Overview – Calderdale, West Yorkshire

Last updated on October 26th, 2020 at 05:41 pm

Districts A – E Districts F – L Districts M – R Districts S – Z

Calderdale is in the western part of West Yorkshire, and is a metropolitan district formed by the local government re-organisation in 1974. We are dedicated to ancestry, genealogy and family search covering all of Calderdale.

Where we are

Calderdale approximates to the area covered by the ancient parish of Halifax, with the addition Todmorden and Walsden, which were not in the ancient parish. The ancient parish covered 124 square miles (reputedly the largest in England) and was divided into 23 townships, stretching from the Lancashire border in the west to Brighouse in the east.
Today Calderdale comprises the towns of the Upper Calder valley, from Todmorden in the west, through Hebden Bridge, Sowerby Bridge, Halifax, Elland, to Brighouse in the east.
The area takes its name from the River Calder (meaning Rapid Stream), which runs through the valley from Todmorden to Brighouse.
The Calder Valley has been inhabited since early times. There are several sites of Roman presence, and the road from Diva (Chester) to Eboracum (York) passes through the district, fording the River Calder at Brighouse. The oldest of the main towns is probably Halifax.

A full list of Parishes within Calderdale can be found be following this link, it also gives the relative distance of these from Halifax and from the nearest main town.

More details about the area can be found in these pages:

Districts A – E Districts F – L Districts M – R Districts S – Z

We can help you with ancestry, genealogy and family searches covering all the above areas.