About Wath-on-Dearne, Rotherham, South Yorkshire

Wath-upon-Dearne

Wath-Upon-Dearne, Grammar School c1950
Wath-Upon-Dearne, the Grammar School c1950. (Neg. W222004) © Copyright The Francis Frith Collection 2008. http://www.francisfrith.com

Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection.

Domesday name: Wade

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Wath ‘the ford’, Old Scand. vath; Source A Dictionary of British Place-Names in Names & Places

Map of wath

It was a son of this area who helped speed up the business world. William Addy, a pioneer of shorthand was author of a shorthand bible published about 1687.

On 26 November, 1558, Thomas Forster of Moreton, Staffordshire, assigned to George, Lord Talbot, the reversion of a Lease of the Parsonage of Wath, formerly the property of St. Oswald's Priory, and Sir Henry Savell

The school was built in 1663 by £30 given by Rev Thomas Wombwell, it was endowed by Anthony Sowdrie in 1647 with land worth £13 a year, out of which £2 10s. 0d, was paid for apprenticing one poor boy, annually. The schoolmaster, has 20s. left by John Skiers in 1668.

In 1833, Wath village, was seated on a pleasant declivity near the Dearn and Dove canal. It presents all the appearance and bustle of a small market town, being well built, having several good shops and houses of public entertain ment, and in the surrounding neighbourhood a large population employed chiefly in the pot teries, ironworks, and coal mines, for which this district has long famed. The manor was given by the Conqueror to Roger de Busli, from whose family it passed to the Flemmings. It subsequently passed to the Wentworths, and from them, after the death of the last Marquis of Rockingham, to Earl Fitzwilliam. In a wood near the village,are evident marks of a Roman road, though it is not noted either by Leland or Camden. The church is a large ancient structure, with a tower and spire and six bells. It is a vicarage in the gift of the dean and chapter of Christ Church, Oxford, who are also appropriators of the rectorial tithes, by a grant of Henry VIII. It was anciently in three moities, but was united by Walter Grey, Archbishop of York, who in 1410 founded the vicarage and gave the rectory to the Hospital of St. Nicholas, in Pontefract, from which it passed to Nostell Abbey, and remained with that monastery till the dissolution.

Described in Robson's Birmingham and Sheffield Directory, 1839 as a large and well built village with several good shops and public houses. In its vicinity are several extensive potteries and coal and iron works. It's Parish comprises the townships of

Wath. Wath township contains 1495 souls and 1687 acres.
Brampton Bierlow. Township contains 1741 inhabitants and 3150 acres of land, and the hamlets of Brampton, Hoober, Newhill, part of Elsecar, Coley Lane, Cortwood and West Melton.
Nether Hoyland. The township comprises 2912 souls and 2030 acres of land, divided into hamlets of High and Low Hoyland and comprising most of Elsecar village.
Swinton. Swinton has a Railway Station and is celebrated as the chief seat of the China and Earthenware manufacture in the North of England. Its township is a chapelry and comprises a scattered village, 1817 inhabitants and 1628 acres of land, including part of Kilnhurst and the hamlet of Birdwell Flatts. The extensive pottery the Rockingham works, was commenced in 1745, and the Don Pottery in 1801. The Church of St. Margaret was rebuilt in 1816. Here is a National School. The Midland Railway crosses the parish near the Dearne and Dove Canal.
Wentworth. A large village near the western verge of Wentworth Park, has its own chapelry, 1566 souls and 2830 acres of fertile land, including most of the village of Thorpe Hesley, and the hamlets of Barrow, Barley Hole and Hood Hill. The church, a neat structure containing several handsome monuments in memory of the Earl Fitzwilliam's ancestors. The perpetual curacy is held by Rev. J.B.Upton. The school was founded by Thomas Wentworth in 1716. A girls national school was built by Earl Fitzwilliam in 1837.

The Parish of Wath-upon Dearne contains 11,120 acres of land and 9321 inhabitants, all are in Rotherham Union, apart from Nether Hoyland, which is in Barnsley Union.

