Speaker’s Meeting – KEIGHLEY & DISTRICT LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY

April’s History Society Meeting

The April meeting of the Keighley and District Local History Society’s is next Wednesday evening (8th April 2026). In a change from the usual venue, we will be meeting at St. John’s Church in Ingrow. History Society committee member Steve Bown will be giving his talk ‘Buried at St. John’s’.

Steve says: “The first person to be buried at St. John’s was a Frederick Simpson of Papermill Bridge, who was buried in April 1843, just over a month after the church first opened its doors. Since then the churchyard has become the final resting place for mill owners and town mayors, doctors and soldiers, farmhands and factory workers. There are some tragic cases of suicides and poisonings, and a sobering number of infants buried in the grounds. I will be telling some of their stories – and if the weather is good we might go out and look at some of the gravestones and memorials.”

The meeting will be held in the church on South Street on Wednesday 8th March. Doors will open at 7.15pm, and the meeting starts at around 7.20pm, finishing around 8.30pm. Anyone is welcome to attend the meeting. There is no charge to attend this meeting but there will be a collection in aid of the church. History Society members also have the option of joining the meeting via Zoom.

It is recommended that people coming along to the meeting wear warm clothes and sensible shoes. There are footpaths around most of the churchyard but some gravestones are set back from the paths.

Anyone interested in joining the History Society can do so at this meeting. Membership for the year costs £15 per person or £20 for a couple. As well as getting you free access to all the monthly meetings, membership also gets you the society’s quarterly newsletter plus the chance to attend members-only events.

Happy New Year!

The History Society would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

2026 is shaping up to be very exciting, with a very interesting set of guest-speakers and events lined up.

To start us off we have author Anthony C. Cartwright telling us the story of the anti-vaxxers, starting with objections to Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine in the early 19th century, a propaganda war waged by the Anti-Compulsory Vaccination League and its successor from 1853 to 1972, and then brings things up to date covering the first two decades of the 21st century. In particular, he will talk about the Keighley Guardians who in the 1870s were imprisoned in York for the stand they took. Tony brings a well-informed perspective to the history, having worked as a UK Medicines Agency drug regulator for twenty years, but also having had an adverse reaction to a vaccine in the 1960s.

Tony has written a book on the subject, ‘A History of Vaccines and Anti-Vaxxers’, more details can be found on Tony’s website (https://anthonybooks.co.uk/).

The History Society’s first meeting of 2026 is on Wednesday 14th January at 7.15pm. It is a Zoom-only meeting, open just to History Society members (details on how to join the meeting will be sent out to members via email a few days in advance).

June 2025 Meeting

The History Society’s next meeting will be held in the main hall of Keighley Civic Centre on Wednesday 11th June. The guest speaker will be Heather Millard, Community Curator for Bradford District Museums and Galleries. Her talk is entitled “The Stained Glass of Cliffe Castle”. It will cover the glass original to the house, the ones that are missing, those brought into the museum collections, and the ones that have been restored.

Heather says: “When you visit Cliffe Castle, one of the key features that you can’t miss is the Stained Glass on display. Spanning several centuries, the glass on display tells many stories – from the spectacular Butterfield Window, seen on the Grand Staircase – the pared back early 20th Glass by Hugh Arthur Kennedy, or the Pre-Raphaelite glass by Morris and Co featuring pieces by Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Morris and more. My talk delves in the stories behind the windows and explores some of the fascinating histories behind what you now see.”

The History Society’s monthly meetings are on the second Wednesday of each month. Our meetings are held upstairs in the main hall of Keighley Civic Centre on North Street. There is a lift at the front of the building and one inside for anyone who needs it. Doors will open at 7.15pm, and the meeting starts at around 7.20pm. We finish around 8.30pm. Anyone is welcome to attend the meeting. Entry costs £3.50 (or free if you are a history society member). History Society members also have the option of joining the meeting via Zoom.

New members are always welcome to come along. You can join the society at any of our meetings. Membership costs £15 for the calendar year or £20 for a couple living at the same address. As well as the monthly guest speakers there are also members-only events such as a forthcoming behind-the-scenes visit to the Bronte Parsonage Museum. Details of the society’s meetings and events can be picked up at any of their meetings or from the Local Studies Library desk.

October Guest-Speaker

This month’s History Society guest speaker talk on Zoom will be “North Street and beyond as seen through the lens of Wilfred Moore”, a presentation by local historian Eddie Kelly. Some of you will know that Wilfred Moore was the father of Captain Sir Tom Moore as well as being a keen photographer around Keighley. The talk features many rarely-seen images of the town.

The talk is happening on Wednesday 13th October. ‘Doors open’ at 7pm. It is a History Society members-only talk but if you want to join the Society please click here. History Society members should receive their email from Anne-Marie with details on how to join the meeting in the next few days.

