NEWFIELD EDGE. COLIN IMRIE INFORMATION

[Stanley]

Postscript by Colin Imrie AUGUST 1998

With reference to page 29, it is true that William Bracewell took up residence in Newfield Edge in 1845 but he never owned the property, in spite of his ownership of the two mills and much of the land and properties in Barnoldswick. The house, barn and attached cottage had been built by the Mitchell family in 1770. In September 1837 an indenture refers to Mary Anne Bracewell, Anne Mitchell, John Bracewell and Thomas Lonsdale who in all probability were descendants of the original owner. In the same year Mary Anne Bracewell married a William Fawcett and the ownership of Newfield Edge passed into the Fawcett family. This family resided in the house until 1845 when it was rented by William Bracewell. Mr Bracewell was not directly related as far as it is known to the afore mentioned Bracewells, being the son of Mr. Christopher Bracewell, a manufacturer of Green end House Earby. There was a memorial tablet to the Fawcetts of Newfield Edge , seen by the writer in the former Baptist Chapel, Manchester Road Barnoldswick before it was demolished in 1977. William Bracewell enlarged the house at the back to accommodate the first bathroom in Barnoldswick. The original bath of cast iron with mahogany surround was so large there were two small steps to aid entry. It remained in place until removed by the writer in 1959. The addition with the bathroom upstairs and a new kitchen below can easily be identified. The small home farm of 20 acres was run by one man at one time named Moses Lea and his family who lived in the cottage. The resident maids lived in the attics and were able to reach the kitchen area by a narrow back stairs which had been installed into the original house. A coachman/gardener was also employed full time. Interestingly the upstairs w.c. in a small room attached to the bathroom had two pull chains, one for the w.c. and one for an external bell, which could be rung for the attendance of the outdoor staff. It was possible to make an embarrassing mistake!

William Bracewell was widowed and remarried and had two further daughters. The eldest died when she was aged eight to ten years of age. Her full length portrait remained on the landing until 1970 when the house was sold by the writer and his wife Dr Jean Imrie. The youngest daughter Ada Whitaker Bracewell married a Mr. Joseph Slater, a cotton manufacturer who owned Clough Mill. In June 1914 they purchased Newfield Edge from a Cecily Debora Fawcett with the provision that if a Mary Anne Fawcett presented herself she was to be paid the sum of £200.00. The provision was still included in a contract made between Mrs. Hilda Mary Greenwood wife of William Greenwood of Burley- in- Wharfedale the only child of Joseph and Ada Slater and Colin and Jean Imrie when they purchased the house, barn and cottage but not the land in October 1959. Mrs Ada Slater had died on the 8th May 1959 at the age of 94yrs having lived all her life at Newfield Edge. At the time of her death the staff apart from two nurses as she was latterly bedridden were Tracey the maid, Mrs Coppinger daily help and laundress and Mr. Bracewell no relation as gardener/chauffeur. The barn at the time was rented by a Mr. Joe Green who lived in Smith Street, the cottage being derelict. Prior to Mr Green, the farm had been worked first as an employee, and later in life as a tenant by a Mr Thomas Spencer Tomlinson. His Bradley grandsons still farm in Salterforth. The cottage was renovated by the writer in 1963. In 1966 the two fields behind Newfield Edge were sold by Dacre Son & Hartley on behalf of Mrs Greenwood at public auction on the 20th June. The two fields at the front were in the same year sold to an Ilkley builder a Mr Hudson, thereby ending the connection with the Bracewell family.
In 1970 the writer and his wife sold Newfield Edge House, and in 1972 moved into Elm tree House. Thornton-in-Craven which is shown with the wall on the left hand side of the writer’s drawing on page 42. This house had also belonged to a well known Barnoldswick cotton manufacturing family of Widdups.