Editing Yorkshire (section)

====1500-1600s: Explorative growth====

In the 16th and 17th centuries Leeds and other wool-industry-centred towns continued to grow, along with Huddersfield, Hull and Sheffield, while coal mining first came into prominence in the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.num.org.uk/?p=history&c=num|publisher=NUM.org.uk|title=History of the NUM: 1 – Towards A National Union|access-date=25 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080419080240/http://www.num.org.uk/?p=history&c=num|archive-date=19 April 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[wool]] textile industry, which had previously been a cottage industry, centred on the old market towns moved to the [[West Riding of Yorkshire|West Riding]] where entrepreneurs were building mills that took advantage of water power gained by harnessing the rivers and streams flowing from the [[Pennines]]. The developing [[textile industry]] helped [[Wakefield]] and [[Halifax, West Yorkshire|Halifax]] grow.<ref name="woolindustry">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/making_history/makhist10_prog13a.shtml|publisher=[[BBC]]|title=William Hirst – Leeds woollen industry pioneer|access-date=25 November 2007|archive-date=30 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630051913/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/making_history/makhist10_prog13a.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>