Levitt Hagg
Encyclopedia
Levitt Hagg is an abandoned hamlet in South Yorkshire
, located approximately two miles southwest of Doncaster
and near Conisbrough Castle
. Limestone began to be quarried at the site in ancient times. Levitt Hagg was also the site, along with nearby environs in the Don Gorge, of ancient woodlands rich in yew trees. The old settlement of Levitt Hagg was removed in the 1950s.
family, an Anglo-Norman
family prominent in Yorkshire for centuries.
Cliffs and was composed of two quarries: Near Cliff, which had been exhausted by 1791; and "Far Cliff" which included the long-gone early industrial hamlet of Levitt Hagg.
Limestone from the quarries at Levitt Hagg, which had a vertical height of 75 feet, has been widely used in building in the South Yorkshire area since medieval times. The soft dolomite limestone from the banks of the Don east of Conisbrough made ideal building material, which yielded profits for some. An account book from the mid-eighteenth century records the expenses of quarrying limestone at the site, which belonged at that time to the Battie-Wrightson family of Cusworth.
As well as quarrying operations, barges to be used on the canals were also built on the bank by the village, the first one being completed in 1886. Boat building was abandoned in 1901. The only surviving evidence of industrial activity are abandoned lime kilns, the upper portions of which are still visible. Today Levitt Hagg is the site of an abandoned quarry and landfill site, providing refuge for four species of bats, including whiskered
, long-eared, Daubenton's
and Natterer's
. (The bats and their habitat are protected by law
.)
During 1925, the County Medical Officer made a report on the sanitary conditions at Levitt Hagg, and his findings were that many of the houses were in a state of disrepair, water had to be obtained from wells and drainage was discharged into the river and whenever the river overflowed the houses were prone to flooding. The insanitary conditions and the badly polluted state of the river led to all the Levitt Hagg houses being condemned as unfit for occupation and by 1957 the area had been cleared.
who have restored 2 acres to calcareous grassland
and installed equipment to supply gas from the site to the grid.
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...
, located approximately two miles southwest of 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 near Conisbrough Castle
Conisbrough Castle
Conisbrough Castle is a 12th-century castle in Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, England, whose remains are dominated by the 97-foot high circular keep, which is supported by six buttresses. In the mid-1990s, the keep was restored, with a wooden roof and two floors being rebuilt...
. Limestone began to be quarried at the site in ancient times. Levitt Hagg was also the site, along with nearby environs in the Don Gorge, of ancient woodlands rich in yew trees. The old settlement of Levitt Hagg was removed in the 1950s.
Toponomy
The settlement took its name from Hagg, an archaic word which meant 'broken ground in a bog,' and from the LevettLevett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
family, an Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
family prominent in Yorkshire for centuries.
History
The River Don valley, in which the settlement was situated, was a site given to limestone formations which lent themselves to early mining for building purposes. The area in which Levitt Hagg is located was known as ConisbroughConisbrough
Conisbrough is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is located roughly midway between Doncaster and Rotherham, and is built alongside the River Don at...
Cliffs and was composed of two quarries: Near Cliff, which had been exhausted by 1791; and "Far Cliff" which included the long-gone early industrial hamlet of Levitt Hagg.
Limestone from the quarries at Levitt Hagg, which had a vertical height of 75 feet, has been widely used in building in the South Yorkshire area since medieval times. The soft dolomite limestone from the banks of the Don east of Conisbrough made ideal building material, which yielded profits for some. An account book from the mid-eighteenth century records the expenses of quarrying limestone at the site, which belonged at that time to the Battie-Wrightson family of Cusworth.
As well as quarrying operations, barges to be used on the canals were also built on the bank by the village, the first one being completed in 1886. Boat building was abandoned in 1901. The only surviving evidence of industrial activity are abandoned lime kilns, the upper portions of which are still visible. Today Levitt Hagg is the site of an abandoned quarry and landfill site, providing refuge for four species of bats, including whiskered
Whiskered bat
The whiskered bats Myotis mystacinus and related species, are small European bats with long fur. Although uncommon, M. mystacinus is often found around human habitation and around water; it is similar to Brandt's bat Myotis brandtii, from which it was distinguished as a separate species only in...
, long-eared, Daubenton's
Daubenton's bat
Daubenton's Bat, Myotis daubentonii, is a Eurasian bat with quite short ears. It ranges from Britain to Japan and is considered to be increasing its numbers in many areas.The name commemorates the French naturalist Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton....
and Natterer's
Natterer's bat
Natterer's bat is a European bat with pale wings. It has brown fur, also seen on the leg wing membrane, tending to white on its underside...
. (The bats and their habitat are protected by law
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom and was implemented to comply with the Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds...
.)
Village
The village of Levitt Hagg began to grow around 1815 when the company of Lockwood, Blagden and Kemp constructed six cottages, known locally as 'White Row.' Four more houses had been constructed before 1851 when, according to the 1851 census, the dwellings were occupied by 60 people. During 1875, six more houses were constructed. Each one contained a living room, two bedrooms, an attic and a kitchen. At this time the village population was nearly 100, and in 1878 a small Mission Hall cum Reading Room was built on a site given by Cusworth Hall Estate owner William Battie Wrightson.During 1925, the County Medical Officer made a report on the sanitary conditions at Levitt Hagg, and his findings were that many of the houses were in a state of disrepair, water had to be obtained from wells and drainage was discharged into the river and whenever the river overflowed the houses were prone to flooding. The insanitary conditions and the badly polluted state of the river led to all the Levitt Hagg houses being condemned as unfit for occupation and by 1957 the area had been cleared.
Landfill site
The Levitt Hagg landfill site is run by Waste Recycling GroupWaste Recycling Group
Waste Recycling Group is a major British waste management company.WRG was owned by Guy Hands' investment company Terra Firma Capital Partners until September 2006, when it was sold to Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas, S.A.The company offers services in Landfill Disposal, Energy Recovery,...
who have restored 2 acres to calcareous grassland
Calcareous grassland
Calcareous grassland is an ecosystem associated with thin basic soil, such as that on chalk and limestone downland. Plants on calcareous grassland are typically short and hardy, and include grasses and herbs such as clover...
and installed equipment to supply gas from the site to the grid.