Mexborough
Encyclopedia
Mexborough is a town in the metropolitan borough of Doncaster
, South Yorkshire
, England
, situated on the north bank of the River Don west of its confluence with the River Dearne
. It has a population of 14,750.
personal name, which may be Meke, Muik, Meoc, or Mjukr.
Mexborough is located at the north eastern end of a dyke known as the Roman Ridge that is thought to have been constructed either by the Brigantian tribes
in the 1st century AD, perhaps as a defence against the Roman invasion of Britain, or after the 5th century to defend the British kingdom of Elmet
from the Angles
.
The earliest known written reference to Mexborough is found in the Domesday Book
of 1086 (Mechesburg), which states that prior to the Norman conquest of England
the area had been controlled by the Saxon lords Wulfheah and Ulfkil. Following the conquest the area fell under the control of the Norman Baron Roger de Busli
. The remains of an earthwork
in Castle Park are thought to have been a motte and bailey castle constructed in the 11th century shortly after the conquest.
With the exception of St. John’s the Baptist C of E church, which includes elements that date from the 12th century, most of the buildings in the town are post-1800. A few pre-1800 buildings remain, including several public houses; the Ferryboat Inn, the George and Dragon, the Bull’s Head and the Red Lion.
Throughout the 18th, 19th and much of the 20th centuries the town’s economy
was based around coal mining
, quarrying, brickworks
and the production of ceramics
, and it soon became a busy railway junction. These industries lead to an increase in industrial illness and an increase in the mortality rate
. Although the town boasted a cottage hospital
, the lack of suitable facilities led to Lord Montagu donating land for a new hospital to be built. Lord Montagu laid the first stone at the site in 1904. The site is still a working hospital, and now forms part of the Doncaster
and Bassetlaw
NHS
trust.
The industries which led to the creation of Montagu hospital did not only bring problems to the town, they also led to an increase in population and, for some, an increase in wealth and opportunity. Many more public houses and other businesses were created, many of which are still trading
today. It was in one of these public houses, the Montagu Arms, that Stan Laurel
stayed overnight after performing at the town’s Prince of Wales theatre
on 9 December 1907.
Following the demise
of the coal mining industry in the 1980s Mexborough, like many ex-mining towns and villages, is still in the process of economic and social
recovery
.
The history of the town is chartered on the Mexborough & District Heritage Society's extensive website: http://www.mexboroughheritage.co.uk/
constituency, whose current MP is Ed Miliband
, Leader of the Labour Party
.
for trains going towards Doncaster
and Sheffield
. Mexborough also has a bus station
.
Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire in Yorkshire and the Humber Region of England.In addition to the town of Doncaster, the borough covers Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne and Finningley....
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated on the north bank of the River Don west of its confluence with the River Dearne
River Dearne
The River Dearne is a river in South Yorkshire, England. It flows roughly east for more than , from its source just inside West Yorkshire, through Denby Dale, Clayton West, Darton, Barnsley, Darfield, Wath upon Dearne, Bolton on Dearne, Adwick upon Dearne and Mexborough to its confluence with the...
. It has a population of 14,750.
History
The name Mexborough combines the Old English suffix burh meaning a fortified place with an Old English or Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
personal name, which may be Meke, Muik, Meoc, or Mjukr.
Mexborough is located at the north eastern end of a dyke known as the Roman Ridge that is thought to have been constructed either by the Brigantian tribes
Brigantes
The Brigantes were a Celtic tribe who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England, and a significant part of the Midlands. Their kingdom is sometimes called Brigantia, and it was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire...
in the 1st century AD, perhaps as a defence against the Roman invasion of Britain, or after the 5th century to defend the British kingdom of Elmet
Elmet
Elmet was an independent Brythonic kingdom covering a broad area of what later became the West Riding of Yorkshire during the Early Middle Ages, between approximately the 5th century and early 7th century. Although its precise boundaries are unclear, it appears to have been bordered by the River...
from the Angles
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
.
The earliest known written reference to Mexborough is found in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 (Mechesburg), which states that prior to the Norman conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
the area had been controlled by the Saxon lords Wulfheah and Ulfkil. Following the conquest the area fell under the control of the Norman Baron Roger de Busli
Roger de Busli
Roger de Busli was a Norman baron who accompanied William the Conqueror on his successful conquest of England in 1066....
. The remains of an earthwork
Earthworks (engineering)
Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...
in Castle Park are thought to have been a motte and bailey castle constructed in the 11th century shortly after the conquest.
With the exception of St. John’s the Baptist C of E church, which includes elements that date from the 12th century, most of the buildings in the town are post-1800. A few pre-1800 buildings remain, including several public houses; the Ferryboat Inn, the George and Dragon, the Bull’s Head and the Red Lion.
Throughout the 18th, 19th and much of the 20th centuries the town’s economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
was based around coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, quarrying, brickworks
Brickworks
A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....
and the production of ceramics
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
, and it soon became a busy railway junction. These industries lead to an increase in industrial illness and an increase in the mortality rate
Mortality rate
Mortality rate is a measure of the number of deaths in a population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit time...
. Although the town boasted a cottage hospital
Cottage Hospital
The original concept of a cottage hospital was a small rural hospital having up to 25 beds. One advantage of such a hospital in villages was the familiarity the local physician might have with their patient that may affect their treatment...
