The unmarried mothers would pay a sum of money – £10 has been
recorded – and hand over their baby.
The child would then be sold to childless couples.
In many cases – especially where the child was difficult to
sell – the children were murdered.
See
Gibbet Law
They were built in terraces each house with a small yard and with
an alley between the terraces.
The occupants of a block frequently shared an earth closet or
a water closet.
The houses made best of the available land.
The first terraces were built to fill the narrow spaces between the
existing streets.
In 1886, 71% of all housing in Leeds was back-to-back.
These were often built by building clubs formed by groups of workers.
The early houses had no private water supply or drainage, and waste
was emptied into the streets.
A single toilet might serve an entire courtyard.
Some such houses had a cellar.
Some were just one-up-one-down houses, others had a living room
opening directly off the street and a scullery on the ground floor,
two bedrooms on the first floor and a single attic room.
A third type had a small yard between the street and the house, and
its own toilet in the cellar which was reached via steps in the front
yard.
Those at Copley were considered to be good examples, but, because
of the absence of through-ventilation, such houses were criticised by
reformers and by the Public Health Act [1848].
Legislation in 1866 controlled the quality of new dwellings and the
construction of back-to-back houses was prohibited for a time in the
19th century.
The Housing & Town Planning Act [1909] declared such housing
unfit for human habitation and outlawed all back-to-backs.
But many permits were given before the laws were passed and
back-to-back houses continued to be built until the 1920s.
Many were demolished in the 1960s, in favour of tower blocks, and
others were modernised by adding a bathroom and converting the
attic into an extra bedroom.
The word was often used in street names – such as Back Raglan Street and Back Rhodes Street – to indicate a separate
street of back-to-back housing where the houses back on to Raglan Street and Rhodes Street, respectively
See
Galleried houses
Baitings Farm, Ripponden was a resting place for stage coach and
packhorse travellers over Blackstone Edge between Lancashire &
Yorkshire
A rich embroidered silk and gold fabric.
The name is a variant of Baghdad where the fabric was made
Previously, landlords and employers were able to check the votes
placed.
Poll Books were published which showed the candidate for whom
each named elector voted, the names of those electors who did not
vote, the names of those electors who voted more than once, the names
of those electors whose votes were not taken or were rejected
See
Corvee
Formed in 1847, by the Rev Jabez Tunnicliffe of Leeds
and Mrs Carlile, an Irish lady.
By 1905 the movement had over 3 million members in 22,576 Bands of
Hope.
These held regular meetings and encouraged children and others
to sign the pledge to be temperate.
A popular song sung at meetings was
The movement faded between the 2 World Wars.
See
Bolton Brow Band of Hope,
Brighouse & Rastrick Band of Hope Union,
Calderdale Wesley Band of Hope,
Calderdale Wesley Band of Hope,
Cornholme & Shore United Band of Hope,
Eastwood Band of Hope Society,
Halifax & District Band of Hope Union,
Hebden Bridge & District Band of Hope Union,
Smith Knowles,
John J. Lane,
Mount Zion Primitive Methodist Band of Hope, Norland,
Band of Hope Society New Road Sunday School, Rastrick,
Northgate End Band of Hope,
Band of Hope Society Park Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Brighouse,
Providence Primitive Methodist Chapel, Sowerby,
Benjamin Greenwood Smith and
Todmorden Band of Hope Union
In July 1811, Prime Minister Spencer Perceval made banknotes
legal tender, on the grounds that the value of gold had appreciated
owing to the drain on it for military payments.
The scarcity of small coins led to an increase in the use
of banknotes, promissory notes and foreign coins.
There were few bankers outside London, and the bigger merchants,
tradesmen and business-men acted as bankers.
They issued their own banknotes and tokens, and these were
acceptable by local tradesmen.
Some examples were those of
Gamaliel Sutcliffe,
Sutcliffe's John, Thomas & James Sutcliffe,
Rawdon family and
Turner, Bent & Company
In turn, this avoided many of the problems created by the coiners
of the 18th century.
On 26th January 1808, a meeting of the tradesmen and
others at the Talbot Inn expressed concern about the
increasing circulation of country notes in the town and neighbourhood.
See
Foreign coins
This & associated entries use material contributed by Alan Longbottom
Typically, 3 banns were read out in church on 3 successive Sundays.
The reading of the banns enabled any objections or impediments to the
proposed marriage – such as
one, or both of the parties, being already married,
one, or both of the parties, being under-age,
the couple being related,
or
absence of consent
- to be raised.
A couple who wished to be married had to perform one of two
procedures: either banns were published, or a marriage licence was
obtained.
The Lateran Council of 1215 required that an intended marriage
was to be read 3 times at weekly intervals in the parish church of
the man and woman – the bann.
The church authorities issued marriage licences for those who did
not wish to have the banns read out publicly, or who wished to marry
quickly.
It had been legally possible to be married without calling the banns
until 1754 when the Marriage Act [1753] came into force.
After that date, a banns book was maintained in many parishes.
Banns-only registers were introduced in 1823.
