Warland of West Yorkshire

The village or hamlet of Warland is located on the road between Tormorden (West Yorkshire) and Littleborough (Lancashire). The origin of the village's name is not yet known but it may be one of the last vestiges of 'warland' in that area that was eventually sold as 'Warland Farm' to the Fielden family by the mid 1600s.

The earliest reference to Warland found so far in the West Yorkshire Archive Service online catalogue is in the marriage settlement dated 27 May 1641 of John Utley the younger, the son of John Utley of Lee, a yeoman, and Susan Fielden, the daughter of Joshua Fielden of Warland, Hundersfield, in the parish of Rochdale, also a yeoman.

According to a page on rootsweb, Warland farm was 'Purchased by the Fielden family during the 1600's, the estate provided employment for the few families who lived there. The farm, quite a large house for its time, bears the initials of Joshua Fielden and the date 1665. The farm had the usual attached cottages for family and workers. (Source: https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~todmordenandwalsden/genealogy/warland.htm)

On 4 August 1677, John Utley of Warland, Hundersfield, in the parish of Rochdale, a yeoman entered into a six-month lease with Nathaniel Utley, John's nephew, for the (property) 'messuage called the Lee, two messuages and appurtenances, all in Langfield. (Source: West Yorkshire Archive Service)

John Fielden was the farmer in the late 1700's, paying rent of 10s.9d. to John Ingham, who may have been a tenant himself. The lease passed to his son, also John, on his death in 1807. The speed of the flow of Walsden Water made a perfect power source for a waterwheel, so John built himself a small spinning mill next to the stream at the bottom of the hill. He became a fustian manufacturer as well as shepherd. The yarn was prepared and spun at the mill before being put out to local hand weavers. (Source: https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~todmordenandwalsden/genealogy/warland.htm)

According to a summary of the records relating to the Fielden family of Langfield and Todmorden-cum-Walsden (West Yorkshire Archive Service reference CC01222):

Joshua Fielden (1748-1811) was the founder of the Todmorden cotton-manufacturing firm which played such an important part in the town's development. He was a farmer-woollen weaver at Edge End Farm, Walsden, but when he saw the potential of cotton he moved to 3 cottages at Laneside, Walsden, by the turnpike and river. Here he began preparing and spinning cotton yarn. A 5-storey mill was later built, and in 1794 Lumbutts Mill was tenanted. He died in 1811 and in 1816 the name of the Firm was changed from Joshua Fielden and Sons to Fielden Brothers. The Family acquired further mills at Robinwood, Dobroyd, Stoneswood, Causey, Smithyholme, Waterstalls, etc.

John Fielden was the 3rd son of Joshua Fielden and was born in Todmorden on 17 Jan 1784. At the age of ten John was required to work in his family's cotton factory for ten hours a day. When he had served his apprenticeship his father made John and his four brothers, partners in Joshua Fielden & Sons. When Joshua Fielden died in 1811, the business was still fairly small. Joshua left £200 in cash and the property and machinery was estimated to be worth £5000. Jointly run by John and his four brothers, Samuel, Joshua, James and Thomas, the business expanded rapidly over the next few years. ... By 1832 Fielden Brothers was one of the largest textile companies in Britain ...

See the rootsweb page for the rest of the detail on this family and the farm.

Warland Farm website

The present owners of Warland Farm have a website here: https://warlandfarm.com/.