The following is an extract from Arthur Mee’s ‘The King’s England, Yorkshire, West Riding, first published in 1941.
A manufacturing town with a great trade in rag and wool, it has an imposing town hall and a peace memorial with a soldier looking down on the marketplace. Holy Trinity Church, rebuilt last century, is a lofty pile looking its best outside, its great central tower crowned with a spire. The quaint little house of 1684, near Storrs Hill road, would be a familiar sight to Benjamin Ingham*, the Ossett boy who began life in 1712, became an enthusiastic member of the Oxford group known as Methodists, and was a lifelong friend of John Wesley. He was with Wesley in Georgia, but when he came back he joined the Moravian settlement near Leeds, and afterwards formed a strange religious order of his own known as Inghamites.

THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY AND UNDIVIDED TRINITY
Research by Anne-Marie Fawcett and Steve Wilson
Standing 226 feet tall and situated on a plateau some 300ft above sea level, the Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity dramatically dominates the skyline for miles around. A large impressive church, it is an important and instantly recognised landmark in the area and was afforded Grade ll* listing in May 1988.
Ossett has been served by chapels and churches since around 1409 and this magnificent edifice replaced the original Trinity Church which had been erected in the Market Place in 1806 – which itself replaced an even earlier place of worship. The old church was largely financed by Reverend Edward Kilvington who ultimately became so big and heavy that he couldn’t get up the stairs of the pulpit. This led to the installation of a three-decker pulpit, which in reality was a primitive lift. Before the Sunday service, he got into his chair at the bottom of the pulpit steps and then the church sexton, by hauling a rope, slowly wound him up to the top level! The old church, which was said by some to have looked more like a courthouse and was described as ‘small, inconvenient and an obstruction to traffic’, was inadequate for the needs of the township; yet it was almost 60 years before a new church was provided.


The old Chapel of Ease was sketched by JK Garlick, Ossett Borough Surveyor. To give us an idea of where it once stood Steve Mitchell has used the only photo known to exist of its demolition in 1866.
Born in Middlesex in 1825, Thomas Lee was the son of a gentleman and was said to be ’eminently suited to serving Ossett’. By the age of 28 he was the curate of St Mary’s in Bilston, Staffordshire. That same year, 1853, he married Harriet Ann Norman, the daughter of a stockbroker. Rev Lee was the first vicar of the new Holy Trinity Church.

In 1858 Ossett was declared a separate parochial district, having previously been in the parish of Dewsbury. In this year, Rev Thomas Lee was offered the living at Holy Trinity Church – but not the one with which we are familiar. This church was actually a chapel of ease and it was situated in the Market Place (still known then as Dale Street). The chapel was built in 1809 and replaced a much earlier place of worship but as the population of Ossett grew, the church became inadequate for the needs of the town and it was decided to build a new one.
In 1861 three acres of land on Field Lane was purchased and later that year a licence was obtained to use it as a burial ground. Joseph Wilson was the first burial there in December 1861 and today almost 16,000 people are buried in this graveyard which contains many Victorian monuments and 15 Commonwealth war graves. The new church was to be built on the adjacent land and subsequently the name of the thoroughfare was changed to Church Street.
Rev Lee and his wife Harriet lived in the Vicarage on Dale Street with their son, Freddy. They were also to have a daughter but sadly she died in 1874 shortly after her first birthday. She was laid to rest in the churchyard of the new Holy Trinity Church, with her father leading the burial ceremony.
In 1877 Rev Lee moved his family to Islington, where he became the Vicar of St John the Baptist until 1883. Rev Lee died in October 1892 and Harriet died the following October. Their only surviving child, Frederick Bethune Norman Lee, also became a vicar. That’s a great name already but, in 1881 he changed it to ‘Frederick Bethune Norman Norman-Lee.’ He was ordained in 1883 and became Chaplain to the Forces.
Although it would seem that the service record of Chaplain/Colonel FBN Norman-Lee hasn’t survived I can tell you that, during the years 1883 – 1899 he served at Chatham, Aldershot, the Curragh in Ireland, Nova Scotia in Canada, Gosport and Portsmouth. In the South African War of 1899 – 1901 he was chaplain to the 6th Division and took part in the relief of Kimberley and the battles of Paardeberg and Bloemfontein. As if all that wasn’t enough, he also served during WW1. Rev Frederick Bethune Norman Norman-Lee died in 1921 in Hampshire. He left a widow but no children.

The foundation stone of the new church was laid on June 30 1862 by Benjamin Ingham who was the nephew of the Ossett born Benjamin Ingham snr*; the founder of the trading dynasty of Ingham, Whitaker & Co. in Sicily. It is claimed that Benjamin Ingham snr was possibly the greatest tycoon England has ever known and when he died in 1861 he left a fortune of £12,000,000. That would now be the equivalent of more than £1 billion. He didn’t forget his Ossett roots and bequeathed £1,000 of his fortune to the Church Building Fund:- equivalent to almost £90,000 today.
The honour of laying the first stone of the new church fell to Reverend Lee. He also had the honour of being hoisted to the top of the church to lay the last stone on the steeple. He then unfurled a Union flag as a brass band played ‘Rule Britannia’!