See
Spurrins
Since the Church of England considered Nonconformists to be
heretical, many ceremonies conducted by the Nonconformist churches
were not recognised beyond those churches.
Thus, many children who were baptised by a Nonconformist church, had
the ceremony repeated in the local Parish Church.
See
Baptists,
Miscellaneous Baptisms and
Marriage
This & associated entries use material contributed by Ainley Wade
Some local examples include:
Birk's Lane End Bar,
Clifton Common Bar,
Derby Bar,
Ganny Bar, Brighouse,
Machpelah Bar, Hebden Bridge,
Mayroyd Bar, Hebden Bridge,
Old Lane Chain Bar toll-gate and
Pecket Bar, Pecket Well
See
Mersey flat and
Tom Pudding barge
See
Inch
See
Feme
Barrels and casks are made by a cooper
A bartoner was a farmer.
See
Burton
See
The Basket-Maker's Shop Shibden Hall
The term bastardy was used from the 16th century onwards in
England
When the Overseer of the Poor identified the father of an
illegitimate child, he would issue an agreement between the father
and the parish to pay costs relating to the child – the money was
called a bond of indemnification.
A maintenance order made on the birth of the child required the
father to pay a named sum – typically around £40, or a smaller
amount to cover the costs of the birth and a weekly amount for the
child's maintenance until the child was 14 years old.
A labourer would have a smaller sum fixed say 2/- a week, and a
master or farmer up to 3/6d.
If the father absconded, a bastardy warrant was issued to
track him down and force him to pay towards the support of the child
See
H. Lister
See
Underground City of Naours and
Thiepval Memorial Cemetery, Somme, France
A bay is typically 12 ft to 15 ft in length, but may be as little as
9 ft.
The word is also used for the internal parts of a timber-framed
building
Much of the cloth was produced in East Anglia, notably Sudbury
and Colchester, Essex as a part of the New Draperies scheme,
and was made using wool from Leicester.
A baymaker was someone who produced such cloth
The Halifax beacon stood on Beacon Hill.
In 1872, the pan fell, but it was re-erected for the late Queen's
Diamond Jubilee in 1897.
The reconstruction is still used for special occasions
The beadle may also be an assistant to the reeve.
Some parishes also hired them to run the workhouse
The bear was tied to a post and attacked by bulldogs in order to
judge which dog was the bravest.
This was banned from the early 19th century.
Bears were also trained to dance and perform to music
Members included:
The element from the Old Norse bekkr
The list was read out in church on Sundays, Christmas
and Michaelmas.
See
Chantry
Many beech woods – such as those at Judy Woods – were planted to
provide wood for this purpose
In the mediæval period, beer was widely drunk by people of all ages
and was safer than the water.
It also provided many of the vitamins and carbohydrates in the
diet – see Temperance.
Beer was usually made in large batches by the men of the household
and by commercial brewers.
Geoffrey Siddall writes
Water supply was so variable, and in any urban area, no-one knew
where the source was, or where sewage – animal or human – might have
been introduced.
Consequently, the drinking of beer by all classes and ages became
common, purely because the water had to be boiled during the process.
The beer made was made in the traditional way, but without the use of
hops.
The alcohol produced in the fermentation process, gave the beer a
rather sweeter taste, more to the palate of women and children.
Especially as the small beer given to them was rather weaker.
The use of hops, which have a slight disinfectant quality, helped to
keep the beer longer, and helped to make it possible to buy
commercially germ-free water.
This is similar to the way we buy bottled water today, when the
supply is suspect.
With improved transport, this made possible the rapid growth of
breweries.
The brewing of beer by the housewife, was largely discontinued during
World War I, but still carried on at isolated farms, particularly
where surface water was collected.
How important this was, is illustrated by the life and death in
Haworth, where the water flowed down through the graveyard before it
was collected
See
Brewing,
Ale,
Big beer,
Grout,
Small beer,
Stingo,
Stout,
Tiplash and
Zona beer
This & associated entries use material contributed by Geoffrey Siddall
In the 1830s, with the Beerhouses Act, they were promoted as
a means of diverting the poor from gin.
Some beerhouses had names, such as the Cloggers' Arms, Walsden,
whilst others were known simply as the XXX Street beerhouse.
In 1872, there were 42,590 beerhouses in England and Wales, but none
in Scotland or Ireland, and there were 3,162 licences to people who
sell beer for consumption off the premises.
It was not uncommon for beerhouse-keepers to have another trade or
business to supplement their income.
Beerhouses disappeared and were replaced by licensed victuallers.
See
Bank Bottom Beerhouses, Halifax,
Noah's Ark, Ovenden,
Temperance and
Wine & Beerhouse Act [1869]
It allowed anyone – on payment of a fee of two guineas to the
local excise authorities – to sell beer without a licence, in
contrast to a licensed victualler who could sell all types of drink
and required a licence from local magistrates.
Beerhouses were promoted as a means of diverting the poor from
drinking gin.
This led to a marked increase in the number of public houses – and
there were about 30,000 establishments throughout Britain.
