History

Byram park lies on the opposite side of the Great North Road to Brotherton. An historic deer park here can be traced back to the 13th century. Evidence has been found of land division within the park dating back to the iron age and in continuous use throughout the Roman period. The earliest known  documentation possibly relating to Byram is around 1030, the document in question being reference to the estates of the Archbishop of York.  

In 1612 the Ramsdens of Huddersfield bought Byram Park and for the next three centuries shaped its destiny. The rapid growth of the wool textile industry from the late 18th century turned Huddersfield into a boom town, and the Ramsdens' income soared. 

Consequently, in the 1770s, Sir John Ramsden, 4th Baronet, commissioned the York- based architect, John Carr, to build him a new house in Byram. They built a handsome Georgian mansion comprising of a three storey central block flanked by two, two storey wings. It was finished with colour washed rendering. As with the house, Sir John Ramsden was determined that only the best designers of the time were to be employed in creating the grounds which would surround his new property. Therefor, in1782, he called in 'Capability, Brown to advise him on their new layout. 

The Ramsdens involvement in the village life was extensive, and being major landowners in the area also employed a lot of local people. They took deep interest in the villagers, often donating money to the poor winter, giving financial help in the vent of local disasters, helping the unemployed, sick and orphaned. Sadly, in the changed social and financial circumstances of the 1920s, Byram was a luxury that the Ramsdens could no longer afford, and in 1922 the estate was sold. 

Although the central part of Byram Hall collapsed in the 1930s due to disuse and neglect, the East & West wings were used as housing for farm workers until much more recently. Sadly the West wing was destroyed by a fire in 1991. A second property of distinction in the parish is Sutton Hall, which dates from 1690. 

After the First World War, the population of Brotherton was about 2000, where as that of Byram-cum-Sutton was probably in the region of 50. In the inter-war years the population increased considerably following ribbon development along Sutton Land and Dish Hill. During this period, some new housing was built in Brotherton, but as suitable building land in the village was scarce the attention for further development turned to Byram. After the Second World War, army huts in the entrance of Byram Park were converted to temporary domestic use, and the area renamed Woodlea. However, the main development began in the early 1950s, when further land was acquired in Byram Park, and about 80 new houses and flats were built. Further building has taken place since the 1950s, and Byram now has a population of about 1400. (1406 at the 2001 census)