The architect in charge, William Henry Crossland of Halifax, was a pupil of Sir George Gilbert Scott, whose Gothic Revival influence is apparent throughout. The main features include: a 226ft spire, one of the tallest in Yorkshire; a 16 bell Belfry, allowing a unique 15 bell peal; magnificent stained glass windows; an Isaac Abbott organ; an original four faced Potts turret clock; and significant Last Supper reredos, pulpit and stone carvings. Though initially estimated at £8,000, alterations and additions to the original plans meant that the final cost of construction amounted to around £16,000 (more than £945,000 today).
Such was the scale of the project that, during the consecration service of 14 July 1865, the Bishop of Ripon made reference to ‘this miniature cathedral’. Ossett stood in the Diocese of Ripon from 1836 until the Diocese of Wakefield was created in 1888. In 2014, following the dissolution of the historic dioceses of Bradford, Ripon & Leeds and Wakefield, Ossett became a part of the Leeds Diocese. Covering an area of around 2,425 square miles, and a population of around 2,642,400 people, this is one of the largest dioceses in the country and its creation is unprecedented in the history of the Church of England.
The Church of Gawthorpe St Mary the Virgin was built in 1899. It closed in 2002, largely because of diminishing congregations and a new road layout making access difficult for pedestrians. In 2007 planning permission was granted to convert the old church into a modern apartment block but this was deferred and the church stood empty for four more years. The fine old church was eventually demolished in January 2011 to make way for residential housing. The parish of Ossett & Gawthorpe was formed in 2002 with the amalgamation of Holy Trinity, Ossett and St Mary’s, Gawthorpe and Chickenley Heath and it was decided to adopt a new ‘working title’ to reflect the coming together of the two congregations. Trinity Church was decided upon, named after the church which was situated in Ossett town centre almost a century and a half earlier.
EXHUMATION OF BODIES FROM THE
OSSETT GREEN BURIAL GROUND
Around 1969 the old Burial Ground at Dimple Wells, The Green, Ossett was bought by a builder. The bodies were exhumed and moved to Gawthorpe Burial Ground
NAMES OF BODIES EXHUMED & DATE BURIED |
1 | Samuel Mitchell | 2nd March 1835 |
Martha Mitchell | 30th March 1840 | |
2 | Nancy Riley | 20th May 1837 |
3 | Elizabeth Butterfield | 20th May 1837 |
4 | William Ellis | 9th December 1826 |
Joseph Ellis | 6th March 1828 | |
Hephzibah Ellis | 8th April 1830 | |
Henry Ellis | 24th January 1838 | |
5 | Thomas Saxton | 2nd February 1822 |
Robert Saxton | 27th January 1828 | |
Nancy Saxton | 11th October 1840 | |
Eliza Saxton | 9th September 1884 | |
6 | Robert Saxton | 16th May 1849 |
Susannah Saxton | 6th February 1859 | |
7 | Susannah Saxton | 6th December 1859 |
Benjamin Saxton | 8th May 1888 | |
8 | Mary Ellis | 12th June 1840 |
Joshua Ellis | 2nd November 1852 | |
9 | Hannah Scott | 19th October 1811 |
Charles Scott | 13th January 1826 | |
Martha Scott | 19th May 1853 | |
Mary Scott | 29th August 1833 | |
10 | Thomas Mitchell | 17th November 1830 |
11 | Joshua Mitchell | 30th September 1828 |
Enoch Mitchell | 4th December 1829 | |
12 | Mary Mitchell | 14th December 1828 |
Thomas Mitchell | 18th November 1829 | |
Martha Mitchell | 30th August 1844 | |
13 | George Pickard | 7th March 1852 |
Sarah Pickard | 14th May 1857 | |
14 | Hannah Walshaw | 23rd.April 1837 |
15 | Philip Dews | 7th March 1861 |
16 | Mary Moss | 11th February 1851 |
17 | John Archer | 1st November 1822 |
18 | Sarah Wilson | 23rd September 1834 |
John Wilson | 23rd January 1848 | |
Nancy Wilson | 2nd January 1843 | |
19 | Nancy Grace | 16th February 1841 |
20 | Frederick Mitchell Briggs | 8th March 1850 |
21 | Seth Mitchell | 14th October 1839 |
22 | Joseph Mitchell | 13th January 1835 |
2 children in infancy | ||
Nancy Mitchell | 2nd September 1838 | |
23 | Hannah Mitchell | 27th November 1845 |
Nathan Mitchell | 10th August 1870 | |