Earl Fitzwilliam, whose princely seat, Wentworth House, is in the heart of the Parish, is Lord of the Manors and owner of most of the land.

The church is a vicarage with the perpetual curacy of Adwick-upon-Dearne annexed to it in the gift of Christ Church, Oxford and incumbency of Rev.H.Partington, M.A.

Here is a Wesleyan Reform Chapel, built in 1852.

A Monthly Magazine was published from January 1831 until December, 1833. Called the Village Magazine, price 4d. conducted by a committee of twelve, with Mr. L. Langley, F.L.S.of Brampton, as the editor. This was the only village periodical in the country, at this time.

The Gas Works were constructed in 1844 at a cost of £1800 raised in £6 shares.

« St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church on Doncaster Road. Built 1878 to 1879 in late 12th century style.

The cost was borne substantially by the Cadman family of Wath. Many catholics who had settled here, were Irish.

Charles George McGildron was both postmaster and chemist at these High Street premises, opened in February, 1904.

Church House belonged to All Saints Parish Church. It is now a Wetherspoons public house. It was a Sunday School and used for church functions.

I have seen pictures with the writing above advertising Whitbreads bottled stouts, then Mackesons and latterly, Gough of Wath, who was a builder.

In 1884, James Trickett began working for Frank Rodgers at the Smithy and took over the business in early 19th century, joined by his son Edgar in 1913.

The hissing of water on hot metal, as hand forged iron rims were contracted to fit cart-wheels, and pungent smoke from hooves being shod, were an everyday occurence here.

Originally Wath Hall, it became the Town Hall in 1909. Built in 1770 on the 16th century site of the Flemings Manor House, it was sold to Wath Urban District Council in 1891 for £2500. In 1833 Dr William Kay lived there, saddened by memories of his daughters elopement.

By 1849, it housed James Barton's Boarding School. Its last private occupant was Frederick Johnson, whose family had sold wines and spirits in Wath, since the early eighteenth century.

I can remember the White family living here when I was small. There was a butchers shop at the side run by Milton Wood.

Mausoleum in Newhill Park

We seem to think it holds the bodies of the Payne family who owned Newhill Hall which was built where Newhill Park is, but it is no longer there. The Payne family had lived at Newhill Hall since it was built in 1785 by Richard Payne.

Richard Payne was a well known breeder of polo ponies, and hunters, and one of the best sportsmen in the country. He was a solicitor and won numerous prizes at shows for his horses and ponies.

The Payne family were Quakers. His brother, John Henry Payne was a genuine eccentric, who lived at Hall Farm on the west edge of Newhill Park. A keen botanist and chemist, he wore homespun clothes made up by Morley's of West Street. His daughter, Sarah made small items on their own loom.

Parts of this church were built in 1150, sections have been knocked down and rebuilt in the 1100's and 1200's. Roger de Pocklington was rector 1280 to 1322. The top storey of the tower and spire were added sometime between 1350 and 1410. There were bells in existence sometime during the sixteenth century. The oldest was the tenor bell, first cast in 1583. The large font was given in 1874 in memory of William Cadman.

The church tower had a clock as early as 1714, with a fourteen foot pendulum. The ornaments in the church were believed to have been plundered in the Civil War and most of the present ornaments were given in the 18th century, and some in 1909.The church was fully restored in 1868 when plaster and lime were removed from the inside walls, and the walls were re-pointed.

On 16th August, 1917, there was a fire which gutted the vestry, destroyed most of the chancel roof and organ and burned the altar rail.

Old Gaol or Lock-up

Situated at the side of All Saints, now surrounded by new houses. The village lock-up provided secure temporary accomodation until drunks and trouble makers could be moved to Rotherham. It had two small windowless stone cells, whose separate padlocked doors were immediately behind the nail-studded main door. A stone staircase at the rear gave access to the constables simple room above the cells. The last village constable was William Thomas, in the mid 19th century.
The lock-up has now been converted into a home with the bedroom downstairs and living accomodation upstairs. It must be very small !