Staincross

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Staincross is a village in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley (part of South Yorkshire, England), on the border with West Yorkshire. It is part of the Barnsley Central borough constituency. The Staincross wapentake was named for the village.

Staincross lies off the A61 road, about three miles north west of Barnsley. It is located at approximately 53° 35' 30" North, 1° 30' West, and at an elevation of around 125 metres above sea level.

The name is believed to be derived from a Saxon stone cross ('stane cross') that until the 18th Century occupied a position on the junction of Staincross Common - which in itself is an ancient trackway - and Greenside. The stone, now lost, may have been the remains of a rural shrine. [1]

After a prelonged campaign (backed by Dickie Bird, a resident of Staincross), a ballot was held in January 2003 to determine whether the residents of Staincross wanted their mail to include the name of the village.[2] Prior to the ballot, Staincross mail bore the name of a neighbouring village, either Mapplewell or Darton. Villagers voted overwhelmingly in favour of the proposal by 966 to 199 (See Page 61) and Royal Mail implemented changes to officially recognise the village.

The section of the A61 between Staincross and Newmillerdam is rated in the top three most dangerous roads in Britain according to a survey conducted by The AA Motoring Trust. (See Page 14)