This Monthly Meeting dates from 1665, when it covered a large swathe of the West Riding to the north west of Bradford and Leeds, and was known as Skipton Monthly Meeting. It was renamed Settle in 1669, after losing about half of its geographical area (including Skipton) to the newly formed Knaresborough Monthly Meeting to the east. At this point, its constituent Preparative Meetings were Bentham (c.1652-1853, 1924-); Broughton (later Salterforth, then Lothersdale, then Salterforth again) (c.1653-1853, 1924-1961); Newton-in-Bowland (c.1653-1855, 1943-1948); Scalehouse (later Airton) (c.1652-1853, 1943-1948); Scarhouse (later Starbotton, then Langstrothdale) (1669-1785); and Settle (c.1652-1853, 1924-). During the 18th century Meetings were also settled in Monibent (no dates) and Selside (c.1700-1728). By the early 19th century, the pattern of small, geographically dispersed Meetings brought the viability of the Monthly Meeting into question. It was proposed in 1814 to transfer the Monthly Meeting to Westmorland Quarterly Meeting, but the latter disagreed, and it was not until 1853 that the decision to incorporate both Settle and Knaresborough into Brighouse Monthly Meeting was implemented. After a period of seventy years, Settle Monthly Meeting was re-formed, comprising the five north westerly Meetings within Brighouse, namely Bentham, Keighley, Salterforth, Settle and Skipton. By the end of 1924, it had 162 members, the smallest of the Yorkshire Monthly Meetings. Two relatively short-lived Allowed Meetings were formed in the early 20th century, Cowling (1925-1942) and Linton (1945-1947).
From the guide to the Records of Settle Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends, 1654-1990, (GB 206 Leeds University Library)
