My fifth great grandfather was Thomas
Wright (1736-1801). He wrote his autobiography for the "instruction and
amusement of his children and descendants" in the second half of the 1700's,
dying in 1801. His grandson, another Thomas Wright, who I am not descended
from, got the book published in 1864.
He writes in his autobiography—" Thomas Wright, my paternal grandfather
(after whom I suppose I was named), sometime kept the Bowling Green Inn, in
Bradford, where, after he married my grand-mother, he lived and died with
credit and esteem amongst his neighbours. John Wright, my father, was born
at the Bowling Green Inn."
He also writes on page 3:
The Bowling Green Inn, Bradford, (still remains, and is one of the best
in the town. It is a long old building, fronting on the level open space
called from the earliest times the Bowling Green, and is at the west end of
Bridge Street on the road from Wakefield. Outside there are the marks of
many alterations, such as windows walled up in some places, and broken out
in others; doorways walled
up, and fresh ones broken out in other parts. In the inside the rooms are
small and low, and large square beams are thrown across the whole to support
the flooring of the upper rooms. This massiveness and strength was
formerly no doubt meant to support properly the heavy stone flags with which
all rooms in this part were flagged. Wooden flooring, which is both warmer
and lighter, has now become common in all new erections. Such is the account
given me by Mr. Abraham Holroyd of Bradford, who adds,
" My earliest recollections of the inn reach to a time when one Joe Ward was
landlord ; and there used formerly to be held here meetings on particular
subjects, and the speakers addressed the crowds assembled in the open space
in front from an old balcony which yet runs the whole length of the hotel.
It used formerly to be the best hostelry in Bradford, as the stables in the
rear yet testify; and the mail coaches used to start from and arrive in here
with tremendous ado. But this has all passed away, and the inn is now the
haunt only of the neighbouring tradesmen and of the country farmers, who put
up here on the marketdays; and it is a rendezvous also of that flitting race
the commercial travellers. The other oldest hostelries in Bradford are the
Woolpacks, Pack Horse, King’s Arms, and the Bull's Head in Westgate, at
which last the farmers and others used to keep a market on both sides of the
street. At the Bull's Head in Westgate our earliest merchants and
manufacturers used to occupy the best front room upstairs to hold a kind of
Chamber of Commerce. During the wars of England with the elder Napoleon the
news from our armies was retailed and discussed by these gentlemen when they
met on the market-day at the Bull's Head. If the news was against us, they
broke up early, and all went to their homes in the country in a serious and
desponding manner; but if victory had been with our army, they feasted,
stayed late, and got jolly well drunk on Mr. Illingworth's strong
home-brewed ale, like good fellows and lovers of their country." |