, the lack of suitable facilities led to Lord Montagu donating land for a new hospital to be built. Lord Montagu laid the first stone at the site in 1904. The site is still a working hospital, and now forms part of the Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw is the northernmost district of Nottinghamshire, England, with a population according to the 2001 UK census of 107,713. The borough is predominantly rural, with two towns: Worksop, site of the borough offices, and Retford...
NHS
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
trust.
The industries which led to the creation of Montagu hospital did not only bring problems to the town, they also led to an increase in population and, for some, an increase in wealth and opportunity. Many more public houses and other businesses were created, many of which are still trading
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
today. It was in one of these public houses, the Montagu Arms, that Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel
Arthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film...
stayed overnight after performing at the town’s Prince of Wales theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
on 9 December 1907.
Following the demise
Demise
Demise, in its original meaning, is an Anglo-Norman legal term for a transfer of an estate, especially by lease...
of the coal mining industry in the 1980s Mexborough, like many ex-mining towns and villages, is still in the process of economic and social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
recovery
Recovery
-Health:* Healing* Cure* The Recovery model of mental distress/disorder* Recovery International, a self-help mental health program based on the work of the late Abraham A...
.
The history of the town is chartered on the Mexborough & District Heritage Society's extensive website: http://www.mexboroughheritage.co.uk/
Politics
Before 2010 Mexborough was in the Barnsley East and Mexborough constituency. Since then it has been in the Doncaster NorthDoncaster North (UK Parliament constituency)
- Sources :* Election results from 1992 to the present* Election results from 1945 to the present* The website of Ed Miliband...
constituency, whose current MP is Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
, Leader of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
Transport
The town is served by Mexborough railway stationMexborough railway station
Mexborough railway station serves the former mining town of Mexborough, South Yorkshire, England. It is a station on the Sheffield-Hull Line south west of Doncaster....
for trains going towards Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
. Mexborough also has a bus station
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
.
Notable people
- Keith BarronKeith BarronKeith Barron is an English actor and television presenter, well-known from numerous roles on British television from the 1960s to the present day.-Career:...
– actor - Brian BlessedBrian BlessedBrian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
– actor - Dan ClarkeDan ClarkeDan Clarke is a British auto racing driver born 4 October 1983 in Mexborough, most recently competing in the Firestone Indy Lights series with Walker Racing, having previously competed in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and the Champ Car World Series...
– motor-racing driver formerly driving for Minardi Team USA in the Champ Car World Series - Albert FoxAlbert E. FoxAlbert E. Fox was a UK trade unionist and Labour Representation Committee politician.-Trade unionist:Fox joined the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen in 1886 and for a number of years was ASLEF Branch Secretary at Mexborough, Yorkshire...
– trade unionist - William 'Iron' HagueWilliam 'Iron' HagueWilliam Ian "Iron" Hague was a boxer born in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, who was the British Heavyweight Champion between 1909 and 1911....
– British heavyweight boxing champion 1908–1911 - Kenneth HaighKenneth HaighKenneth Haigh is a British actor. He played the central role of Jimmy Porter in the very first production of John Osborne's seminal play Look Back in Anger in 1956. His performance in a 1958 Broadway theatre production of that play so moved one young woman in the audience that she mounted the...
– actor - Mike HawthornMike HawthornJohn Michael Hawthorn was a racing driver, born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, England, and educated at Ardingly College, West Sussex.-Racing career:...
– motor-racing driver and 1958 Formula 1Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
World Champion - Ted HughesTed HughesEdward James Hughes OM , more commonly known as Ted Hughes, was an English poet and children's writer. Critics routinely rank him as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.Hughes was married to American poet Sylvia Plath, from 1956 until...
– Poet Laureate, 1984–1998 - Harold MassinghamHarold MassinghamHarold W. Massingham was a British poet.-Life:He is the son of H. W. Massingham...
– poet - Graham OliverGraham OliverGraham Oliver is an English guitarist.-Career:He played with the heavy metal band Saxon from 1977 to 1994. After leaving the band he initially reformed his old band Son of a Bitch with former Saxon bassist Steve Dawson and drummer Pete Gill...
– guitarist and founder member of heavy metal band SaxonSaxon (band)Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart... - Ian ParksIan Parks-Biography:Described by Chiron Review as 'the finest love poet of his generation', Parks was born in 1959 in Mexborough, South Yorkshire. The son of a miner, Parks grew up during the declining years of the industry - something which was to have a profound effect on his later work...
– poet - Dennis PriestleyDennis PriestleyDennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively...
– professional darts player, twice world darts champion 1991 and 1994 - John William WallSarban (author)John William Wall , pen name Sarban, was a British writer and diplomat. Wall's diplomatic career lasted more than thirty years, but his writing career as Sarban was brief and not prolific, ending during the early 1950s...
(pen name Sarban) – author whose works include the novel The Sound of His HornThe Sound of His HornThe Sound of His Horn is a 1952 dystopian time travel/alternate history novel by the senior British diplomat John William Wall, written with the pseudonym Sarban. It relates the story of a British naval lieutenant, Alan Querdillon who, after becoming a POW during the Battle of Crete awakens in a...
and the collection Ringstones - Donald WatsonDonald WatsonDonald Watson was founder of the Vegan Society and inventor of the word vegan.Watson was born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, into a non-vegetarian family. His journey to veganism began when he was very young, at the farm of his Uncle George...
– founder of the Vegan SocietyVegan SocietyThe Vegan Society is a registered charity and the oldest vegan society in the world, founded on November 1, 1944, in England by Donald Watson, Elsie "Sally" Shrigley, and 23 others....