Royston, Yorkshire

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Royston
Yorkshire
West Riding
StJohnsRoyston.jpg
Parish Church of St John the Baptist
Location
Grid reference: SE361114
Location: 53°36’36"N, 1°27’-0"W
Data
Population: 10,728  (2011)
Post town: Barnsley
Postcode: S71
Dialling code: 01226
Local Government
Council: Barnsley
Parliamentary
constituency:
Barnsley Central

Royston is a suburban village in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is found four miles north-east of Barnsley, and six mile south-east of Wakefield.[1]

The village is in Yorkshire's Staincross Wapentake.

History

The village is recorded in the Domesday Book as Rorestone:[2] the name derives from Hror's or Roarr's farm /settlement (Hrores tun).[3]

Originally a farming village, Royston joined the Industrial Revolution with the construction in the 1790s of the Barnsley Canal, and later a branch of the Midland Railway.[4] Both are now disused.

Royston had a colliery called Monckton Colliery (1878-1966).This was replaced by Royston Drift Mine. There was also, a clay works and brick works but these are all now closed, although a coke works operated until recently on the mine site processing coal brought in by road. Royston Drift Mine opened in 1975 and closed (after a relatively short period in coal mining terms) 14 years later in 1989.[5] The site is now the site of Rabbit Ings Country Park, which is now home to all five species of owls to be found in Britain.[6]

A large shirt factory with the brandname Valusta provided local employment from the 1940s through to the 1980s. Burberrys also had a factory on Midland Road

Churches

  • Church of England: St John the Baptist
  • Independent / Evangelical: Bethel Church
  • Methodist: Royston Methodist Church
  • Roman Catholic: Our Lady and St Joseph

St John the Baptist was built about the year 1234 and has a clock, a sundial, a ring of eight bells and is now grade I listed.[7][8] The church is a notable location in Royston as it is one of a few churches in the Church of England with an oriel window, and was used a navigational landmark for guiding travellers.[9]

About the village

The Trans Pennine Trail runs through Royston, along the canal bank.[10]

Outside links

References