A view of North Street, Keighley. Detail from a Lilywhite Ltd. postcard.

This month’s Zoom talk

A reminder that this month’s History Society talk is on “Sideshows, Fairs and Exhibitions in Victorian Times”, given by Tish Lawson. It is happening on Zoom (as are all our meetings until the start of 2022).

The talk is for History Society members only, who should receive their email with details on how to join in the next few days. If you want to join the History Society please see our website or make a comment below and we will be in touch.

‘Doors open’ for the Zoom meeting open at 7pm on Wednesday 8th September. There is an update on History Society business at 7.15 and the talk starts at 7.30pm. The talk usually lasts around one hour.

August’s Zoom Meeting

This month’s guest speaker talk on Zoom is a Virtual Walk around Keighley Town Centre, illustrated by photographs, maps and vintage images of the town. It is happening on Wednesday 11th August.

The event is for History Society members only but you can join the History Society by going to our website. Members should already have received their email with details on how to join the meeting on Zoom.

‘Doors’ open at 7pm, with the usual History Society update at 7.15pm and the talk itself starts at 7.30pm.

Zoom talks for rest of year

The History Society Zoom meetings have been announced for the rest of this year. They are:

11th August – A Virtual Walk Round Keighley. We will be recreating a guided-tour around the town centre through maps, photographs and archive images.

8th September – Sideshows, Fairs and Exhibitions in Victorian Times, a presentation given by regular guest-speaker Tish Lawson.

13th October – North Street and beyond as seen through the lens of Wilfred Moore, a presentation by local historian Eddie Kelly. Some of you will know that Wilfred Moore was the father of Captain Sir Tom Moore as well as being a keen photographer around Keighley.

10th November – Annual General Meeting.8th December – Christmas Meeting, including an archive talk from the late Ian Dewhirst on the theme of Keighley Christmases past.

The meetings are free to paid-up History Society members and take place on Zoom on Wednesday evenings from 7pm. If you would like to join the History Society please comment below or visit our website.

We have already started lining up guest-speakers for 2022 and we are hoping to resume our meetings in the Library as well as continuing to use Zoom. If you are interested in giving a talk to the History Society please get in touch.

Guest-speaker in July

This month’s guest speaker talk on Zoom will be given by Steve Bown. His talk is entitled “Keighley MPs: Millmen, Offcumdens and Swing” and is happening on Wednesday 14th July. This meeting is exclusively for members who have paid to join the History Society. If you would like to know how to become a member please drop us a line in the comments. Members will receive their invites on how to join the meeting via email a few days before the talk.

The ‘doors’ will open at 7pm but the talk won’t start until around 7.30pm. This is to give people the chance to log in to the meeting and for updates on Society news.

Future talks for the rest of the year include Tish Lawson on “Sideshows, Fairs and Exhibitions in Victorian Times”, Eddie Kelly on “North Street and beyond as seen through the lens of Wilfred Moore”, and an Ian Dewhirst presentation from the archives.

Keighley MPs John Binns, Sir Swire Smith, Ann Cryer and Sir Robert Clough are just four of the MPs to feature in the talk by guest speaker Steve Bown on 14th July 2021.

Guest-speaker in June

Our next guest speaker meeting on Zoom is scheduled for Wednesday 9th June. This month’s speaker is respected family historian and researcher Sylvia Valentine, giving a talk entitled ‘Vaccination Records for Family History’. Sylvia will cover the records which were created as a result of the compulsory smallpox vaccination legislation from 1840 and will discuss the anti-vaccinators who were able to “take over” the board of guardians in Keighley.

This meeting is exclusively for members who have paid to join the History Society. Members will receive an email invite in the next few days – remember to look out for it. If you would like to become a member please click here.

The ‘doors’ will open at 7pm but the talk won’t start until around 7.30pm. This is to give people the chance to log in to the meeting and for updates on Society news.

Sylvia Valentine’s talk on Vaccination Records for Family History is on the 9th June. The main picture is a photograph from Dean Smith & Grace, held in the History Society’s archive.

Zoom Meeting in May

This month’s online Zoom talk is a History of St John’s Church in Ingrow, given by Tim Neal. The talk is happening on Wednesday 12th May from 7pm. Usually our meetings are members-only but this one is open to all.

If you are interested in coming along, please message the Society or add a comment below. The Society’s vice-chairperson, Steve Bown, will be in touch with details on how to join the meeting. Please express your interest before the day itself because we will be busy setting the meeting up on the day. Paid-up members of the Society will receive their email invitations as usual.

‘Doors’ open at 7pm so we can check everything is working, then there is a History Society update at 7.15pm before the presentation starts at 7.30pm. We look forward to seeing you there.