Beighton, Derbyshire

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Beighton
Derbyshire
Beighton.jpg
High Street, Beighton
Location
Grid reference: SK408838
Location: 53°20’44"N, 1°21’35"W
Data
Post town: Sheffield
Postcode: S20
Local Government
Council: Sheffield
Parliamentary
constituency:
Sheffield South East

Beighton is a village in Derbyshire, standing close by the border of the West Riding of Yorkshire (formed here by the Shire Brook, six miles south-east of Sheffield's city centre, the latter across the border in Yorkshire. The urban expansion of Sheffield spread across the county border into Derbyshire in the twentieth century, swallowing Beighton into the city's civic control. It now classed as a historic township of the city.

During much of the late 17th to 19th centuries the village was noted for its edge tool manufacturing, with Thomas Staniforth & Co’s sickle works being based at nearby Hackenthorpe.[1][2]

The former village features a number of schools, including Beighton Nursery and Infant School and Brook House Junior School.

Today, the village has seen much development in terms of housing; however, due to its location on the outskirts of Sheffield, it maintains a rural setting alongside villages including Eckington, Mosborough, Ridgeway, and Dronfield.

History

The Sheffield Museum contains a number of bones and flint tools unearthed in the area during the 19th century, dating back to the Neolithic period.

The first mention of the village comes from 9th century Anglo Saxon records of Derbyshire land owners. The village was then known as Bectune. It was a hamlet which stood on the edges of the 'Great Forest' which stood in the area where the Rother Valley Country Park extends today and extended to areas of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Today the only remnants of the 'Great Forest' is Sherwood Forest.[3]

The village was noted as having 15 households in the Domesday Book in 1086, with the land being owned by Roger the Poitevin.[4] A moated castle was said to be evident in the village, with a reference from the 13th century describing 'the tower of the former castle ' being evident in a field named Castle Mead, however no evidence remains.[5][6]

The parish church, St Mary the Virgin, dates back to c1150. The first documented mention of the church is in an undated deed written during the reign of Edward I (1272–1307).[7]

Before the 20th century, farming and smithing were the primary forms of employment, however this shifted towards mining towards the end of the 19th century, with numerous mines being opened in the area, most notably Brookhouse Colliery and Birley Collieries.[8] The Ochre Dyke stream was used to power grinding and water wheels during this time period.[9]

The village was served by Beighton railway station until its closure in 1954.[10]

Due to the villages location close to the River Rother, a number of major flooding events have occurred, notably in 1940,[11] 1954 and 1960.[12]

Sport

  • Cricket: The Miners' Welfare Cricket Club, formed in 1928 after merging with the nearby Hackenthorpe Cricket Club.
  • Football: Beighton Miners Welfare F.C. reached the First Round of the FA Cup in 1953.[13]

Present day

St Mary the Virgin, Beighton

The Crystal Peaks shopping centre was opened in 1988.[14] Many of the local residents are now employed in Sheffield, Worksop and other large cities.

Rother Valley Country Park was opened in 1983, providing a site for recreational activities. Gulliver's Valley, a theme park was opened to the north of the village in 2020.[15]

Although the village once featured a number of public houses including The Railway Inn, only The Cumberland, Fox Inn and the Miners Welfare remain.[16]

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References

  1. "History of Beighton, in Sheffield and Derbyshire | Map and description". https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/3816. 
  2. Sheffield.), Samuel Bagshaw (of (1846). History, gazetteer and directory of Derbyshire, with the town of Burton-upon-Trent. https://books.google.com/books?id=GvoGAAAAQAAJ&dq=beighton+history+sheffield&pg=PA590. 
  3. Sheffield.), Samuel Bagshaw (of (1846). History, gazetteer and directory of Derbyshire, with the town of Burton-upon-Trent. https://books.google.com/books?id=GvoGAAAAQAAJ&dq=mosborough+history&pg=PA642. 
  4. "Beighton | Domesday Book". https://opendomesday.org/place/SK4483/beighton/. 
  5. "- Castlefacts". http://castlefacts.info/castledetails/castledetails3?uin=13787. 
  6. "Heritage Gateway – Results". https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MSY4690&resourceID=1027. 
  7. "Pictures of Beighton". https://www.picturesofengland.com/England/South_Yorkshire/Beighton. 
  8. "Thomas Staniforth and Co – Graces Guide". https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Thomas_Staniforth_and_Co. 
  9. "Ochre Dyke, City and Borough of Sheffield". http://gb.geoview.info/ochre_dyke,95279765w. 
  10. "Disused Stations: Beighton Station". http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/beighton/. 
  11. "Picture sheffield". https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s10971&pos=137&action=zoom&id=13999. 
  12. "River Rother at Beighton". https://riverlevels.uk/flood-warning-river-rother-at-beighton. 
  13. "Club Beighton Miners Welfare, England". http://wildstat.com/p/1/club/ENG_Beighton_Miners_Welfare_FC. 
  14. "Crystal Peaks Shopping Mall & Retail Park – Great Shopping for you". https://www.crystalpeakscentre.com/. 
  15. Media, Insider. "Management team appointed at Gulliver's Valley". https://www.insidermedia.com/news/yorkshire/management-team-appointed-at-gullivers-valley. 
  16. "Cumberland, Sheffield". https://whatpub.com/pubs/SHF/131/cumberland-sheffield.