The first references in the Whitkirk St. Marys Parish Register are from the 1630s: • Burial : 1630 July 26 - Thomas Norton, of Crosyeate • Burial : 1632 Mar 10 - Norton, of Crosyeate The earliest references in the Barwick in Elmet All Saints Parish Registers are from 1679 & 1680: • Burial : Matthew, the son of Joshuah Lumb, at the cross Yeates on the Lower end on Hirst more, 24 March 1679 • Baptism : Isable, the daughter of Joshuah Lumbe, at the Cross yates, on the Hurst moor, 18 July 1680
(Note : In both Whitkirk and Barwick Parish Registers there are few entries which include detailed locations in entries prior to these dates) Historically, Cross Gates was located at the boundary of the ancient Parishes of
Barwick in Elmet and
Whitkirk. The line was roughly where Station Road lies today with everything to the north east in
Barwick in Elmet and the south west in
Whitkirk. For hundreds of years it comprised no more than one or two cottages on the southern edge of the wastes of
Whinmoor in an area called Low Moor or Hirst Moor. A September 1628 survey of the boundaries of Whinmoor contains the earliest reference to Cross Gates within a description of the western extent of this moor and common land : “….along the out hedges of the said fields to Alley Shawe lane end (now known as Hollyshaw Lane) and the out hedges of holdike beinge the grounde of Nicholas Moor gent within the Mannor of Austhropp, and thence northwards alonge the outhedges of
Crosse yates Closes and soe alonge the outhedges of Seacroft field to Potter yaite from there alonge the out hedge of Seacroft unto the bull layne ende (now the area of the A64 / B6902 Seacroft roundabout) and soe along the hedges unto Cuthbert house in Roundhey and…”. Access across Whinmoor was controlled by an ancient toll or chiminage, first mentioned in 1424-5 and commoners rights to pasture animals on the moorland was also jealously guarded with a number of Court cases taking place to remove animals from trespassers, including the Rector of Barwick-in-Elmet in 1579. When
Whinmoor was enclosed under the
Barwick-in-Elmet Inclosure Act 1796 (
36 Geo. 3. c.
95 ) regular sized fields were created and access roads built. The long straight Austhorpe Road was constructed in 1804 under this
inclosure act. According to Platt and Morkhill, writing in the 19th century, "At the commencement of this century Cross Gates consisted only of some sixteen cottages, built near a gate which crossed the road leading from Whitkirk to Seacroft, then merely a by-lane, about fifty yard north of the small piece of ground now called Cross Gates Green. The use of this gate, we believe, was to prevent the cattle pastured on the adjacent common from straying down the lane. By the side of the gate stood a small cottage for the gatekeeper". The Waud family started coal mining along old Manston Lane in 1811 and in 1827 in the area by Cross Gates Shopping Centre. Further pits were built on Church Lane and the area now occupied by the Marshall's. The
Leeds and Selby Railway was constructed in 1834 passing through Cross Gates and trackways were built from the railway along Church Lane to the pits. The district was then rapidly expanding. The Traveller's Rest Public House (then on the corner of Station Road and Austhorpe Road) opened in the 1860s. The first Manston St. James C of E church was built in 1848 saving local residents the long trek to either Barwick in Elmet or Whitkirk. The first school was built in 1857 on Austhorpe Road in the area now occupied by "The Arcade". A Methodist Chapel opened in 1882 again on Austhorpe Road. The local coal pits closed in 1882 and Cross Gates started to turn into a 'commuter village'. At this time Cross Gates was 'well removed' from the Leeds city centre and the factories and so Cross Gates began to attract Leeds' more affluent residents who could use the railway to quickly access the city. In the twentieth century Cross Gates effectively became a suburb of Leeds, with the open fields in between being developed into housing. This also led to much development around Cross Gates, including the building of the Cross Gates estate, a development of
council housing and private development around Austhorpe,
Whitkirk and
Manston.
Barnbow Tragedy The worst tragedy ever to happen within Leeds (in terms of fatalities) was the
Barnbow tragedy of 5 December 1916. 35 workers (all women aged 14 or over) were killed in the Barnbow Munitions Factory, which later became ROF Barnbow. The plant employed 16,000 workers, from
Leeds,
Selby,
Wakefield,
Tadcaster and
Wetherby and had its own railway station to cope with the daily influx of workers. The railway station had an platform and 38 special trains from surrounding towns and cities. An explosion from Hall 42 killed 35 workers and mutilated many more. Mechanic William Parking was presented with an engraved silver watch for his bravery in saving factory workers during the incident. There are two memorials: one in Manston Park and one on Cross Gates Road by the roundabout with the Ring Road. ==Housing==