A directory records that in 1826 Jonathan Andrews was a farmer at Cottingley Hall. It was now a fine house with an orchard, a market garden, mistrals for thirty cattle, a vast amount of farmland and to the west of the Hall, a sandstone quarry. A rates map of 1830, shows some of Cottingley Estate in the name of Edward Lee but the main part in the name of Rhooen. At this time the estate stretched down a track to the bottom of Churwell (Toll Bar) to Millshaw beck, around the little community there and across past the Drysalters Inn, here a second track descended from the Hall, there was two farm labourer cottages at the top. The estate continued to Gelderd Road, in this area there was a row of terraced cottages and a mill on the beck called Near Royds.

The arrival in 1845/47 of the Manchester/Morley railway line cut into the back of Cottingley estate, with Churwell station built on the eastern end of Churwell viaduct, whose construction displaced Churwell waterworks, the line terminated originally in Wortley. The construction of the London/Wakefield/Leeds line followed above Millshaw and below Windmill Hill and Crow Nest farm, Beeston. The aspect of Cottingley Hall facing south was not only marred by the new railway embankments but by smokey Millshaw mills, open coal pits and quarrying and surrounding poorly erected cottages.

The 1851 census is the first to give details of the occupants of Cottingley Hall, Richard Crosby was 46 years old and born in Churwell, a farmer of 156 acres. His wife, Jane Crosby was also 46 years old and born in Hunslet and their five children all Beeston born. He employed seven labourers and two 'lived in'. The Hill family were Beeston village squires at this time.

The 1861 census shows Jonathan Kendall, aged 23, born in Otley and his wife, Mary aged 26 born in Chapeltown and two infant girls. They were farming 135 acres and had servants Barbara Pike, an 18 year old house-servant born in Leeds, Christopher Bradley aged 20 a farm servant born in Darley, Patrick Rape an Irish farm servant and William Lupton aged 15 born in Adel.

In 1871, James Ellis, a 50 year old farmer had 200 acres and employed five men. His wife, Elizabeth was helped by daughter, Anne aged 31, other children were Charles aged 25, Alfred aged 23, Rueben aged 21, Elizabeth aged 18, Hannah aged 14, Edwin aged 11 and John aged 9 (born at Snittals Farm, Gelderd Road). William Padget, aged 29 was a farm servant born in Harrogate, Thomas Lawrence aged 53, a farm journeyman and his Leeds-born wife Mary aged 55. In one of the farm cottages were Edward Greaves, a 57 year old farm journeyman, his wife Sarah aged 43 and Sarah E. Greaves aged 3. And in the other Samuel Inman, a 44 year old milkhand, born in Morley and his wife Hannah and Elizabeth aged 15 years old. In 1881, the Ellis family were still in residence with Sarah aged 26 and Hanah aged 24 on household duties, John Baines-Ellis helped on the farm. 'Living in' was John Risdale, a 23 year old agricultural labourer born in Pocklington and Joseph Perkins,a 13 year old agricultural student. Another three households on the estate were; Thomas Murphy aged 29, Edward Murphy, Irish cowmen and Charles Regan, a 24 year old servant from Ireland. Thomas Bailey aged 42 was a Yorkshire-born agricultural labourer with his wife Louisa and four young sons and finally the household of Charles Ellis who was farming his own 66 acres and employing three men, his Leeds-born wife Elizabeth was 33 years old and their servants were Isabella Ridsdale aged 16 and William Wilkinson aged 20 both from Norfolk.

In 1874, Norrsion Scratcherd wrote in his book the History of Morley, "It is painful to contemplate, now such spots as Cottingley Hall, New Hall (Stanks farm) and many such Halls in the vicinity especially in a politcal view ... instead of such families as the Beestons, the Hodgsons ... we find upon their premises mere labourers or handy craftsmen".