Ardsley was probably only a small village in the medieval period although there are suggestions in the surrounding fields that there was an open field farming system in place. Ardsley was included within the survey of Darfield in the Domesday Book (Hunter 1831, 278). "By 1806 linen weaving and bleaching were well established in Ardsley" (Hey 1986, 241) and hand loom weaving was in operation producing "fancy drills" (Lewis 1848 [accessed 17/12/07]). There are some surviving examples dating to around 1800 (Bayliss 1995, 54). There are few historic building surviving as most of this part of the village was rebuilt in the mid to late 20th century but te few survivals along with the layout of the roads gives fragmentary legibility of the past landscape.