They built their cottages in hamlets such as Rowley, Houses Hill and Gawthorpe. It was a slow but steady start for Lepton.
Now the village is a busy, mainly residential area straddling the A642 Wakefield Road and roads such as Rowley Lane and Highgate Lane.
It is a thriving community, with local churches, sports clubs and social clubs.
Property market
Lepton is very much on the up, according to property experts Rightmove. Last year saw 87 houses sold but the average price has risen sharply.
The cheapest to change hands in 2016 was a semi-detached house for £80,000 while at the other end of the scale, a five-bedroom detached home went for £530,000.
Lepton, with an overall average price of £237,167 was more expensive than nearby Kirkburton (£199,741), Almondbury (£161,136) and Kirkheaton (£158,674).
In the past year house prices in Lepton were 22% up on the year before and 21% up on 2012 when they averaged at £195,554.
Schools
Children in Lepton have a choice of two large primary schools within a few hundred yards of each other in the village centre.
For secondary education, there is a choice for most of King James's School in Almondbury or Shelley College.
And Ofsted rates all the schools very highly.
Lepton CE (VC)JIN School - Good
Rowley Lane JIN School - Good
King James's School - Good
Shelley College - Outstanding
Transport
There is no shortage of buses serving Lepton, with excellent links not only to Huddersfield and Wakefield but also to surrounding villages.
Yorkshire Tiger operates many of the services while others are run by First Halifax Calder Valley & Huddersfield.
Services in and out of Lepton run from as early as 0528am, making it ideal for commuters.
Services serving the village include: 231/232 - Huddersfield to Wakefield; 80- Huddersfield to Clayton West; 83A - Huddersfield to Scissett; 84A - Denby Dale to Huddersfield; 241 - Huddersfield to Houses Hill.
There is no rail station but Lepton is just four miles east of Huddersfield Railway Station which boasts frequent services to towns and cities including Leeds, Wakefield, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool, courtesy of First TransPennine and Northern.
Shopping
Lepton does not have a true village centre but is generally well served by shops supplying most requirements.
The Lepton Food & Wine store and Hadfields bakery are both in Highgate Lane and there are also services such as a dentist, hair salons, fish and chip shops and a health centre.
Social life
The transformation of the former White Horse pub in Wakefield Road has proved a boon to Lepton. The 315 Bar and Restaurant is not only an award-winning eaterie but also a venue for weddings, birthdays and other celebrations.
For those who prefer a more traditional night out, The Sun Inn is renowned for its excellent beers and warm welcome. And owners Carl and Donna Brayshaw have also introduced a community library in to the pub. They said the aim of the reinvention was to provide a hub for the community after the closure of Lepton Library.
The village also boasts the thriving Lepton Highlanders Sports & Social Club, with football and cricket teams proving year-round activities.
And down the hill in Gawthorpe the local club is a hub for discerning drinkers.
Open spaces
Lepton Recreation Ground, behind the Methodist Church, was renovated recently with a repainted youth shelter next to the Skate Park, new footpaths and seating. The Whitley Beaumont Scout Camp, which has been driving visitors since the 1920s, is sited amid a series of public footpaths.
And no-one would visit Lepton with calling in at the infamous Black Dick's Tower, reputed to be haunted by the ghost of Sir Richard Beaumont, who was born in 1574.
Did you know?
Lepton has a famous history of firework manufacture, dating back to 1847. The final factory closed in 1987. But Lepton's fireworks men had done their bit for the country; they provided a staggering 11million Mills grenades for the British Army in The Great War between 1914 and 1918.
