In the 12th century, the Cistercians built a priory here, and the gatehouse can still be seen. There is a legend about Robin Hood who was supposed to be the nephew of the prioress who sheltered him when he was fleeing from the Sheriff of Nottingham, but killed him. There is still a "Robin Hood's Grave" on the local Ordnance Survey map.
The Jacobean Kirklees Hall was built in the late 16th century.
Kirklees is also a metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire. It has a population of 390,000 and includes the towns of Batley, Dewsbury and Huddersfield.