Armley is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book reference to "Ristone, Ermelai". At the time there were eight villagers in Ristone (now east Armley) and Ermelai (now west Armley). Armley was recorded as lying within the hundred of Morley and was estimated to comprise only four households, placing it in the bottom fifth of settlements in the Domesday Book by population size. The actual population is indeterminable as this only accounts for the 'head of household'. Armley Mills, now the Leeds Industrial Museum, was the world's largest
woollen mill when it was built in 1788. In the 18th and 19th centuries Armley was, through its mills, a major contributor to the
economy of the city of Leeds. Many of the buildings standing in and around Armley were built in the 1800s, including many of the churches, schools, shops and houses. Ledgard Way is named after the entrepreneur
Samuel Ledgard. Armley also has picturesque views over the rest of Leeds from certain vantage points. William Tetley started his business of
malters in Armley in the 1740s. His grandson
Joshua Tetley founded
Tetley's Brewery in
Hunslet in 1822. Armley was formerly a
township and
chapelry in the parish of Leeds. In 1866 Armley became a separate
civil parish, but on 26 March 1904 the parish was abolished to form
Armley and Bramley. In 1901 the parish had a population of 27,521. Damage caused by a raid in the
Leeds Blitz in March 1941 and later
slum clearance schemes brought about the
redevelopment of much of Armley in a programme beginning in the 1950s and finishing in the early 1970s. From the 1870s until 1956, Armley was home to the J W Roberts
asbestos mattress and boiler lining factory. This facility exposed residents to asbestos fibres and resulted in a
mesothelioma cancer cluster which persists to this day. One of the victims, June Hancock, launched a court action against
Turner & Newall, the company that owned the J W Roberts' factory in 1993. Although the court case was successful, corporate restructuring had, as of 2005, avoided the case being settled. Hancock's story was the subject of a play,
Dust, by Kenneth F. Yates, performed in Armley and at the
West Yorkshire Playhouse in July 2009. The parish church,
St Bartholomew's, is home to a notable pipe organ built by the German organ builder
Edmund Schulze. Originally built for Meanwood Towers in 1866–69, it was opened by
S. S. Wesley. It was moved to St Bartholomew's in 1879. Schulze's work, and this organ in particular, had enormous influence on the development of British organ building in the 19th century. Both church and organ have been restored. The smaller
Christ Church is located at the end of Theaker Lane nearer the centre of Armley. Legend has it that a
pedlar called Charlie used to rest and water his pony and trap in Whingate Park in the 19th century. He apparently sold spicy shortbread to the citizens of
Upper Armley for 1d a piece. Today the triangular-shaped park is known as Charlie or Charley Cake Park. According to
Armley Through the Camera, written in 1901, the park was "within memory of many present residents of Armley, a patch of wasteland. Some of them regularly played cricket on its turf". There were two railway stations in Armley.
Armley Canal Road railway station on the line between Leeds and Shipley closed in 1965, and
Armley Moor railway station on the line between Leeds and Bradford Exchange closed in 1966. ==Geography==