Here, Robin Longbottom examines the history of Malsis Hall at Glusburn – which served as a school for many years

WHEN Malsis School at Glusburn closed in December, 2014, Malsis Hall faced a very uncertain future.

It had been occupied as a school since 1920 but over recent years financial problems had resulted in parts of the building falling into disrepair.

There had been a hall at Malsis since the Middle Ages.

The Copley family of Batley had acquired the manors of Malsis and Sutton in 1340. They also held land in Oxenhope and owned the manors of Cowling (Cowling Hill) and Oakworth.

Although Batley Hall in Batley was their principal residence, members of the family resided at Malsis for a period of almost 300 years.

The first hall was occupied until the 1540s when houses in Malsis were burned down during a period of civil unrest arising from opposition to the enclosure of the common fields.

A new hall was built by Alvery Copley in about 1550. Today the only surviving evidence of this Tudor hall is the armorial that was once displayed above the main entrance.

It is an impressive declaration of the Copley’s long connection with Malsis and displays six shields emblazoned with the family coat of arms. Each shield represented one of Alvery Copley’s ancestors who had been lords of Malsis.

Above the shields are the words ‘Avery Copley Builded This Hous’. At the top of the display is the letter ‘B’ flanked by two fleurs de lys and on the extreme right is an inverted shield supported on a pedestal.

The letter ‘B’ stands for Beaumont, a family alliance having been sealed when Alvery Copley married Jane Beaumont.

The Beaumont family’s heraldic symbol was the fleur de lys and the curious inverted shield on a pedestal may well be an early representation of the female gender symbol, a circle on a cross, which was first adopted during the Renaissance period.

In 1621 Alvery Copley’s grandson, also called Alvery, sold Malsis Hall to Richard Horsfall. The Horsfalls later suffered as a result of the English Civil War.

Richard’s eldest son, a captain in the Royalist army, died aged 21 in 1644 and when the king lost the war parliament imposed heavy financial penalties upon them.

The Horsfalls didn’t continue to live at Malsis and appear to have moved away and leased the property and land to tenants.

In 1781 the hall was put up for sale. It was described as a mansion house with offices, stables and outbuildings and included 300 acres of land and three good farmhouses.

It was eventually bought by William Spencer, a gentleman of property whose family was originally from Silsden. When his granddaughter, Mary, married James Lund of Keighley, Malsis Hall came into their possession and the old hall – described as being in a “dilapidated state” – was demolished.

James Lund replaced it with the present hall in 1866. The new building originally consisted of a south-facing block with an entrance at the eastern end.

Some years later a tower was built to provide views over the countryside. Towards the end of the century a large extension was added with a portico, supported on Doric columns, for carriages to pass through. Further extensions included a service block, for staff, a laundry and kitchens.

The Lund family sold the hall to Sir John Horsfall of Hayfield, Glusburn, in 1919 and he let the property to Malsis School – which eventually bought the hall and grounds.

After the closure of the school, the hall was eventually purchased by a company that has since fully restored it. The Tudor armorial that had been built into the external brickwork of the school hall has now been removed and is proudly displayed inside the renovated building.