| Beighton | |
|---|---|
 High Street, Beighton | |
  Beighton Location withinSouth Yorkshire | |
| OS grid reference | SK408838 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SHEFFIELD |
| Postcode district | S20 |
| Police | South Yorkshire |
| Fire | South Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| UK Parliament | |
| 53°20′44″N1°21′35″W / 53.3455506°N 1.3596662°W /53.3455506; -1.3596662 | |
Beighton is a village located approximately 6½ miles south-east ofSheffield city centre, now classed as a historic township of the city. Following significant expansion, the village became part of Sheffield in 1967 and was transferred fromDerbyshire to the newly created county ofSouth Yorkshire, England. From the late 17th to the 19th centuries, Beighton was noted for its edge-tool manufacturing industry, with theThomas Staniforth & Co.sickle works based nearby atHackenthorpe.[1][2] The village is also notable for its ice hockey team, the Beighton Bombers.
The former village has a number of schools, including Beighton Nursery and Infant School and Brook House Junior School.
Today, there has been a lot of development of housing; however, due to its location on the outskirts of Sheffield, it maintains a rural setting alongside villages includingEckington,Mosborough,Ridgeway, andDronfield.
The first mention of the village comes from 9th centuryAnglo Saxon records ofDerbyshire land owners. The village was then known as Bectune.The then hamlet stood on the edges of the 'Great Forest' which stood in the area where theRother Valley Country Park stands today and extended to areas ofDerbyshire,Nottinghamshire,West Yorkshire andLincolnshire. Today the only remnants of the 'Great Forest' isSherwood Forest.[3]
The area was settled by the British invaders known as theAngles. The invasions took place at the end of the Romanic period around 500 AD. Prior to these invasions the area was part of theKingdom of Mercia, the localShire Brook formed the border with the neighbouring kingdom ofNorthumbria. Being so close to the border meant the hamlet was prone to invasions.
The Sheffield Museum contains a number of bones and flint tools unearthed in the area during the 19th century, dating back to theNeolithic period, this shows the area was inhabited long before the Angles settled.
The village was noted as having 15 households in theDomesday book in 1086, with the land being owned byRoger 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]
Theparish church of St. Mary's dates back to c1150. The first documented mention of the church is in an undated deed written during the reign ofEdward I (1272–1307).[7]
Prior to the 20th century,farming andsmithing were the primary forms of employment, however this shifted towardsmining towards the end of the 19th century, with numerous mines being opened in the area, most notablyBrookhouse Colliery andBirley Collieries.[8] TheOchre Dyke stream was used to power grinding and water wheels during this time period.[9]
The village was served byBeighton railway station until its closure in 1954.[10]
Due to the villages location close to theRiver Rother, a number of majorflooding events have occurred, notably in 1940,[11] 1954 and 1960.[12]
In 1961 the civil parish had a population of 23,056.[13] On 1 April 1967 the parish was abolished and merged with Sheffield,Eckington, "Aston cum Aughton",Wales andKillamarsh.[14] It is now in theunparished area of Sheffield.
The village has produced a number of sports teams, notably theBeighton Miners Welfare F.C. which reached the First Round of theFA Cup in 1953.[15] Cricket has also had a major presence in the village, with the Miners' Welfare Cricket Club being formed in 1928 after merging with the nearbyHackenthorpe Cricket Club.
Beighton, along with a number of local villages, became part of Sheffield city in 1967, being officially recognized asBeighton (ward). TheCrystal Peaksshopping centre was opened in 1988, which features regular bus routes toSheffield city centre.[16] 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.[17]
Although the village once featured a number ofpublic houses including The Railway Inn, only The Cumberland, Fox Inn and the Miners Welfare remain.[18]
Media related toBeighton, South Yorkshire at Wikimedia Commons