Some local pubs which opened at this time include
Malt Shovel, Brighouse,
New Inn, Brighouse and
Round House, Brighouse.
The Wine & Beerhouse Act [1869] required beerhouses to apply for a
licence from the magistrates.
See
Licensing Act [1904],
Licensing Hours and
Temperance
The process is known as beetling
See
Abraham man,
Badger,
Bang-beggar,
Cadger,
Couple beggar,
Dummerer,
Palliard,
Ruffler,
Soul cakes,
Vagrant Acts and
Whipping
See
Behove
See
Behoof
See
Zebra crossing
A small mine had a narrow vertical shaft sunk down into the seam.
This opened out into a small chamber where the mining activity took
place, gradually extending outwards and increasing the size of the
chamber.
The coal/iron ore and the workers were carried to the surface by
means of a basket, or a ladder.
Candles or lamps were used for illumination.
The pits often flooded because there was no drainage system.
When the mine was exhausted, or the roof had become unsafe, the pit
was abandoned.
The mines were then filled in.
As the back-fill compacted, this often resulted in a small shallow
basin many of which are still visible at the surface.
Some examples can be seen in the photographs here.
A common way of filling in the shafts was to put a tree trunk down
the shaft.
As the wood decays, this may make the surface pit unsafe.
The disused pits were then used for tanning.
There are many oak trees in the vicinity at Clifton.
There are many examples in
the Clifton area, including those in Whitaker Pit Woods,
and
in Judy Woods.
Later, the benefit was extended to anyone who could read.
The test passage was frequently the 1st verse of Psalm 51 (psalm 50
in the Vulgate version):
See
Robert Pilkington and
Thomas Pilkington
See
Friendly Society
Baby farmers Ref 1-1508 Bachelors' Ball Ref 1-1294 
Back Ref 1-1408 Back-berand Ref 1-1628 Back-to-back houses Ref 1-18 
Back-to-earth Ref 1-27 Bad blood Ref 1-870 Badgers' Recognisances Ref 1-1124 Bailiff Ref 1-2134 Baiting Ref 1-403 Baize Ref 1-2905 Balance beam Ref 1-2874 Baldachin Ref 1-3037 Bale Ref 1-200 Balk Ref 1-2045 Ballot Act [1872] Ref 1-409 Banalities Ref 1-951 Band of Hope Movement Ref 1-B1230
I drink water when I'm thirsty, Milk and cocoa when I'm tired. Tea
and coffee, very seldom, Alcohol is best when fired
Band Walk Ref 1-1548 Bands Ref 1-B80 Bank Ref 1-621 Banknotes Ref 1-307 
Banns of marriage Ref 1-2679 Bantams Ref 1-1313 Baptism Ref 1-540 Baptist Ref 1-114
Bar Ref 1-688 Barbe Ref 1-B63 Barge Ref 1-1390 Baring Ref 1-375 Barleycorn Ref 1-1082 Baron & feme Ref 1-1794 Barony Ref 1-B46 Barrel Ref 1-1079 Barton Ref 1-B15 Base-born Ref 1-2190 Basket arch Ref 1-B53
Basket-making industry Ref 1-2521
Basset Ref 1-B68 Bastard Ref 1-2797 Bastardy bond Ref 1-2386 Baths Ref 1-1228 Battering Ref 1-755 Batting Ref 1-235 Battle of Britain Ref 1-751
Battle of Hill 60 Ref 1-1159
Battle of the Somme Ref 1-2673
Battles & Wars Ref 1-B9 Bauge Ref 1-947 Bawdy Court Ref 1-B67 Bay Ref 1-225 Bay Ref 1-53 Bays & says Ref 1-52 Beacon Ref 1-B43 Beadle Ref 1-1852 Beam Ref 1-B36 Bear-baiting Ref 1-1963 Beasts of the chase Ref 1-1513 The Beaver Club Ref 1-1186
Beck Ref 1-625 Bedehouse Ref 1-B18 Bederoll Ref 1-1822 Bedford Ref 1-2913 Bee-bole Ref 1-1948
Bee's wine Ref 1-B17 Beech trees Ref 1-1407 Beer Ref 1-987
The brewing of beer, has long been thought of as a commodity supplied
by large concerns situated many miles away.
It has been forgotten that it used to be a job for a normal busy
housewife.
Beerhouse Ref 1-699 Beerhouse Act [1830] Ref 1-2331
Beetle Ref 1-299 Beggar Ref 1-952 Behoof Ref 1-1676 Behove Ref 1-1677 Belisha beacon Ref 1-940 Bell man Ref 1-B2 Bell Pit Ref 1-717
Belt race Ref 1-2111 Bench-Ends Ref 1-1813 Benchmark Ref 1-2383
Beneficiary Ref 1-978 Benefit of clergy Ref 1-1997
Have mercy upon me, oh God, according to thy loving kindness;
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my
transgressions
and this was known as the neck verse.
Many criminals learned the passage by heart whilst in jail and were
able to read the passage when tried.
The test was abolished in 1705, and the benefit in 1827.
Benevolent society Ref 1-B2178