Wortley, South Yorkshire

For the district in West Yorkshire, see Wortley, Leeds.
Wortley
Wortley
 Wortley shown within South Yorkshire
Population 579 (2001)
Civil parishWortley
Metropolitan boroughBarnsley
Metropolitan county South Yorkshire
RegionYorkshire and the Humber
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town SHEFFIELD
Postcode district S35
Dialling code 0114
Police South Yorkshire
Fire South Yorkshire
Ambulance Yorkshire
EU Parliament Yorkshire and the Humber
UK ParliamentBarnsley West and Penistone
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire

Coordinates: 53°29′00″N 1°32′00″W / 53.4833°N 1.5333°W

Wortley is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 579.[1] Wortley is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as Wirtleie.

Wortley grew up as a settlement where the Sheffield to Halifax road crossed the Cheshire to Rotherham route. In 1250, a Sunday market was briefly established, but this was quickly suppressed by the monks who owned the right to hold markets in Barnsley. In 1307, the village finally received a Royal Charter to hold a weekly Thursday market and an annual three-day fair at Whitsun. The market and fair both soon ceased, and an eighteenth-century attempt to revive the fair was unsuccessful.[2]

The village is famous for the Wortley Top Forge, which dates back to the time of the Industrial Revolution, but is most famous for the notorious highwayman Swift Nick (John Nevison, 1639 - 1684) who was born and raised there.[3] It was really he (and not Dick Turpin) who made the infamous ride on horseback from London to York in order to establish an alibi for a robbery.[4] Until 1987, Wortley was home to the Earl of Wharncliffe.

Wortley is home to Wortley Mens Club, the winner of the campaign for real ales (CAMRA) club of the year 2014 for the entire Yorkshire region and subsequent super regional winner for the North East, making it one of the best 4 Clubs in the UK. It has now been voted the best club in Britain by CAMRA for 2015 beating 28,000 other entrants. It hosts a variety of events including an annual charity beer festival held on or around the 1St August every year to coincide with Yorkshire day.

Located in Wortley is Wortley Hall. The parish contains the hamlet of Bromley.

References

  1. ↑ Census 2001
  2. ↑ David Hey, Medieval South Yorkshire
  3. ↑ John Hobson's Diary, entry for 19 Aug 1727/8 (looking back): http://fretwell.kangaweb.com.au/The%20Fretwells/Links/hobsondiary_entries.htm#1727-28
  4. ↑ See John Nevison: The Glamorous Highwayman. http://www.stand-and-deliver.org.uk/highwaymen/john_nevison.htm

External links