I have Ellen too - didn't spot it had changed to Emily on my post. Sorry. Guess it was autotext 'helping' again. I did a tremendous amount of work on this family branch - over decades - thinking they were mine. Went through the original records etc. So much easier these days - no computers then!
Dangerous Corner was on the main road, which I believe was a turnpike then, on the way to Colne. 'Keighley became an intersection with other turnpikes including the Two-Laws to Keighley branch of the Toller Lane - Blue Bell turnpike (1755) from Bradford to Colne etc' (
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keighley_and_Kendal_Turnpike)
the Grouse Inn website adds :
'The popularity of the Grouse Inn dramatically increased, when the Toller Lane, Haworth and Blue Bell Turnpike Trust was established in the middle of the 18th century to improve the road connecting Bradford & Colne: it ran from Heaton in Bradford to the Blue Bell Inn in Two Laws near Colne.
The Toller Lane, Haworth and Blue Bell Turnpike Trust was founded in 1755 ..l.This Turnpike (toll) road is the road that runs along the front of the Grouse Inn, which must have benefited from the increased traffic.'
It looks like they had problems in situating the gates:
'Colne Turnpike: The positioning of the gate at Two Laws caused endless debate. Before the construction of the road through Ingrow the main route from Keighley to Colne lay through Oakworth and along Harehill edge to join the Bradford—Colne turnpike at Two Laws. If the gate were positioned on the Stanbury side, traffic from Keighley to Colne would be able to evade payment. If the gate were on the Colne side, traffic from Haworth and Stanbury to Keighley could avoid tolls by using the track through Pitcher Clough and Oldfield which rejoined the Harehill road at Pickles Hill. The Trustees tried to solve this problem by setting up an additional gate in Stanbury. The villagers accused the toll collectors of charging people for using the village street and driving their cattle to the fields.
Haworth presented similar problems. The game of moving the toll gate must have assumed the proportions of a major entertainment. In 1759 a toll gate was erected in West Lane. By 1763 we know it had migrated to opposite the Black Bull in Main Street
With four, and possibly five bars, instead of the original three all sorts of complicated arrangements had to be made to ensure that no one had to pay twice. In 1772 the Trust proposed a plan whereby half tolls should be paid at two successive gates in three combinations — (1) ½ Ling Bob, ½ Haworth; (2) ½ Two Laws, ½ Haworth; (3) ½ Hewinden, ½ Ling Bob. The plan never got off the ground. A ticket system was substituted particularly to try and satisfy the inhabitants of Stanbury. (
http://www.valendale.co.uk/roads.html)
The same website also gives information about the old packhorse routes. For example:
'Newsholme was on a major packhorse route into Lancashire. A map from the collection of Dr Villy indicates that there was a Ford at Utley with a road up the hillside, by today’s Keighley Cemetery, to Braithwaite and Laycock. This increases the possibility that Dean Bridge in Newsholme, Dean is Roman in origin.'
There also appears to have been a second turnpike, running from Haworth to Two Laws, as seen on this map
http://www.turnpikes.org.uk/map%20Yorkshire%20West%20turnpikes.jpg.
Two Laws might not have been so isolated then as it appears today!
And this, which I'm sure will interest Sally, given our shared links to Heptonstall :
'Haworth to Heptonstall and Hebden Bridge. This would have been a well traveled route, Heptonstall had a Piece Hall long before Halifax. A cloth hall was built at Heptonstall in 1545-1548 by the Waterhouse family of Shibden Hall and called Blackwell Hall after the London market of that name. bbc.co.uk calderdale.gov.uk
It appears our ancestors had well travelled routes using trackways that would not occur to us today as being obvious routes between A and B. Did this route later become the Lees and Hebden Bridge turnpike Trust, running as it did from Keighley to Hebden Bridge?
I've wondered if the house at Dangerous Corner was once the turnpike mentioned as being at Two Laws?
Incidentally William Mitchell married later to a different lady - Elizabeth Parker I think? Sorry but I'm working away ATM so can't check my records to be certain.