The 12th Century and Before

The earliest history of Launds can be traced back to the mid 800s from the Cartulary of Belleanu or also known as Bailol Priory. Launds was a small religious hamlet, mainly for trans-pennine travellers to either Lancashire or Yorkshire. One of the oldest document is a charter dated c.1180to 1210 AD of a Roberti Berbat of Lana.

The 14th Century

From family documents, a will dated c. 1356AD of a Robtus Brabent. The name Brabent is split into to two parts. Firstly "Bra" meaning moorland grass and secondly "Bent" meaning a brow of a hill or edge of a cliff. The will is in Latin and difficult to read, but with the help of Halifax Archives, the will says there was an Inn at Launds, In addition, Robtus may have also owned the "Dog" or now called the "Dog and Partridge" at Sowood in Halifax. Apart from the will, there is a family bible, which gives many details about the Launds and local history issues. The family papers date from the 12th to 19th centuries, translated in the 1920's and 1930's by a local Chaplin and Broadbent family from the old scriptures. Many events are listed for example births, deaths, Broadbent Inn's and many family landlords listed from the 13th century through to the 19th century.

The 16th Century

By the 1500's little would have changed at the Launds Inn, the Broadbent's still Inn keeping, farming, and brewing. In 1538/9 with the abolishment of the abbeys and monasteries by Henry VIII the church decided to setup a new system of recording births, marriages and deaths. In the early parish records the Broadbent family can be traced to Golkar and Scammonden areas.

The 17th Century

In 1637 the Broadbent family were busy sorting out family estate, including making plenty of wills and selling pubs!!. Jacobi Brodbent sold off the Blue Ball Inn, Dog, Diggle Inn, Gres Inn, and the Launds Inn to his son Jon Brodbent born in 1605 for 58 shillings.. In today's money £2.90!!

The 18th Century

In 1759, the early turnpikes were setup around Pole Moor and Golcar. The drive at Launds was a turnpike for travellers from Stainland, Golcar, Slaithewaite, and Saddleworth. A decade later in 1769 the Broadbent family like other families were involved with "Coining" meaning minting illegal coins. The network of coining probably spread across the Colne valley into Calderderdale in Mytholmtroyd, other family pubs owned by the Broadbent's, the Dog and Partridge at Sowood and the Launds Inn at Golcar were involved in minting coins and black market dealings in the back rooms of these alehouses!!

The 19th Century

By the early 1820's the long era of Broadbent's at Launds was nearing it's end. William Broadbent born 1792 was the last Broadbent landlord. In 1825 and 1826 most of the Broadbent family went to America in seeking GOLD!!. The Inn was sold to the Mellor family along with the GRAVE DIGGING business!! For the next 140 years or so, the Mellor's occupied most of Launds!!

The End Of The Launds Inn

With the Mellor family arriving at Launds in the late 1820's, the inn carried on with three or four generation's of the Mellor family running the inn. Firstly, James Mellor Mk1 ran the inn from cc 1829 until cc1850, James Mk 2 from cc1850 until cc1875 and James Mk 3 from cc1875 until the end in cc1877. James Mellor signed the pledge book at Pole Moor chapel in 1877 for stopping drinking and smoking!! Perhaps this was the reason for the end of he inn. After 1877, Launds grew in size with more cottages added to the hamlet. The Broadbent family returned to Launds in 1879. A John Luke Broadbent born in 1844 purchased one of the cottages with a piece of land. He lived on and off at Launds until his death in 1939. Other Broadbent's appeared now and again. James Broadbent born in 1850 also lived at Launds from 1879, the mid 1880's and then again in the early 1940's. He died at Launds in 1949 aged 99 years old. A James Crampton looking after him in his old age. The last Broadbent was a John born in 1882, living at Launds in the 1940's and 1950's. From centuries of Inn keeping, Launds changed to the textile industry full time. On the 1901 census, most of the occupants of Launds were connected with weaving in one way or another, the old Launds farm became a weaving shed for a time. After the First World War, many families lived at Launds of which the Broadbent family remained friends with. The Dysons, Haighs, Hirst's, Mellor's and even old James Crampton was a friend of Eric Broadbent for many years.

Robert Broadbent