Holbeck

Holbeck is an inner city area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It begins on the southern edge of Leeds city centre and mainly lies in the LS11 postcode district. The M1 and M621 motorways used to end/begin in Holbeck. Now the M621 is the only motorway that passes through the area since the end of the M1 moved to Hook Moor near Aberford. Since large parts of Holbeck have been vacated in preparation for the regeneration of the area, the district has in large parts suffered from a population exodus. Holbeck had a population of 5,505 in 2011. The district currently falls within the Beeston and Holbeck ward of Leeds City Council. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal also runs through Holbeck. The Hol Beck is the name of a stream running from the south-west into the River Aire. It was the deposition of silt by the Hol Beck and nearby the Sheepscar Beck from the north that led to a fording place and a small community which eventually grew into the town of Leeds. The place-name Holbeck is first attested in the 12th century in forms such as Holebec and Holesbec, from hol 'a hollow' and beck 'a stream' (an Old Norse loanword, from bekkr, reflecting Scandinavian influence in Yorkshire during the Viking Age), thus 'stream in the hollow'. The old manor belonged to the priory of the Holy Trinity at York and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries passed to the Darcy and Ingram families. In the 18th century Holbeck was still a village outside Leeds, and expanded with the development of hand weaving. At this time, Holbeck was known for its spa water, which resembled that of Harrogate, and was carried into Leeds for sale. The supply diminished when numerous wells were sunk to supply the mills and works in the area and the water, which previously rose to the surface, could only be obtained by pumping from a considerable depth. In the first half of the 19th century, Holbeck village was a hamlet of few streets. Most were owned by John Scholey (1774–1834) and are listed in his will at the Borthwick Institute for Archives, University of York.