In the celebrating of public events in Keighley, which town he has long made his home, or in the lampooning of Keighley’s public men, he is especially at home. No public matter there would be regarded as duly celebrated unless enshrined in the local laureate’s rhyme, no ceremony complete without his burly presence or his facile pen. He is the poet historian of the borough.

(William Wright: The Poets of Keighley, Bingley and Haworth: Chas F Forshaw (Ed) 1893)
Local Author’s collection, Keighley Local Studies Library.

To Isaac Holden Esq. MP

Come, hand me down that rustic harp,
From off that rugged wall,
For I must sing another song
To suit the Muse’s call,
For she is bent to sing a pœan,
On this eventful year,
In praise of the philanthropist
Whom all his friends hold dear—
The Grand Old Man of Oakworth,
Beyond his eightieth year!

No flattery!  My honest Muse,
Nor yet be thou servile;
But tinkle up that harp again,
A moment to beguile.
Altho’ the bard be rude and rough,
Yet, he is ever proud
To do the mite that he can do,
And thus proclaim aloud—
The Grand Old Man of Oakworth,
Of whom we all are proud!

For base indeed were any bard
That ever sang on earth,
Did he not wish his neighbour well,
And praise his sterling worth.
Leave state affairs and office
To those of younger blood,
But I am with the patriot,
The noble, wise, and good—
The Grand Old Man of Oakworth,
The wise, the great, the good!

This worthy old philanthropist,
Whom all his neighbours greet;
Who has a smile for every one
Whom he may chance to meet—
Go to yon pleasant village,
On the margin of the moor,
And you will hear his praises sung
By all the aged poor—
The Grand Old Man of Oakworth,
A friend unto the poor!

Long may he live! and happy be,
The patriot and the sire;
And may some other harp give praise,
Whose notes will sound much higher.
His thirst for knowledge, worth, and lore—
His heart was ever there—
This worthy old philanthropist,
Beyond his eightieth year!—
The Grand Old Man of Oakworth,
Beyond his eightieth year.

See also:  BK 135 & BK361 held in the Archives @ Keighley Local Studies.

For more on Bill O’ Th Hoylus End

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/ea64b6b2-55a8-469c-823e-7cf6cb125fdd
http://www.haworth-village.org.uk/history/people/bill-hoylus.asp
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29085/29085-h/29085-h.htm

And more can be learned about the subject of Bill’s poem, Sir Isaac Holden, inventor, entrepreneur and politician here, in our subscription to the Dictionary of National Biography

http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13491?docPos=12

In the BBC’s ‘Countryfile’ programme of Sunday 17th May Anita Rani returned to her home turf of Bradford to explore the countryside on the edge of the city. She discovered the rural gems right on her doorstep and the journey that has been made for centuries from the urban sprawl to the fresh air of the nearby moors.

Images from the collection of Bradford Local Studies Library were shown in the programme including pictures of the Bowling Iron Works in 1861. The Bowling Iron Works had been established c 1780 in the southeast of Bradford. The process involved mining coal and iron ore, smelting and refining, casting and forging. By 1840 Bradford was known for having some of the most smoke-filled air in Britain, however these images also demonstrate the proximity of the local moors and countryside surrounding Bradford.