Ambler Family
The Ambler name crops up a lot in Baildon history. There were several Jeremiahs and several Johns.<See discussion page> Here are some details of some of them.
Richard Ambler
Richard moved from Clayton to Baildon around 1616 and settled first at Brackenhall Farm as a tenant of the Baildons. Possibly starting with Richard most of the early Amblers were sheep farmers, later some diversified into textile production. Over time the Amblers acquired significant landholdings. In Baildon these landholdings included properties on Northgate; on Westgate (house and mill; on West Lane, where they still owned at least a dozen houses in 1905; at Ladderbanks; and at Low Baildon - from Langley Lane down to Brook Hill - where Ingfield later became a family home.
John Ambler (1757-1830)
This John Ambler owned a number of fields in Low Baildon including Far Cliffes, Hobbut (Hop But) Fields, Plantation, Coulas Ing, and Duken Riddens. Duken Riddens, also known as Diccon Ridding, was the land inherited by his great grand daughters who sold it to George Ambler for him to build Woodlands on it.[1]
Jeremiah Ambler (1789-1867)
Westgate Warehouse, between 7 & 9 Westgate, has been a pub/restaurant since the 1980s but is better known by many Baildon natives as Barraclough's Pop Place. It was built as a wool warehouse for Jeremiah Ambler. The building stands on the site of what was a thatched cottage which was the birthplace of John Milner, the husband of Jenny Milner who gave her name to Jenny Lane.[2]
Jeremiah Ambler is listed as the owner of two pews in the Parish Church in the Allotment of Pews, 1848 and Sarah Ambler is listed as one of the occupiers of a pew owned by Isaac Hollings, esq.
Raphael Ambler
During the late 1800s Raphael Ambler had E Clough's Shop as a joiners shop and West Terrace behind it was known as Raphael's Fold.[2]
George Ambler (1843-1905)
George Ambler was a golfer, a church-goer and company accountant in the family firm, Amblers of Midland Mills, Canal Road. He was the younger brother of John Ambler of Heaton Mount who was Chairman of the company. He bought land from the great grand daughters of another John Ambler (1757-1830), daughters of John Ambler (1824-1880) and built Woodlands, Roundwood Road, on it in 1899.[1] The date 1899 is moulded into the top of the rain water pipe, and over the Western doorway, carved in the stone lintel, is the family coat of arms and the inscription AMICUS CERTUS (certain of friendship or perhaps A Friend in Need is a Friend indeed?). This beautiful house was divided into luxury flats and very attractive houses were built in the grounds during the late 1960s.[2] George Ambler is recorded as living there on his death in 1905 with two sisters Harriet and Sarah. The house stayed in Ambler ownership until 1924. The (1868-1933) John Ambler and Sam Ambler were both nephews of George Ambler.[1]
-
Woodlands c1980s
-
Woodlands, carved lintel
-
Woodlands, embossed water pipe
John Ambler (1868-1933)
Roundwood Grange was built by John Ambler. His initials J.A. are carved in the Oak mantle piece over the fireplace and the date 1898 is moulded into the top of the rain water pipe.[2]
Information from the abstract of Title of John Ambler’s Trustees[2]
Will 1880 (3 January) Testator gave, devised and appointed All the Dicken(?) Riddens & 2 Hobbut Fields 2 Far Cliffs and Coultes Ing and Plantation and the produce and investments in any part thereof that had been acquired by Midland Railway.
Real estate sold since his death
| Real estate sold since his death | |
|---|---|
| Hoyle Court Farm sold to George Ambler | £1421/14/4 |
| One fifth of land under Jeremiah Amblers Will (Senior) sold to George Ambler |
£825/-/- |
| Pinfold sold to George Ambler (This Pinfold situate at Low Baildon)(Brook Hill) |
£30/-/- |
| Easements to take sewer through land | £34/-/- |
| Total | £2310/-/- |
Real estate of John Ambler Decd. then unsold
- Cottages 3-5-6-8-10-12-14-16-18 Binswell Fold
- Dwelling houses 15-17-19 Westgate, Baildon
- House & Shop 5-7 Northgate, Baildon
- House & Shop 15-21 Northgate, Baildon
- 3 cottages at Moorside, Baildon. Occupied by Mrs Lock, John Peel, Fawcett Peel
- The Straights (should be spelt STRAITS)
- Dwelling house, stable, barn and outbuildings situate in Westgate, Baildon & garden thereto.
