Place:East Ardsley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

NOTE: This article is about East Ardsley, a community now within Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. There is another community named Ardsley in Barnsley in South Yorkshire. The two places are about 20 miles apart.

the following text is a condensation of an article in Wikipedia

East Ardsley is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is south of Leeds city centre and north of the City of Wakefield. Being in the middle of several towns, East Ardsley has become a dormitory settlement. The village is approximately 140 metres (459 ft) above sea level.

East Ardsley was part of Ardsley East and West Urban District 1894-1937, which also included Tingley and West Ardsley, and was then part of Morley Municipal borough 1937-1974. The village is still classed as part of Morley in the census, however, it is technically separate, and is not governed by Morley Town Council.

East Ardsley is in the Leeds City Council ward of Ardsley and Robin Hood, which elects three councillors to Leeds City Council, and it is in the Morley and Outwood parliamentary constituency.

The village was known as "Erdeslau" in the Domesday Book of 1086 and by 1285 the name had changed to "Ardeslawe".

East Ardsley had a very diverse economy at one point, including agriculture, textiles, railways and coal-mining. Its coal mine closed in 1968--the same year that the nearby Middleton pit closed. Its textile mill has also closed.

Historically, it was an ecclesiastical parish in the Agbrigg division of the Agbrigg and Morley Wapentake.

Research Tips

• GENUKI on East Ardsley. The GENUKI page gives numerous references to local bodies providing genealogical assistance.
• A Vision of Britain through Time on East Ardsley.
• The FamilySearch wiki on the ecclesiastical parish of East Ardsley provides a list of useful resources for the local area.