,
of "Thornfield," Farsley.
Who Fell Asleep Aug.13th 1929
Aged 64 Years.
Also of the Above
John Thomas Bancroft,
Who Fell Asleep Oct.1st 1943,
Aged 81 Years.

"Dearly Loved."

 

His home in later life, Thornfield, was a substantial residence which was later turned into a Hotel and Wedding venue and still operates to this day.

Jabez & Arthur Bancroft.....Weslyan Chapel Sextons

 

                                                                     Interment book

Ist page of book - February 1862

  I was recently lent the old Grave Books for the Oakworth Weslyan Chapel, listing buials from 1862-1917. The graveyard was where Jabez Bancroft was the Sexton, and on his death his son Arthur took over the job.

Jabez was listed as Sexton from 1884 to dis death in 1898.

Arthur took over after his father's death in 1898 to 1938.

Record of all Sextons

Many will wonder what exactly the duties of a Sexton were. They were:

1- Grave digging

2- maintenance of the graveyard....generally keeping it tidy....grass cutting, hedge trimming etc

3-General maintenance of the chapel grounds.

 

The record of Jabez's burial is listed in the following entry halfway down the page in the grave book, and just underneath the entry is a note saying that his son Arthur took over as grave digger.

 

Jabez's interment record

Arthur confirmed as replacement grave digger  

 

 The cost of obtaining a grave is shown in the books as 2/- per plot or 5/- for a double plot, and it looks as though this charge went towards paying for the wages of the grave digger because shown below is a record of Jabez receiving payment for his work.

Both Jabez and Arthur were buried in the family grave shown below.

   In loving memory of

JABEZ BANCROFT

of Chapel Lane, Oakworth

who died May 2nd 1898

in his 53rd year

Also of ANN

daughter of the above

Jabez & Mary Ann Bancroft

who died Oct 18th 1887

in her 1st year

At Rest

Also of MARY ANN

wife of the above

who died Feb 3rd 1934

in her 86th yea

Also MARY ELIZABETH

 beloved wife of Arthur Bancroft

   died April 17th 1939

age 70 years

 Also of the above ARTHUR

 who died Jan 25th 194
 age 75 years

Moving onto the contents of the books, I have to say what a sad record it is with so many infants listed as still-births, death at days old or under the age of 5 years old.

The Graveyard, according to Chapel records, has 725 graves, many without gravestones, in which are buried 2452 named people including a significant number of infants. A sad fact of Victorian life in the village is that there were 449 children buried at the site who died under the age of five, as well as 123 unnamed infants who were either stillborn or died before they were named, which is a staggering 23% of the occupants of the graveyard.

The last burial there took place in 1968, when the site had to close because of flooding after work was done on the nearby school playground, although many think this was never proved and was just a convenient excuse for closing the graveyard.

 

The Chapel itself was an imposing building first opened in 1858, and was in fact the second Chapel on this site. It was built with financial help from Sir Isaac Holden, the local industrialist who lived in Oakworth House, a magnificent mansion next to the chapel site. In fact Sir Isaac had his own private door at the side of the chapel, in order that he did not have to enter from the main entrance with the rest of the public.   The original chapel had been a much smaller affair built in 1822, but as the congregation increased a bigger building was required and so this new chapel was built with a capacity of 977 worshipers. Numbers however never reached the expected levels and at a peak it had 347 members in 1889, and then numbers steadily declined until it was decided to close the chapel in 1957 and replace it with a more modest building incorporating the Sunday school, which had previously been housed in an

equally large building nearby.

The large Sunday School had also been built nearby in the 1840's and was demolished in the 1990's to make way for a small housing estate.

Today the graveyard is transformed, back to how it must have looked many years ago, thanks to the work of many volunteers, working over several years.

There is a website giving many details of the graveyard's history and how things are today which can be seen by clicking HERE

Dockroyd graveyard - 2023

 

Edmund Bancroft...."Brew House Keeper"

 

New Inn - early 1900's

I recently read an article in our local newspaper about a local pub, The New Inn at Crossroads near Keighley, which has been closed for some time and the owners were now seeking permission to have it pulled down and the land used for building some new flats.

The New Inn must be at least 200 years old, and was frequented by the well known Branwell Bronte, who would have a drink here while he waited for friends to arrive. 

Like many such establishments it has fallen on hard time.

Back in the late 19^th century, the Inn was run by an Edmund Bancroft and his wife Susannah [nee Banister] for at least 10 years.

marriage record

Edmund married Susannah Bannister on 27^th September 1853 at Bingley Parish Church, because the area of Crossroads where they both lived, was in the Bingley parish area. Interesting to note from the marriage record, was that the witnesses were Edmund's brother and sister, John and Sarah, and as a sign of the times, both Susannah and Sarah could not sign their names, as was not unusual for many women at this time because it was deemed more important within the family that girls were trained to keep house, look after their husband, and bring up children, rather that get an education.

