Major Donald Henry Currer Briggs

Local Councillor and Chairman of Methley UDC at the critical time of amalgamation in 1929, Donald Briggs was able to make his analytical presence felt when he turned round a strong proposal to amalgamate with Castleford and in place direct the Council to join Rothwell and subsequently Leeds MDC. 
His background in this village commenced with the family (Briggs) ownership of of Savile pit along with  other mines and interests where he joined the board in 1918 after military service in the Royal Field Artillery.  Previously he had attended Charterhouse public school in Surrey.     He was to become Chairman of the Company after being  Deputy Chairman and Joint Managing Director.  His titles included JP., MA., AMICE., and  membership of the Midland Institute of Mining Engineers where he was President for a term, he was also a member of the Institution of Mining Engineers.  He also became President of the National Association of Colliery Managers in 1938.    He held a number of positions within the coal trade including sales and exports, he was also on the board of Martins Bank which was to become part of Barclays and a director of the Halifax Building Society.
He was a man of much influence with interests in mining, banking, shipping, textiles and transport. He was a West Riding Magistrate for 38 years and Chairman of the Wakefield bench.
He lived at Hazel House, Methley during most of his working life where he became a member of the urban district council.  Throughout his time and like his predecessors he was an active Unitarian being a warden of Mill Hill Chapel in Leeds.     He wrote an account of the family history which turned out to be a saga of commercial life of industrial Yorkshire, the work entitled ‘A Merchant, A Banker and the Coal Trade’ was published in 1972 two years before his death at Headingley  Leeds.

Cllr Arthur Wright BEM

Reported in the Pontefract and Castleford Express
When Cllr Arthur Wright, of  Leeds Road, Methley, handed his riding check in at Savile Colliery last Friday, he ended 52 years of service there.  In fact, he had worked at no other pit since the day he left school and took his place on the screens at Savile.  Later he moved into the blacksmiths shop and then at 18 he went to the coal face as a ripper.  That was his work until his recent retirement.   From 1933 until the present time he served the National Union of Mineworkers as Delegate.   He has been a member of Rothwell UDC as a representative of the Methley Ward since 1946 and was Chairman in 1955.  He was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1956 in the Queens Birthday Honours List. His other voluntary interests included the welfare of the elderly, he was also a member of the National Playing Fields Association Council.

Bram Russell 1908 - 2001

Bram, born in Mill Lane was the thirteenth of fifteen children.  He started work at Savile at the ripe old age of 13, at the time a small boy for his age.   The Manager of the pit, the diminutive Freddie  Adams said ‘ tha’s as big as me lad, and so tha’s good enough’.  Bram remained at the pit until his retirement in the early 70’s, during that time his involvement in the well being of his fellow workers led to  him becoming Secretary of the Savile Branch of the NUM working with Arthur Wright, a position he held for some 25 years.   He was also a long standing member of the Mineworkers Welfare Institute Management  Committee.
He involved himself in local politics (he was in the labour party when I joined for a short  spell) and as a local councillor played a constructive role in improving domestic housing conditions along with others in insisting on the speedy introduction of water closets at the end of the war. Perhaps his  most notable achievement was in collaboration with Ezra Taylor (Mr Castleford) when they were able to obtain central funding for the construction of the new bridge over the river Calder to  Castleford whilst a councillor on the Transport group.
Bram continued his role in public service after retirement being a prominent figure in the Darby and Joan Club

Amos Illingworth 1837 - 1909

Amos Illingworth, builder of Woodrow, Methley followed on in the family tradition of building, his father William had built the kitchen wing of Methley Hall.    Amos built many  properties in the village but two of note were the Albert Place and the Rose & Crown public house.
His wife to be, Elizabeth Siddall, worked in service at  Methley Hall.  On their wedding day (26th January, 1868) at St Oswalds, the bride walked from the Hall, through the woods and met up with the bridegroom who was building  the houses in the Albert Place.  They walked down to the church, were joined together in holy matrimony, they then walked back and parted company to enable Amos to  carry on with his building work. Elizabeth continued back to her work at the Hall.
Their house was one of the cottages at the top of Fleet Lane.   Amos had his builders yard off Station Road which backed onto the Albert Place.  This was the disused site with stable, storerooms,  slates, ridge tiles and drainage pipes that was used as a playground by kids from Woodrow for years.     We never came across the well that was reportedly in the yard (B Robbins) It would like all the  other wells in the village been filled in following the installation of mains water pipes in the 1880/90’s.  August 2002  Will Illingworth  E-mails me to say that the well was partly under the wall dividing the yard with the first small cottage (Mattinsons).  Will isnt sure that Amos used this yard although his Father Sid Illingworth  worked in it whilst working for Mexborough Estates.  The well was in good use up to WW2 producing putty lime and hair lime plaster for use on lathed ceilings, will adds that his  Grandmother made her pin money making and selling buckets of lime at 1p for painting ceilings before distemper came in.  Dulux beware.

