There has been a settlement in Otley since Neolithic times, with flints and tools being dug up over the years. The first site for a place of worship centred around Burras Hill, where the Parish church now stands. Neolithic spear point finds were located under the properties that used to stand in front of the church, which were numbered 67-79 Kirkgate, demolished in 1933. (Eric Cowling) The Bronze Age axe hammer was unearthed in a garden in Burras Lane.
Remains of a Roman altar were found under the nave and aisles of the Parish Church in 1851 when the church was being restored along with Roman coins. In 1867, another Church restoration revealed the fragments and sections of Anglo-Saxon crosses along with their pillars, which were discovered in the fabric of the church walls and floors. The “Angel Cross” is thought to be a “venerated monument from the 8th century” (Paul Wood). Depicting the Angel Gabriel, the cross shows a monk kneeling before the Angel with three faces carved into the other side along with intricate foliage patterns and the Tree of Life. A replica was constructed for a Memorial to the Fallen and erected in the churchyard in 1922. It now stands in the Garden of Remembrance in Bondgate.
Archbishop’s “Palace” or Manor House, Otley
William the Conqueror was crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1066 by the 24th Archbishop of York named Aldred, who was also the ninth lord of Otley. The Norman Manor consisted of some 30,000 acres of land around the town of Otley, stretching to the borders of Bingley and Ilkley. The Manor House was erected in the 11th century on the south side of the river with a commanding view of the bridge. An excavation of the site took place 1968-1970, and a full report is held by the Museum. The finds were of carved stone, pottery, window glass and coins that implied the building was grand in nature, even if the incumbents did not spend a great deal of time living there.
Cross Green, Otley
In medieval times, Cross Green was considered out of town and the poorer end of Otley. The Leper Hospital, a workhouse and a lock-up (in later years) were accommodated there. The land was divided up into equal plots or burgages for rent. These plots were used for tenants’ cottages, farming, orchards, barns, stables and cowhouses.
In 1975, the foundations were laid for the Jehovah’s Witness Chapel after the completion of an archaeological dig. The Chapel was built on the site of 35-45 Cross Green, which had been residential accommodation. Finds of pottery were from the 17th to the 19th Century.
Nelson Street, Otley
In 2006, the new library was opened on Nelson Street. A limited archaeological dig had taken place and revealed evidence of domestic life from the 12th to the 14th centuries. Postholes and a hearth of a timber building were uncovered and fragments of pottery collected. The site had been 19th-century cottages, some of which were demolished in the 1930s as part of the Slum Clearance Act. The remaining cottages had been demolished to make way for the Post Office in 1967.
Otley has grown and prospered over the centuries. The Victorian era led to the development of industry and agriculture, which expanded the town and the population. Unfortunately, their path of progress meant there are few recordings of finds. One such recording was noted in 1866 when extensions were being built at William Walker’s publishing works in Kirkgate. Human and animal remains were found along with Roman coins, but no mention exists of the outcome. The site for the Japanese Garden cut through the contours of Burras Hill to render the land flatter for the intended garden and recreation hall, leaving no evidence of what had been there before. It follows that, as Otley has a long history of settlement and habitation that we are probably still walking, and driving, over the evidence of domestic life and their bones.