Baptism by Patrick Bronte - 1829

Edmund had been born on 28^th July 1829 in the Bocking area of Keighley, albeit in the Bingley parish as earlier as explained earlier, the son of William and Hannah, and was one of their five children. The baptism record shows he was baptised by the famous Patrick Bronte. Like many in the area William lead a simple life ans a woolcomber and later a farmer in the Bocking area of Keighley, as listed on the 1841 census.

1841 census

Edmund started his working life as a quarryman at one of the many small stone quarried in the area, but by the time of the 1871 census he was described as a “Quarryman and Brew House Keeper” at the New Inn. The job as a quarryman was a hard life, working outside in difficult conditions, and at the age of 40 years old, Edmund must have been finding it physically difficult, and there was obviously splitting his time between the two jobs.

[ I wrote a piece about the hard life of a quarryman some time ago which can be read here]

1871 census

He was still running the Inn was still 1881 when he was now shown as a full time “Bar House Keeper” and was supplementing his income from the Inn by taking in a couple of lodgers.

1881 census

The job of running a public house in the 19^th century, was not without it's difficulties. Innkeepers had to register annually, along with two people or bondsmen to vouch for their good behaviour. The publican promised before a JP to observe the licensing Acts and to maintain good behaviour in their alehouse.

The 18th and 19th centuries saw a massive rebuilding of pubs in reaction to changing tastes and the opening of new establishments to meet new demand in industrial and suburban areas. Meanwhile more and more pubs were being bought by breweries with the object of selling the company’s products. At the same time the authorities sought to close pubs as a way of reducing drunkenness, which was endemic among sections of the working classes. In addition increasing restrictions were placed on pubs, particularly with regard to opening and closing hours and the games which might be played there

Edmund died on 8^th December 1884, age 55 years. and was buried at Haworth Parish Church.

Inscription

In Memory of
Edmund Bancroft,
of Bocking,
Who Died December 18th 1884,
In His 56th Year.
Though lost from sight to memory dear:
Thy will be done.
Also of Sussanah, Wife of the Above
Who Died February 5th 1905,
In Her 75th Year.
Rest after weariness ,
Sweet rest at last.
Also of Emma, Their Daughter
       Who Died May 23rd 1925,
        Aged 56 Years.
                            "At Rest."

New Inn  - 2023

Yorkshire Girls in WW2 Women's Land Army

 

WW2 Recruitment Poster

The Women's Land Army played a very important job in both world wars, and some local Yorkshire Bancroft women were involved in it.

The first of these was Joyce Bancroft , born 31/10/17 in Silsden nr Keighley, who grew up with farming, in particular poultry rearing in her background. Joyce was the daughter of Sam Bancroft eldest son of John Henry and Nora Crossley. Sam was killed in the First World War when Joyce was less than a year old. Joyce was brought up by Nora and her parents in Laycock, Keighley.

She had a good background in farming practices as she had spent 1937/38 as a student at the Midland Agricultural College, training in poultry management,and was listed as “willing to teach” in the WLA records.She stayed in the WLA only until 1940, and then went into the RAF Pigeon service division. I wrote an article about her previously, which can be read here:

Another local girl who enrolled in the WLA was Mary Estella Bancroft, from Oxenhope, who was born on 5/9/18, a weaver who was the daughter of John Willie & Emily Bancroft. John was the local Blacksmith in the village.

Mary stated in the WLA until May 1944, but after marrying Laurence Leaver in 1943 left the unit as she refused to be mobile, probably because she was now a married woman.

The Women's Land Army (WLA) was a British civilian organisation created in 1917 by the Board of Agriculture during the First World War to bring women into work in agriculture replacing men called up to the military. Women who worked for the WLA were commonly known as Land Girls Land Lassies[. The Land Army placed women with farms that needed workers, the farmers being their employers. The women picked crops and did all the jobs that the men had done. It was disbanded in 1919 but revived in June 1939 under the same name to again organise women to replace workers called up to the military during the Second World World War.

As the prospect of WW2 became increasingly likely, the government wanted to increase the amount of food grown within Britain. In April 1939, peacetime conscription was introduced for the first ever in British history, which led to shortages of workers on the farms. To grow more food, more help was needed on the farms and so the government restarted the Women's Land Army in July 1939. At first it asked for volunteers. This was supplemented by conscription, so that by 1944 it had over 80,000 members

The majority of the Land Girls already lived in the countryside, but more than a third came from London and the industrial cities of the north of England. A separate branch was set up in 1942 for forestry industry work, officially known as the Women's Timber Corps and with its members colloquially known as "Lumber Jills" – this was disbanded in 1946

Land Army Girls lifting potatoes in WW2