Ronald Lewis

Born in Methley at St Margarets Road, the family later moving to the ‘newer’ houses on Savile Road.   Ron attended Mickletown School from 1931 to 1937 and then on to Normanton Grammar School until 1943.   I wonder if he ever thought when he was kicking his heels as a youngster near the bus shelter built into the Landsale at Savile Pit (as he must have done at some time) that one day he would get to be Colliery Manager there.
He joined the St Oswalds church choir by pursuasion when, after being caught trespassing with his mate Ken Smith near Shann House.   The tenant, Bob Farrer who was the choirmaster said ‘Now then what are  you two up to?’   To which the feeble reply was ‘We’re only looking for wild flowers’.    ‘Wild flowers! Wild flowers!’ exclaimed Farrer ‘If you come to choir practice on Friday I’ll not take the matter any further’.   This was to be the start of a long association for the pair of them as choristers and later bellringers at the church.

After leaving school, an unsuccessful spell at County Hall, Wakefield prepared the way for him to go for a proper job as an electricians apprentice at Peckfield Colliery, Micklefield. I’m not sure how he managed,  biking it 8 miles there but the return journey which included the downhill Mary Pannel hill would have been a tad quicker.   Luckily for him, Lewis Snr. was appointed to the job of Enginewright at the same pit  where they secured a house virtually in the pit yard, ending his 3 year (4,000 miles /year) trek.    That additional travelling must have provided an incentive to  ambition, because after getting his electricians papers he went on to qualifying as a Mining Engineer in 1953.
This enabled him to get on the ladder - as a shotfirer at  Methley Junction Pit, which brought him back to Little Church Lane Methley (No more biking) with subsequent stints at Whitwood and Primrose Hill as Undermanager and Fox Pit, Altofts as Colliery Manager.

So there he was, 1966 and driving in past that old bus shelter at Savile Landsale no doubt looking forward to a warm welcome from some of his old schoolmates.      He got one from  Ted Portman, Fred Howson, Jimmy Gee and the colliers of No.3 Panel Beeston seam.   He was also President of the Miners Welfare (Stute), inheriting a not uncomplicated responsibility there  that went with the job.    His term at Savile was clearly  successful, productivity had increased greatly during his stay and he left to become manager at superpit Kellingley.  Now treading the  retirement boards, he tells me among other things he likes to look at this web site.

Harry Wright (Snr)

He was to become the day shift overman at Savile Pit supervising day shift operations until the later arrival of the colliery manager.    He applied himself to the task with some ease having worked his way up through the ranks, and with that experience having all of the answers at his fingertips.  He could be stern and when necessary, unforgiving to those who displayed disinterest in the work including those in supervisory positions.  Woe betide the deputy who failed to carry out his requests to his own high standards, likewise workmen showing lack of effort or attendance would hear the full blast of the displeasure of the day shift overman.    Mind he wasn't always too keen on paperwork, when it came to working out the contract earnings in the early hours of the Saturday shift he would often say 'thee see to that lad and I'll go over it when tha's finished' to make sure its been done right.’

But lets go back a piece – born in Methley in 1898 he followed his father to Savile pit on leaving school (he completed 52 years there) with the exception of his service in the Coldstream Guards an achievement of which he was rightly proud.    His father James Arthur (was known at the pit as 'Captain') who in addition played the big drum in the Methley Silver Prize Band.  No doubt that’s were Harry got his interest because he became a cornet player in the Altofts and Normanton Prize Band.   Harry and Edith on retirement moved into a bungalow in Woodhall Grove which is on the the old Dennison Square site where the young Harry was brought up.

His granddaughter Carole who provided me with some background information reports that she holds his certificate of 52 years service signed by Lord Robens the then Chairman of the National Coal Board.   Carole tells me he was a dedicated and trustworthy man – I knew all that Carole, but she was also pleased to say how good a Granddad he was.    I'm pleased to report that whilst making these enquiries and reading up on the web site Family History page, Carole was able to locate a distant relative who had made contact seeking family connections.  This is one of eight electronic connections to my knowledge made through the web site.