The books on this CDrom will be of great interest to anyone researching their ancestors in the areas around Northowram. There are thousands of names mentioned within these volumes.

The following information for the books is available here on line:

Reveiws of the CD by Angela Petyt and Lesley Abernethy

Northowram: it's history and antiquities:

• A transciption of the index
• A transcription of the contents
• The Title page, Preface, contents, etc in pdf (Acrobat) format.

Oliver Heywood's Diaries:

• A transcription of the Surnames index of Vols I to IV.
• A transcription of the Place name index
• A transciption of the contents
• The Title page, Contents, and the first 6 pages in pdf (Acrobat) format

The Northowram (non conformist) Registers:

• The Title page, contents and list of subscribers in pdf (Acrobat) format.
• The Introduction in pdf Acrobat format.

The above Acrobat files were extracted from the main pdf file and show the quality of the images. You will need at least version 5 of Acrobat to open these files. If you do not have an up to date version please go to the Adobe web-site to obtain a free version of Acrobat Reader.

Oliver Heywood was a non-conformist minister who lived in Northowram (a small town on the hills above Halifax in the old West Riding of Yorkshire) and preached in the villages and towns in the surrounding areas. He was born in 1630 and died in 1702.

He kept careful records of the births, deaths and marriages in his Registers (and these were subsequently added to by his successor). This Register is to be found on this CDrom.

He also kept a diary, and most of this is contained within "Oliver Heywood's Diaries" on this CDrom. The Diary volumes also contain pedigrees of the Heywood family and thousands of names and other information. The diaries on this CDrom go from 1666 to 1702 (within 5 days of his death), however some of the years are missing, and this are included in J. Horsfall Turner's "Yorkshire County Magazines"

In 1898 Mark Pearson published his "Northowram, its History and Antiquities". Of course this contains considerable information on Oliver Heywood, but also contains the later history of the town too. There are lots of names within the text and also lists for the Hearth tax and the Land tax contained in the appendices.

• Illustrations: lots!
• The village and township
• Ye Olde townes Bookes
• Old Coley Chapel
• Oliver Heywood's history of Coley Chapelry
• Oliver Heywood
• Heywood Chapel
• Heywood's successors in the Ministry at Northowram
• Heywood Sunday School
• History of the Bell School
• List of Masters at the Old Bell School
• Timothy Crowther
• The College, Day Schools and other institutions
• Political
• Northowram School Board
• The Old order and the New
• Old Halls and Residences in Northowram and Shibden Dale
• Copy of the Long Lost Priestly MS
• Appendices:
• Hearth Tax for
• Land Tax for Northowram and Shelf
• Churchwardens
• Subscribers to the book.

• Volume 1.
  • Heywood, Rotherham and Shaw pedigrees
  • Heywood family
  • Heywood genealogy
  • Heywood pedigress by Hunter
  • Genealogical memoranda
  • Licences to preach
  • Poem
  • Love letter
  • Autobiography
    • Memoranda
    • Anagram
    • Observations Experimental
  • Diary, 1666-1673
  • Event Boo, convenants etc.
  • Index of persons and places
• Volume 2
  • Hewood Bibliography
  • List of Mr Franland's pupils
  • Northowram Members, memoranda
  • Diary 1677-1680
  • List of books in OH's library
  • His Vellum Book
  • His "Rawson" volume, 1678-1682
  • Treatise: a Scriptural fast
  • Portraits of Nonconformist Worthies
  • Index of persons and places
• Volume 3
  • Heywood's MSS
  • Memoranda, Kerby's poems, Anecdotes
  • Event book: Experiences, Returns of Prayer, Memorials of Mercy, Providences
  • Solemn covenants. Annual reviews, Self reflections
  • Experiments with reflections
  • On Prayer
  • Mr Heywood's imprisonment
  • Biblical note book
  • Conventicle notice
  • Index of persons and places
• Volume 4
  • Coley Ministers
  • Objects and observations
  • Returns of Prayer
  • Correspondence
  • Last diary
  • Frankland's pupils
  • Chorlton's pupils
  • Notes on ministers
  • Notes from Thoresby
  • Heywood tablets
  • List of subscribers
  • Index of persons and places
  • Contents of the 4 volumes

A review of this CD rom by Angela Petyt:

"This comprehensive CD contains not just one but several books relating to Northowram and Oliver Heywood, and much more besides -

• Northowram/Coley Nonconformist registers 1644-1752 - Baptisms, marriages and burials, with lots of detailed comments.
• Laws concerning Nonconformists, such as the Toleration Act - lists of names of dissenting ministers in Yorkshire, lots of names and places of residence of Yorkshire popish recusants.
• A good late Victorian general 'history and antiquities' of Northowram - good sections on religion, education and politics with many illustrations.
• Oliver Heywood's Diaries - the life and times of a 17th century Nonconformist minister.

With excellent indexes of surnames and place names, the books on this CD will be of great use to genealogists and local historians who have an interest in the town of Northowram and the life of Oliver Heywood. In addition, the wealth of general information relating to 17th century Nonconformity is an invaluable aid to research."

another review by Lesley Abernethy:

"This really is an encyclopaedia of more than three centuries of Northowram history, with six books on one CD, but it is so much more than that. Almost every page is bristling with familiar Halifax surnames; here is birth, death, scandal, gossip, extraordinary events and minute details of normal everyday life- an amazing insight into the lives of our West Riding ancestors, rich or poor. The giant figure of Oliver Heywood towers over all, still vividly alive in the pages of his diaries. This well-produced CD not only has the bare bones of history- the illustrations of places and people, facts, figures, names and events- but is a fascinating social document, even for (unfortunate!) people without Halifax connections."