OLD photographs of Hawksworth give a glimpse into the long history of the village.

The pictures, from the online archive of Aireborough Historical Society, were taken over a period spanning about 80 years, from sometime before 1902 to 1980.

The history of the village can be traced back to the 11th century when Walter de Hawksworth is known to have lived there. His father John came over with William the Conqueror and died at the battle of Hastings in 1066.

The imposing Hawksworth Hall dates back to around 1611 and was the home of the Hawksworth family for hundreds of years.

During the 19th century the grand house was leased to tenants. In 1960 it became a residential school for the charity Scope and was later occupied by a stairlift company.

The family was connected with renowned artist J.M.W. Turner through Walter Ramsden Hawkesworth (the name was spelt with an e at this stage), who was born at the hall in 1769.

Walter inherited Farnley Hall in 1792 and took the name Fawkes, after a distant relative who had left the property to his family.

A reforming politician who played a prominent role in the anti-slave trade movement, he was also a close friend and one of the earliest patrons of Turner, who was a frequent visitor to Farnley Hall.

Walter Ramsden Fawkes is said to have owned 250 Turner watercolours and 6 large oil paintings, some of which were sold off to pay family debts in 1890. He is believed to be one of the subjects of the 1816Turner painting Grouse Shooting on Beamsley Beacon.

Fawkes was also a keen agriculturist and successful cattle breeder and was one of the founders of Otley Agricultural Society, one of the first of its kind in England.

One image from the AHS archives shows a large crowd at the opening of Hawksworth’s new Methodist Chapel in 1903. An older chapel, which was built in 1837 and closed in 1902, is also pictured.

The land for the new building was donated by Frederick Fawkes of Farnley Hall and was designed by Walker and Collinson of Bradford. The total cost of the new chapel was £940.The opening service was conducted outside, possibly because of the large numbers attending.

Hawksworth Hall is one of the images on an undated multi-view postcard, which also shows Lilac Cottage, Main Street, a general view and Carrier Ted’s Cottage.

The postcard also carries the name “Windyridge” - a fictional village from the best selling 1912 novel of the same name written by Bradford-born author Willie Riley. The village of Windyridge is based on Hawksworth.

Two photographs are of Hawksworth in the 1920. One of them shows the Church of England primary school, with two little girls stood outside. The school was built on land given by Ayscough Fawkes and when it opened in 1874 it had eleven pupils and one teacher.

Two photographs taken in 1980 shows ancient landmarks on Hawksworth Moor.

The first is the Reva Cross which is set into a boundary wall on the moor. Its origins are unknown but the landmark was noted in the 15th Century.

The second marks Horncliffe Well - an ancient healing well, where the water reputedly never runs dry - although much of the flow was channelled away by Yorkshire Water in the 1990s.

The well, which marked the old boundary point where the moors of Hawksworth, Bingley and Burley merged, was mentioned in records dating back to 1273.