Grenoside
| Grenoside | |
| Yorkshire West Riding | |
|---|---|
 The Old Red Lion, Grenoside | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK331939 |
| Location: | 53°26’28"N, 1°30’7"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 4,177 (2001) |
| Post town: | Sheffield |
| Postcode: | S35 |
| Dialling code: | 0114 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Sheffield |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Penistone and Stocksbridge |
Grenoside is a village in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of Sheffield and just about attached to its outer suburbs.
History
The name of Grenoside is first recorded in the thirteenth century as Gravenhou, which appears to be from the Old English 'græfen hoh' to indicate a quarried hill, though the suffix might alternatively be from the Old Norse for hill, haugr, with the modern word 'side' added. Altogether, it means a quarried hillside.[1]
In Norman and later documents, the village is named as Gravenho (1199) and Gravenhowe (1332). Other spellings of the name are Granenhou (1267), Granow (1450), Graynau (1534), Grenoside (1759), Greenaside (1772) and Grinaside (1831).
Stone quarrying was a major industry in Grenoside from a very early date until it ceased in 1939. The stone quarried in Grenoside varied in quality and was put to several uses. The finer grained, hard stones were much in demand as grindstones for the cutlery trade and for fine fettling and finishing in iron foundries. Coarse grained stone was used for furnace lining and from these were hewn the stone boxes used in the Cementation process of steelmaking. In 1860, the following are named as quarry owners in Grenoside - Thomas Beever, George Broadhead, George Firth, Thomas Lint, Joseph Swift and Charles Uttley.
By the beginning of the seventeenth century, several village people were named in connection with the making of cutlery. William Smith, a yeoman of Grenoside, who died "of great age" in 1627 had taken out a cutler's mark in 1614. His son, Henry, was a member of the Cutler's Company in 1629. The manufacture of cutlery was restricted to those who had served an apprenticeship in the trade; an apprentice served seven or ten years without pay. The restriction was closely controlled by the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire from 1624. As a result, many small nailmaking businesses were set up which was not so tightly controlled. As late as 1860, three nailmakers are listed as living and working in Grenoside.
Churches
- Church of England: St Mark's Church, on Main Street
- Methodist, on Norfolk Hill
Society
The Grenoside Sword Dance forms an important mid-winter ritual for the village and can be traced back to the 1750s.[2] It is traditionally performed on Boxing Day morning in Main Street.
About the village
Part of Greno Woods is a nature reserve managed by Wildlife Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham|The Wildlife Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham]].[3]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Grenoside) |
- Grenoside Sword Dancers, 2006 - YouTube
