The " ROYDS"

Royd's Small areas of land were cleared by farming families from forest and moorland. These clearings were often enclosed with a hedge. The legal name for this was "assarting" , but in the local dialect cleared land was called a "royd". Royd placenames are concentrated along the Calder valley. Combined with other words they tell us what kind of trees were cleared, the type of ground on which the clearing was made, the names of the people who cleared the land or the location of the clearing. Here are a few examples. AKROYD - Oaktree Clearing BATEMANROYD - Clearing made by Bartholomew's workmen BOOTHROYD - Clearing with a shed HANGINGROYD - Clearing on a steep slope HOLROYD - Hollytree Clearing KEBROYD - Old Sheep Clearing MURGATROYD - Margarets Clearing MYTHOLMROYD - Clearing where the rivers meet. WESTROYD - West Clearing. WHITLEYROYD - Bright Field Clearing The number of royds cleared declined after the Black Death of 1348 devastated local communities.