Until recently a well could be seen just off Liley Lane called Pinion Well. Up to the time of the First World War it was customary for crowds of people young and not so young, to make their way to this well every Palm Sunday, taking with them bottles to be filled at the well with water which turned purple afterwards. Now there is obviously something behind this century old Palm Sunday custom. My guess is that it was a holy well, known for its medicinal properties, even perhaps in Brigantian times; that it was used by early Christian missionaries for baptism at the beginning of every holy week. It may well be that PAULINUS was the first to use it for this purpose and that  Pinion  is a corruption of his name. This would account for the annual pilgrimage on Palm Sunday and the bringing away of some of the holy water. [1]

Courtesy Kirklees Image archive ref k005267-photographed by William Sykes 1907

Pinion well was a large stone well on the right hand side of Liley Lane leading to Grange Moor, near the gateway, to a public footpath [2], which went across the horse field to Lepton and Houses Hill.  I have seen hundreds of people in this field on Palm Sunday afternoon. The children with their palm bottles and sweets, which they put in the bottle, then went to the well and filled them with water, shook them up, then went back into the field to their parents to drink it. We often wondered why all these people came from far and near but they did. When I was a boy, I heard old people say, that one time long ago, a priest came from Dewsbury and baptized children here on Palm Sunday. Some said because it was near the centre of Dewsbury Old Parish, which was a very large parish in those days.[3]. At some stage the stone well was replaced by a 700 gallon iron tank for animals to drink out of.

There are numerous memories in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner[4] of people visiting from Huddersfield, Lepton, Kirkheaton and Whitley all with similar stories.

In 1938 the former Kirkheaton UDC became part of the enlarged Kirkburton UDC and the council quickly condemned the well fearing a typhoid outbreak. [5].

Much to the dismay of local people the council sealed the feed pipe and removed the 700 gallon tank . An extensive report described the views of local people as well as those of the council; the chief medical officer of health stating that the water was so contaminated by analysis that there was no other course than closing the well [6].

An article in the Huddersfield Examiner dated 11^th Aug 1939, written by F Booth (Secretary of Elliot’s Collieries Ltd) stated that the original purpose of the well was for cattle and horses travelling along the road. He also mentioned there was a well on their property 4ft away from the wall.

Footnotes

[1]. From the “ History of Mirfield” 1969; Rev H N Pobjoy

[2] What 3 words location- dialects, remotes bronzer

[3] Information  supplied by Trish Mellor based on notes from her Aunt and written by D Stead 8.4.73

[4] Huddersfield Examiner 4 April 1966; 17^th April 1992 and 7^th June 1993

[5] Bradford Observer 7 Aug 1939

[6] Bradford Observer 16^th Aug 1939

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