Grimethorpe
Encyclopedia
Grimethorpe is a large village
which is part of the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire
, England
. It has a population of 1,873.
It is believed that the name Grimethorpe originates from "Grim's Torp", a mixture of Anglo-Saxon
and Viking
names, meaning a torp
or hamlet
owned by a Viking
named Grimey.
It is located to the east of Barnsley
and the south of Hemsworth
; until the local government reorganisation of 1974, it was part of both the Hemsworth district
and constituency
.
and many of the houses from its coal-mining days have been demolished. In 1994, the European Union
's study of deprivation named Grimethorpe as the poorest village in the country and amongst the poorest in Europe. For a village, levels of crime and drug abuse have been chronically high. Unemployment was above 50% for much of the 1990s and a large proportion of the population are disabled, having suffered injuries down the coal mines.
on his visit to the village in March 2010.
and its location for the film Brassed Off
- a black comedy
which tells the plight of the village and the effect on its band.
In 2010 Grimethorpe Colliery band recorded a version of the song Jerusalem to be played every time the English team won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
in India.
and Barnsley
player, Stuart Barrowclough, reached the final of a pub team competition played at Wembley Stadium
, losing on penalties. In 2006 they formed an amateur rugby league
team to play in the Pennine League - Division Six. Since 1905 Grimethorpe have had a cricket Team. Grimethorpe Miners Welfare Cricket Club have been playing at the Stute playing fields for over a hundred years. They currently play in the Doncaster & District cricket league.
set in Barnsley. Fred still lives in the village.
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...
which is part of the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in 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 has a population of 1,873.
It is believed that the name Grimethorpe originates from "Grim's Torp", a mixture of Anglo-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...
and Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
names, meaning a torp
Thorp
Thorp is a Middle English word for a hamlet or small village, from Old English /Old Norse þorp . There are many place names in England with the suffix "-thorp" or "-thorpe". Most are in East Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk but some are in Surrey.Old English þorp is cognate...
or hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
owned by a Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
named Grimey.
It is located to the east 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...
and the south of Hemsworth
Hemsworth
Hemsworth is a small town and civil parish on the edge of West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the City of Wakefield, and has a population of 13,311....
; until the local government reorganisation of 1974, it was part of both the Hemsworth district
Hemsworth Rural District
Hemsworth was, from 1894 to 1974, a rural district in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England.-Creation:The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1894 as successor to the Hemsworth Rural Sanitary District...
and constituency
Hemsworth (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1940s :- Elections in the 1930s :- Elections in the 1920s :...
.
Mining
The 1981 census recorded 44% of Grimethorpe workers as miners. The two pits in the village were called 'Grimethorpe' and 'Ferrymoor'. The latter merged with 'Riddings' in 1967, which in turn merged with 'South Kirkby' in 1985. Grimethorpe colliery was one of the deepest pits in Britain and, following similar mergers with 'Houghton Main' and 'Dearne Valley', employed 6,000 men at the time of the closure in May 1993. During mid-October of the UK Miners' Strike (1984-1985), there was a series of riots in Grimethorpe and local residents complained that the policing was too heavy-handed. Relations between the community and the police remained very cold for the next decade.Deprivation
Grimethorpe has gained a reputation as the most long-term deprived community in Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and many of the houses from its coal-mining days have been demolished. In 1994, the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's study of deprivation named Grimethorpe as the poorest village in the country and amongst the poorest in Europe. For a village, levels of crime and drug abuse have been chronically high. Unemployment was above 50% for much of the 1990s and a large proportion of the population are disabled, having suffered injuries down the coal mines.
Regeneration projects
Several regeneration projects have caused fortunes to improve in recent years and the village is starting to regain its self-respect. This change has been hastened by the construction of new Dearne Valley Link roads and with the development of the large Park Springs Industrial Estate. This has brought many jobs to the area especially the construction of a huge unit occupied by South Yorkshire based furniture company Symphony. In addition to this development the village has seen the construction of three new private housing estates, a new medical centre, dental surgery, and village hall. Indeed the impressive regeneration of the village was praised by former Deputy PM Lord PrescottJohn Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
on his visit to the village in March 2010.
Education
The Secondary School of the village is Willowgarth High School on Brierley Road although a new superschool is currently being constructed at Shafton, when completed the new school will have pupils from Priory as well.Band
Grimethorpe is known for its past as a mining village, its brass band, the Grimethorpe Colliery BandGrimethorpe Colliery Band
The Grimethorpe Colliery Band is a brass band, based in Grimethorpe, South Yorkshire, England. It was formed in 1917, as a leisure activity for the workers at the colliery, by members of the disbanded Cudworth Colliery Band...
and its location for the film Brassed Off
Brassed Off
Brassed Off is a 1996 British film written and directed by Mark Herman. The film, a British-American co-production made between Channel Four Films, Miramax Films and Prominent Films, is about the troubles faced by a colliery brass band, following the closure of their pit...
- a black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
which tells the plight of the village and the effect on its band.
In 2010 Grimethorpe Colliery band recorded a version of the song Jerusalem to be played every time the English team won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in India.
Sport
Grimethorpe Miners Welfare had a football team that played in the Northern Counties East League and the Central Midlands League until it disbanded in 2000. In the 1990s the football team, managed by former Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
and Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
player, Stuart Barrowclough, reached the final of a pub team competition played at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, losing on penalties. In 2006 they formed an amateur rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team to play in the Pennine League - Division Six. Since 1905 Grimethorpe have had a cricket Team. Grimethorpe Miners Welfare Cricket Club have been playing at the Stute playing fields for over a hundred years. They currently play in the Doncaster & District cricket league.
Notable people
Famous people from Grimethorpe include the famous actor Fred Fletcher whose most notable role was that of 'Jud' in the iconic film KesKes (film)
Kes is a 1969 British film from director Ken Loach and producer Tony Garnett. The film is based on the novel A Kestrel for a Knave, written by the Barnsley-born author Barry Hines in 1968...
set in Barnsley. Fred still lives in the village.
External links
- Interview with former miners' union activist on the recent history of the village
- http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/prescott-praises-grimethorpe-regeneration-progress
- http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/Grimethorpe-Fall-and-rise-of.3368390.jp
- http://www.barnsley-chronicle.co.uk/news/2,0000,3222.html
- http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/1299/Jobs-boost-as-Symphony-owner.1102257.jp