Silkstone
Encyclopedia
Silkstone is a village and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley
Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley
The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley is a metropolitan borough of the metropolitan county of South Yorkshire, England. Its main town is 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 is situated in the foothills of the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...

, between the towns 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 Penistone
Penistone
Penistone is a small town market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of 10,101 at the 2001 census. It lies west of the town of Barnsley and north east of Glossop, in the foothills of the Pennines...

, and includes the village of Silkstone Common. At the 2001 census it had a population of 2,954.

Silkstone is twinned with Saint-Florent-des-Bois
Saint-Florent-des-Bois
Saint-Florent-des-Bois is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.It is located on the periphery of La Roche-sur-Yon.-Twin towns:...

 in France.

History

The name Silkstone is Old English in origin and is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon man's name Sylc and the suffix tūn meaning a farmstead, giving "Sylc's farmstead". The earliest known written record of Silkstone is 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...

 of 1086, when Silkstone is referred to as a part of the manor of Cawthorne
Cawthorne
Cawthorne is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. The village was once the centre of a localised iron and coal mining industry, though today it is the centre of a very affluent commuter belt, west of Barnsley...

:

In Calthorne (Cawthorne) Ailric had three carucates of land to be taxed and there may be two ploughs there. The same now has it of Ilbert; himself two ploughs there, and four villanes with two ploughs. There is a priest and a church, wood pasture two miles long and two broad; the whole manor three miles long and two broad. Value in King Edward’s time forty shillings, now twenty shillings. To this manor belongs Silchestone (Silkstone), one carucate and a half.


The church mentioned may be a predecessor of the current Church of All Saints
Church of All Saints, Silkstone
The Church of All Saints is the parish church in the village of Silkstone in South Yorkshire, England. It is a Church of England church in the Diocese of Wakefield...

, the parish church in Silkstone. Silkstone parish originally included Cawthorne
Cawthorne
Cawthorne is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. The village was once the centre of a localised iron and coal mining industry, though today it is the centre of a very affluent commuter belt, west of Barnsley...

, West Bretton
West Bretton
West Bretton is a village and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It lies from Wakefield, close to junction 38 of the M1 motorway. It has a population of 546....

, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....

, 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...

, Dodworth
Dodworth
Dodworth is a village in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 5,742.-History:Dodworth is a former coal mining village with approximately 5,800 people The land occupying the former mine is now the Dodworth Business Park...

, Stainborough
Stainborough
Stainborough is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 399.-External links:...

, Thurgoland
Thurgoland
Thurgoland is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,801. The village has one primary school, the Holy Trinity and a Methodist Chapel. There are four public houses: The Monkey,...

, and Hoylandswaine
Hoylandswaine
Hoylandswaine is a village in the county of South Yorkshire.Located near Penistone and west of the M1 along the A628 it enjoys easy access to more significant locales such as Sheffield, Barnsley, Manchester and even Leeds.-External links:...

.

The Silkstone coal seam is at its shallowest in the Silkstone area, and mining was an important local industry. In 1809 a waggonway was built through the village by the Barnsley Canal Navigation Company. The waggonway was used to transport coal from collieries in the Silkstone valley to Cawthorne. A memorial commemorating the waggonway stands in the village.

Sport

The village has sporting facilities, in the shape of the Pavilion. It is host to both a football and cricket team, with both sports being played at junior and senior levels. Silkstone is frequented by ramblers as many walking routes start from the village.

Culture and attractions

The Church of All Saints was constructed in the 12th century (with alterations/renovations in the 15th and 19th centuries), it is a Grade I listed building.. It is locally known as the minster of the moors. The Grade II listed Noblethorpe Hall near the village was built in the early 19th century for the Clarke family (local colliery owners). During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 it was used as an army camp. Pot House Hamlet
Pot House Hamlet
Pot House Hamlet is a historic former industrial site in Silkstone, South Yorkshire, England.-History:A glass works was established at Silkstone around 1659 by John Pilmey, who had emigrated from France some years earlier. The glassworks had two furnaces, one for green glass and the other white...

 is located below Silkstone Church and was the site of a 17th century pottery and 18th century glassworks. English Heritage have deemed this an underground national ancient monument. Pot House Hamlet today houses many independent retail outlets.

One of the village's famous sons was John Charles Brooke
John Charles Brooke
John Charles Brooke FSA was an English antiquarian and Somerset Herald at the time of his premature death in 1794.-Early life:...

, Esq, FSA (1748 - 1794) who became Somerset Herald
Somerset Herald
Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. In the year 1448 Somerset Herald is known to have served the Duke of Somerset, but by the time of the coronation of King Henry VII in 1485 his successor appears to have been raised to the rank of a royal...

 in 1777. He was crushed to death in a crowd at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 3 February 1794.
The Wagonway runs through Silkstone and also as far as its neighbouring village Cawthorne, it was used as a route for the transportation of coal from the nearby mines. The sleeper stones were originally laid in the early 19th century when coal mining was booming, and was used throughout until the 20th century. The stones can still be from the ring o bells pub to Pot House Hamlet on the route.

Today, the Wagonway is a scenic route ideal for country walks, with storey boards, it is preserved as a historic route and is part of the village's history.

The village is also home to Old Silkstone Band. The band has a long history dating back almost 150 years. In recent times, the band has been very successful, competing for the first time in the championship section, against more famous bands like Grimethorpe and Black Dyke. (the Championship section, is the brass band version of footballs premier league!)It is a band run without major sponsporship, and is well supported by the villages of Silkstone and Silkstone Common.

Silkstone Common

Silkstone Common has Junior and Infants Schools, a railway station, a single local shop and the Station Inn.

One of the most notable events in the history of the village was the Huskar Pit Disaster, which occurred on 4 July 1838 when a freak storm flooded part of the mine, killing 26 children, the youngest was 7 years, the oldest 17. A historical account of this event has been documented in the book entitled Children of the Dark.

Notable buildings include Knabbe's Hall which was built in late 17th century for William and Elizabeth Wood of Wortley Forge.

Silkstone Common house prices are high due to the local amenities and close proximity to Penistone Grammar School
Penistone Grammar School
Penistone Grammar School is a comprehensive school and former grammar school in Penistone, in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1392 and its most notable alumnus is Nicholas Saunderson, the probable inventor of Bayes theorem, in the eighteenth...

.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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