24 | James Briggs | 10th August 1839 |
Mary Ann Briggs | 28th May 1840 | |
25 | Henry Kenyon Ambler | 18th August 1877 |
26 | Grace Wilby | 4th December 1821 |
Judith Scott | 14th May 1830 | |
Frances Wilby | 22nd February 1848 | |
27 | Eliza Ward | 23rd March 1883 |
Henry Herbert Ward | 5th October 1862 | |
28 | F. W.Clegg | 7th August 1844 |
Mark Clegg | 23rd March 1849 | |
Jemima Clegg | 13th June 1867 | |
29 | Ann Mitchell | 13th March 1827 |
Samuel Mitchell | 18th March 1833 | |
Sarah Mitchell | 7th July 1836 | |
David Mitchell | 18th March 1885 | |
30 | Philip Oakes | 16th November 1853 |
Thomas Edwin Oakes | 28th October 1881 | |
31 | Jane Oakes | 31st Januaryl837 |
Charles Oakes | 14th June 1837 | |
32 | Nathan Oakes | 21st April 1830 |
Benjamin Oakes | 22nd April 1828 | |
Edward Oakes | 4th April 1836 | |
Benjamin Oakes | 25th February 1846 | |
Nancy Oakes | 29th December 1860 | |
33 | Nancy Ellis | 13th August 1874 |
Philip Ellis | 7th January 1878 | |
Emily Jane Ellis | 4th November 1892 | |
Eli Ellis | 26th April 1894 | |
34 | Samuel Oakes | 27th May 1851 |
Nancy Oakes | 19th January 1851 | |
Jane Oakes | 27th June 1855 | |
Alice Oakes | 18th May 1858 | |
Benjamin Oakes | 23rd April 1851 | |
35 | Joshua Briggs | 4th November 1858 |
Hannah Briggs | 29th January 1874 | |
36 | ? Charles | May 1858 |
37 | Susannah Clegg | 1st February 1865 |
Emma Clegg | 14th July 1861 | |
38 | Mary Brook | 26th July 1857 |
Thomas Brook | 8th August 1857 | |
39 | Hannah Archer | 2nd August 1852 |
Abraham Archer | 21st January 1867 | |
40 | Philip Brook | 1st August 1855 |
Eli Brook | 28th March 1856 | |
Simon Brook | 9th June 1850 | |
Sophia Brook | 28th August 1862 | |
Harriett Brook | 14th August 1876 | |
J.C. Brook | 27th May 1885 | |
41 | Francis Giggal | 18th May 1856 |
Mary Giggal | 15th May 1887 | |
42 | Harriett Jenkinson | 13th November 1871 |
Joseph Jenkinson | 10th February 1873 | |
43 | Joseph Haigh | 11th October 1864 |
Sarah Haigh | 30th April 1900 | |
44 | Elizabeth Audsley | 18th November 1830 |
Mary Audsley | 29th December 1819 | |
Hannah, Martha, Isaac & Ann – In infancy | ||
Joseph Audsley | 4th February 1862 | |
Sarah Dews | 8th January 1889 | |
45 | John Audsley | 13th December 1830 |
Joseph Audsley | 27th July 1859 | |
46 | Benjamin Banes | 11th March 1830 |
Martha Banes | 12th July 1833 | |
47 | Margaret Giggal | 1st March 1830 |
David Giggal | 16th April 1835 | |
48 | Millicent Ellis | 8th May 1847 |
49 | Sarah Ellis | 29th March 1834 |
Samuel Ellis | 7th April 1846 | |
Mary Ellis | 24th April 1856 | |
Ann Bennett | 10th July 1852 | |
Mary Ellis | 24th April 1856 | |
Philip Ellis | 17th July 1877 | |
50 | Thomas Pawson | 4th February 1837 |
4 children in infancy | ||
Rachel Pawson | 17th December 1865 | |
51 | Joshua Moss | 11th July1830 |
George Moss | 26th May 1872 | |
52 | Benjamin Mitchell | 22nd June 1844 |
53 | John Boothroyd | 30th December 1862 |
Susannah Boothroyd | 20th June 1876 | |
54 | ? | |
55 | Jabez Radley | |
Hannah Radley | 2nd October? | |
Jabez Radley | 23rd March 18? | |
Martha Radley | 17th August 1871 | |
George Radley | 23rd February 1896 | |
56 | George Saxton | 21st June 1865 |
Martha Saxton | 19th November 1882 | |
57 | Mark Pickard | 7th July 1865 |
58 | Hannah Pickard | 25th April 1862 |
Andrew Pickard | 18th September 1890 | |
Hannah Pickard | 29th June 1891 | |
59 | George Pickard | 10th June 1892 |
David Pickard | 6th July 1882 | |
David Pickard (Jnr) | 17th February 1878 | |
60 | Sarah Clafton | February 1859 |
? Clafton | 12th April 1859 | |
61 | Mary Ellis | 24th April l853 |
John William Ellis | 18th May 1863 | |
62 | Susan Ely | 1st June 1853 |
63 | Elizabeth Ely | 9th November 1851 |
Martha Ely | 19th June 1853 | |
Thomas ? | 11th June 1879 | |
64 | Edmund Dews | 7th July 1829 |
John Archer | 17th July 1852 | |
Ann Dews | 12th May 1855 | |
John Archer | 17th July 1832 |
Information courtesy of Lawrence Son & Thorp (Solicitors) Ossett
(Supplied by the late Jean Crabtree)
More information about the Ossett Green Burials and other material can be obtained from wdfhs.co.uk