URPoint Details
Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Sowerby appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, and was an important settlement long before Halifax began to dominate. The ancient district of Sowerbyshire, a stretch of forest centred on the town leading down the Ryburn and Calder valleys and almost up to Halifax, was a Royal chase.
The name Sowerby, is made up from the Norse Sor for sour and suffixed with by representing a parished area. The local pronunciation follows the original Norse. (saw+bi).
A local legend described a castle in Sowerby and its presence was confirmed by excavations on 'Castle Hill' at the high end of the old town. Archaeologists uncovered the foundations of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle.
Location: Sowerby Bridge, 3.7 miles (6.0 km) west-southwest of Halifax and 7.6 miles (12.2 km) west-northwest of Huddersfield
- Type:
- Landmark