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Lead mining in the vicinity of Grassington has been carried out since the 15th century.

When George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, became Lord of the Manor he brought skilled men from his Derbyshire mines to work in the mines on Grassington Moor, in addition, miners from Swaledale and Cornwall also settled here bringing with them valuable expertise relating to mining techniques.

A few years later, the Earl built a smelt mill adjoining his corn mill on the river Wharfe.

A century or so later, in 1750, the Duke of Devonshire married one of the Clifford heiresses and came to be the Lord of the Manor of Grassington.  He quickly began a great development plan for the industry including the construction of a watercourse, the erection of a large new smelt mill together with a cupola, and the tall chimney that is still an important feature today.

He then greatly improved the road between Grassington and Gargrave, where he owned a wharf on the Leeds-Liverpool canal. 

Lead mines chimney
A brief history of Grassington
Grassington set in Wharfedale
Grassington, as it appears to us today, is comparatively new given the fact that in much earlier times most people lived less than half a mile away to the north at Lea Green above Grass and Bastow Woods.

This is one of the richest archaeological sites in the north of England, thanks to the gradual migration of the settlement towards its present location, leaving the older sites still exposed.

Here you can see Bronze Age burial mounds, Celtic villages and fields, Romano-British settlements, and medieval farmsteads in close proximity.  Research has suggested that these settlements date back to around 2000BC.

There is also evidence of two Celtic villages located between Grassington and Bastow Wood.

 

 

 

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The Romans arrived in Upper Wharfedale around 50AD, departing in the 5th century, during which time they quickly developed the area around Grassington as an important grain growing area comprising hundreds of acres of Romano-British development building on the earlier Celtic agricultural site. 

 As far as development within the bounds of present day Grassington is concerned this also goes back a very long way, probably to the 7th century, since the Domesday Book in the year 1087 recorded that at this time there was already 300 acres of arable and meadow land in its vicinity, upon which tax was paid to the King.  This site would have been chosen on account of it being located on a fairly level shelf above the more densely wooded slope leading down to the river. 

It was in the context of this rather rough mining boom-town that the tale of Tom Lee arises.  The miners were a tough breed, and it is no coincidence that Grassington police were the first to be armed in Britain.  Cockfighting, bearbaiting and heavy drinking were the entertainments on offer.  Tom Lee was a miner and innkeeper of the “Blue Anchor” around 1760, who had a private grudge against the local doctor, Dr Petty, and murdered him with some accomplices after they had been drinking having been together to a cockfight.  The doctor’s body was eventually discovered after a few attempts to hide it, but the perpetrator was not discovered until Lee’s apprentice confessed some years later.  Lee was tried at York, hanged, and his body gibbeted at what is now called Gibbet Hill in Grass Woods. 

As a result of this great influx of new people into the area, many new properties were built in Grassington, mainly in the form of infilling between the buildings of the farming community, from the latter part of the 17th century up to the early part of the 19th century.  Also a number of the existing larger properties were each split into two or three smaller dwelling units and thus the unique and quaint character of Grassington came into being, many of the little ‘folds’ being the original farmyards in more rural times. In 1855, the Duke of Devonshire, taking his cue from other wealthy benefactors of the time, built the Mechanics Institute, with a library for the education and welfare of the miners.  This was enlarged in 1895, and in 1896, the Duke handed over the Institute to the village who added a large hall, stage and dressing rooms in 1923, and the building underwent a further expansion with the addition of a studio theatre and nursery school in 1998.  

The Devonshire Institute

The late 1870s marked the start of the demise of the lead mining industry and many miners and their families gradually left the area.  Shortly afterwards, Grassington House changed its use from a private house into a boarding house, thus heralding the birth of the tourist industry which is still so important to Grassington today.  Towards the end of the 18th century a new textile industry had grown up with the establishment of Grassington and Linton Mills, but compared with the lead mining industry, these both had a relatively short life.  Grassington Mill had closed by 1894 and Linton Mill was closed in 1959. 




With the coming of the railway in 1902, many new people, mainly Bradford commuters, moved into the area with property development on the increase to meet the rising demand.  

The Railway Station



Often described by locals as a village it is really a small town, as indicated by its name and the fact that it was granted a charter for a market and fair in 1282, which continued to be held regularly until about 1860.  

The town has gradually expanded over this century, from a low point on 1903 when the population was little more than 300, to 1100 today.  Agriculture, quarrying, and tourism are the mainstays of employment here, but there are many professional commuters, and retired people, and increasing numbers of artists, making a lively mix of locals and “offcumd’uns”, a mix which makes the town lively and friendly.

Folk Museum



If you want to know more about the fascinating history of Grassington, why not pay a visit to the Upper Wharfedale Museum in the square which provides reminders of yesteryear, including exhibits of lead mining, craft tools, dales farming, period costumes and folk lore. Upper Wharfedale Museum open from April to October, Tuesday to Sunday from 2.00 – 4.30 pm