Darfield, South Yorkshire
Encyclopedia
Darfield is a village
within the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire
, England
. It lies 5 miles (8 km) east of the town of Barnsley
. It had a population of 8,066 at the 2001 UK Census.
habitations in its history.
In Saxon
, the name "Feld" describes 'a large area of pasture land' , while the term "Dere" refers to the deer which inhabited the forest. When combined, this gives the name Derefeld which later became Darfield.
There are records of an 8th-century church in Darfield, but when the Domesday Book
was written in 1086 there was no mention of it.
Darfield remained an insignificant agricultural village for many centuries to come, until 1862. In that year, two mining companies sank shafts in the Barnsley district to exploit the rich seam of coal running through the area. Darfield Main colliery
and Mitchells Main were local mines, the population of the village quickly increased and it became a labour pool for the surrounding coalmines. By 1901, over 4,000 people lived there compared to just 600 inhabitants in 1851
Until June 1963, Darfield had a railway station
on the former Midland Railway's Sheffield Midland - Cudworth
- Leeds City
line. The line itself closed in 1988 due to severe subsidence.
parish church
and two Methodist Chapels.
Club which plays at Darfield Cricket Ground and a Junior Football Team.
operate bus services every 15 minutes to Barnsley
during the daytime as well as 2 buses per hour to Wombwell
. Darfield is also served by the express bus service X19 which operates direct to Doncaster
and Robin Hood Airport. Also, both Wombwell
and Goldthorpe
railway stations are within easy reach of Darfield where connections can be made to Sheffield, Meadowhall, Wakefield and Leeds.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
within the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It lies 5 miles (8 km) east of the town of Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
. It had a population of 8,066 at the 2001 UK Census.
History
Many Roman coins have been unearthed in Darfield, and there is evidence to suggest that the village contained RomanRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
habitations in its history.
In Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
, the name "Feld" describes 'a large area of pasture land' , while the term "Dere" refers to the deer which inhabited the forest. When combined, this gives the name Derefeld which later became Darfield.
There are records of an 8th-century church in Darfield, but when the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
was written in 1086 there was no mention of it.
Darfield remained an insignificant agricultural village for many centuries to come, until 1862. In that year, two mining companies sank shafts in the Barnsley district to exploit the rich seam of coal running through the area. Darfield Main colliery
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
and Mitchells Main were local mines, the population of the village quickly increased and it became a labour pool for the surrounding coalmines. By 1901, over 4,000 people lived there compared to just 600 inhabitants in 1851
Until June 1963, Darfield had a railway station
Darfield railway station
Darfield railway station was opened in 1840 by the North Midland Railway, serving the village of Darfield in South Yorkshire, England.The original station building was of typical Francis Thompson Italianate design...
on the former Midland Railway's Sheffield Midland - Cudworth
Cudworth, South Yorkshire
Cudworth is a semi-rural village on the outskirts of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. Cudworth has a busy village centre surrounded by some housing and green belt countryside...
- Leeds City
Leeds City railway station
Leeds railway station is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England...
line. The line itself closed in 1988 due to severe subsidence.
Shops
Darfield has a few shops, such as a Florist, Baker's, Newsagents, Hairdresser's, Garage/MOT station, Post Office, Chemist and two small Co-op supermarkets.Food
There are seven food outlets in the village. These are The Station Pub which is now being transformed into an indian restaurant, Thaal Indian Restaurant, a small takeaway Cafe, 2 Fish and Chip Shops, a Chinese takeaway and Milano's Pizzeria.Schools
- Darfield Upperwood Primary SchoolDarfield Upperwood Primary SchoolDarfield Upperwood Primary School is a 4–11 community primary school located in Darfield, Barnsley, England. First opened on5 November 1973, it is situated in an old mining community with changing patterns of employment. Most of the around 260 pupils are White British witha small number of...
is a 4-11 community primary schoolPrimary educationA primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
, opened on 5 November 1973, that educates around 250 pupilsStudentA student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
. In July 2006 it was reported in the Barnsley Chronicle that a special investigation by council auditors into the school accounts raised questions about the way it was using public money. This received national media coverage when it appeared in the Yorkshire PostYorkshire PostThe Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
in March 2007. - Darfield Valley Primary School, Snape Hill Road, Darfield.
- Darfield, All Saints, Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School, School Street, Darfield.
- Darfield Foulstone School of Creative Arts, Nanny Marr Road, Darfield, a secondary schoolSecondary schoolSecondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
. In 2011 the school will, under reorganisation arrangements, merge with another school.
Museum
The museum property was donated to the village by the late Maurice Dobson, after whom the museum is named. The museum is split into four parts, the main museum, an outlet area where locals can sell their craft items, a cafe-gallery and a meeting place. There is also an outdoor patio where some larger items are exhibited.Churches and Chapels
There is a Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
and two Methodist Chapels.
Sports
Darfield has a CricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
Club which plays at Darfield Cricket Ground and a Junior Football Team.
Transport
Stagecoach YorkshireStagecoach Yorkshire
Stagecoach Yorkshire is an operating division of Stagecoach UK Bus.It was formed in 2005 to take over the former Traction Group fleets in Yorkshire by Stagecoach Group, which took over Traction from Frank Carter on 14 December 2005; Yorkshire Traction, Yorkshire Terrier and Barnsley & District....
operate bus services every 15 minutes to Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
during the daytime as well as 2 buses per hour to Wombwell
Wombwell
Wombwell is a small town near Barnsley, located in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 15,180.Its name's origin may mean "Womba's Well", or "well in a hollow"....
. Darfield is also served by the express bus service X19 which operates direct to Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and Robin Hood Airport. Also, both Wombwell
Wombwell railway station
Wombwell railway station lies in Wombwell, a town south of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. The station is north of Sheffield on the Hallam and Penistone Lines...
and Goldthorpe
Goldthorpe railway station
Goldthorpe railway station serves the village of Goldthorpe, in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Wakefield Line north of Sheffield railway station...
railway stations are within easy reach of Darfield where connections can be made to Sheffield, Meadowhall, Wakefield and Leeds.
See also
List of Yorkshire PitsExternal links
- http://www.darfield.btik.com/home.ikml