- Farmhouse & outbuildings & 47 acres 1 rood of land in Northgate & West Lane, Baildon occupied by T&F Hutton.
- Farmhouse & outbuildings and land at Moorside, Baildon 16 acres 2 roods of land occupied by B Bentley
- 3 acres 2 roods of land at West Lane, Baildon, Tenant W Walker.
- 6 acres 21 perches of land at Langley Lane, Baildon occupied by George Ambler.
Sam Ambler
The Rowley family farmed Hoyle Farm for over 300 years until Mr Sam Ambler built Hoyle Court in 1912. The last of the Rowleys to live there was Mr Sam Whitehead Rowley who moved to Lamb Springs Farm. (?Low Springs Lane off Hollins Hill?) Mr Hugh Rowley in the late 1800s had a reputation as a maker of wooden ploughs.[2]
Hoyle Court is a Queen Anne style house and was built by Sam Ambler (1871-1949) between 1910 and 1912 for his wife, Emily Beatrice.[3] Stones from the demolition of Buck House, and possibly Buck Mill, were used in Hoyle Court. It is said he had an orchard that contained every known variety of apple tree.[2] After his death Hoyle Court was eventually bought by the Freemasons in 1953 for £7,500. In December 2006 Arden Management took over the day to day running of Hoyle Court and launched the venue to host weddings and events.
Hartlington Court
This group of houses stands on the site of the former Hartlington House. The front of this house was modern, the rear part was at one time cottages and had arched cellars. The property had mullioned windows, as seen in a slide taken when the property was demolished. The land had belonged to the nearby St James Church and was sold by them and the money used to augment the stipend of the Vicar. The Ambler family lived there and named it after the village of Hartlington near Skipton/Burnsall where the Amblers owned a house. A Miss Ambler and Miss Peel occupied the house for many years. The house was last occupied by Mr & Mrs Canning. Mrs Canning died in sad circumstances and her husband left the property unoccupied but fully furnished for several years. Vandals virtually destroyed it and it was demolished in the 1970s and the land sold for development of Hartlington Court.[2]
The Bulls Head
Deeds of The Bulls Head Inn. 1894 & 1895. 1894 between Herbert John Butler Hollings of The Watchetts, Frimley, Surrey, and Sarah Wood of Oak Lane, Bradford and wife of Nathaniel Wood, cabinet maker. In consideration of £460 paid by Sarah Wood to HJB Hollings conveys all that message and dwelling house or tenement formerly in occupation of John Hill, afterwards Nicholas Walker then Sarah Ambler and now John William Tennant used as a Beerhouse with a Beerhouse and Yard and outbuildings known as the “Bull Inn” etc. etc.[4]
In 1895 Sarah Wood sold to Old Brewery, Bradford for £695. It was then rebuilt.
The Sarah Ambler is the one listed in White’s Directory 1853 and Nicholas Walker is the one listed in Baines Directory 1822
Noble's Shop
At one time this house and shop on the east side of Towngate was owned by the Ambler family and was purchased from the Ambler & Whitham Trust by Nobles.[2]
Jerry Helm
The small stone cow shed situated approx one hundred yards past the Baildon Golf Club (pre move to Pump House) was known as Jerry Helm. The owner was Jeremiah Ambler and the adjacent field was known as Jerry Pasture. It is said that the boundary wall dividing the land from the moor was built by the owners of the moor because on several occasions when the wall had collapsed Jerry rebuilt is at the farthest point where the stones had fallen thus gaining a small area of land.[2]
The building has been re-roofed and as of 2023 is at the back of the back garden of 8 Melville Ave.
Church Font renovation
The St Johns Parish Church font renovation work that was done in 1904 commemorates the Ambler Family - those connected with the Bradford wool firm, Jeremiah Ambler[5]
