Kirkheaton

KIRKHEATON, a village, a township, a parish, and a sub-district in Huddersfield

Kirkheaton St John the Baptist

Kirkheaton (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of Huddersfield, Upper division of the Wapentake of Agbrigg, W. Riding of York; containing 11,930 inhabitants, of whom 3165 are in the township of Kirkheaton, 2½ miles (E. by N.) from Huddersfield. The parish consists of the townships of Kirk-Heaton, Dalton, Lepton, and Whitley; and is bounded on the east by the river Calder, which separates it from Mirfield, and on the north-east by the Colne, over which is a handsome bridge.
It comprises by computation 6500 acres, whereof about 1800 are arable, 4200 grass-land, and 450 wood. The surface is mountainous; several coal-mines are in operation, and some quarries of good building and flagstone are wrought.
The village is pleasantly situated in a deep valley, watered by one of the tributaries of the Colne; the inhabitants are employed in weaving in their cottages a species of fancy goods, a mixture of cotton, woollen, and silk, for gowns and waistcoats.
At Colne bridge is a large cotton-mill. The road from Huddersfield to Wakefield, and the Manchester and Leeds railway, pass through the parish.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £25. 13. 9., and in the patronage of the Rev. J. Alderson, with a net income of £537: the tithes of the townships of Kirkheaton and Dalton were commuted for land under acts of inclosure in 1799.
The church is an ancient structure, with a tower; its principal benefactors were the Hetons, formerly lords of the manor: in the sepulchral chapel of the Beaumont family are some handsome monuments.
There are places of worship for Wesleyans. From: 'Heath - Heaton-Norris', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 459-462. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk

A Brief Description of Kirkheaton by J.R. Ellam.

Kirkheaton was known as Heaton or has the locals called it Yetton. The oldest headstone now to be found in the graveyard is dated 1624, but people were being buried here long before that. The church dates back to the Saxon times and the village was mentioned in the Doomsday Book.
The De Heaton headstone, which is believed to date back to 1218, is now situated in the church, and there is a lot of even earlier evidence too.
Part of an Anglo-Saxon cross was found during rebuilding work, dating back to the 9th century. This, along with several gravestones from the same period can now be seen in the local Tolson Museum.
The footprint of Kirkheaton church was used as the plan for Mirfield and the main church in the area was Dewsbury. The lands were given to the De Lacy family after the conquest and they were based at Pontefract.
The best sauces of information is the Tolson book on Kirkheaton but there aren't that many copies so you would struggle to find it.