Elland retained continuity of tenure from before the
Norman Conquest into the
Middle Ages, as the Elland family were descended from
Anglo-Saxon thegns. The
Manor of Elland, with
Greetland and
Southowram, formed an
exclave of the
Honour of Pontefract in the surrounding Manor of
Wakefield. In 1350
Sir John de Eland was murdered, as were his son and grandson in the following year, which extinguished the male line of the family and the manor passed to the Savile family. From this period, the
manor house ceased to be the principal dwelling of a gentry family, as the Saviles had their seat at the moated manor of
Thornhill. Elland manor house was never completely reconstructed and, when dismantled and excavated in 1975 by the West Yorkshire Archaeology Unit, it was found to incorporate a 13th-century
solar wing – one of the earliest
secular buildings in the county. The manor house stood on a knoll aligned with the bridge over the
River Calder and was destroyed during the construction of Calderdale Way
bypass. The farm buildings survive. At the request of
John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey,
Edward II granted a
charter to John de Eland, for a
free market on Tuesday at his Manor of Elland, and two
fairs. The town became a centre of wool production. The decline of the
woollen industry had a significant effect on the town and many mills were demolished or
converted to residences. Durable
flagstones, Elland flags, were quarried near the town and after the canal was constructed, they could be transported economically all over the county. Elland housed the main factory of the manufacturer of
Gannex products and is the home of the Dobsons sweet factory, which produces traditional
boiled sweets. Since 2001, Elland has been home to
Suma Wholefoods, the largest
workers' co-operative in the United Kingdom. ==Governance==