Wath-upon-Dearne
Encyclopedia
Wath-upon-Dearne is a small town on the south side of the Dearne Valley
in the historic county of the West Riding of Yorkshire
and the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham
, South Yorkshire
, England
, lying 5 miles (8 km) north of Rotherham
, almost midway between Barnsley
and Doncaster
. It has a population of 16,787. It is twinned with Saint-Jean-de-Bournay
, in France.
, having an entry in the Domesday Book
as 'Wad'. For hundreds of years it remained a quiet rural settlement astride the junction of the old Doncaster-Barnsley and Rotherham-Pontefract
roads, the latter a branch of Ryknield Street. North of the town was the ford of the River Dearne
by this road that gave the town its name: the origin of its name has been linked to the Latin
vadum and the Old Norse
vath (ford or wading place). The town received its Royal Charter
in 1312 – 13 entitling it to hold a weekly Tuesday market
and an annual two-day fair, but these were soon discontinued. The market was revived in 1814.
Until the mid-19th century the town was home to a racecourse of regional importance, linked to the estate at nearby Wentworth
; the racecourse later fell into disuse although traces of the original track can easily be found between Wath and Swinton
and its memory is left in local street names. There also was a pottery
at Newhill, close to deposits of clay
, although this always lived under the shadow of the nearby Rockingham Pottery
in Swinton. Around the turn of the 19th century the poet and newspaper editor James Montgomery
, resident in Wath at that time, described it as "the Queen of villages". This rural character was to change rapidly in the 19th and 20th century with the development of the deep mining industry.
and high quality bituminous coal
has been dug out of outcrops and near-surface seams in primitive bell pit
s for many hundreds of years. Several high-grade coal seams
are close to the surface in this area of South Yorkshire, including the prolific Barnsley and Parkgate seams
. The industrial revolution and consequent massive increase in demand for coal lead to a rapid industrialisation of the area in the 19th and early 20th century. The population of the area swelled and the local infrastructure was developed for the coal industry. The local economy became overly reliant on this one single industry; this was to store up problems for the future.
The Dearne and Dove Canal
, which was opened in stages from 1798 to 1804 to access the local collieries on the southern side of the Dearne Valley, passed through the town just to the north of the High Street on a large embankment and then turned north into the valley, this wide section known locally as the 'Bay of Biscay'. The canal finally closed in 1961 after many years unused and in poor repair. Much of the line of the canal in the town has since been used for new roads, one called 'Biscay Way'.
By the 20th century, heavy industry was evident in the area with many large, busy collieries operating. Wath Main
and Manvers Main
were the two usually associated with Wath. After the Second World War the collieries clustered around Manvers were developed in to a large colliery complex, coal preparation, coal products and coking
plant, which were not only visible, but also detectable by nose from miles around.
took over from the canal as a means of transporting coal out of the area, and Wath-upon-Dearne became a railfreight centre of national importance. One of the biggest and, for its time, most modern railway marshalling yards
in the UK, the Wath marshalling yard
was built north of the town in 1907. It was one of the eastern ends of the trans-Pennine
Manchester-Sheffield-Wath
electrified railway
(also known as the Woodhead Line
), a project which spanned World War II
, and was in part justified by the need to transport large amounts of coal mined in the Wath area to customers in North-West England.
Wath once had three railway stations, all on Station Road – Wath Central
, Wath (Hull and Barnsley)
and Wath North
in order of distance from the town centre. This most distant station was the last to close in 1968 as a part of the Beeching Axe
. The town no longer has a direct rail link, although there has been talk of opening a station on the Sheffield-Wakefield-Leeds line
at Manvers, roughly a mile from the town centre.
was sparked by the impending closure of Cortonwood
Colliery in Brampton Bierlow
, a neighbouring village often considered a part of Wath. Along with the whole of the Dearne Valley, Wath was classified as an impoverished area and received much public money, including Europe
an funds. These were put into regenerating the area from the mid-nineties onward causing a certain amount of economic revival, and changing the character of the area to be more rural
as large areas of ex-industrial land to the north of the town which were once collieries and railway marshalling yards were turned back into scrubland and countryside, dotted with light industrial
and commercial office parks. This regeneration has now progressed such that the reclaimed countryside, as it still classified as brownfield land
, has been built over with various industrial and commercial parks, and large housing developments have also been started.
All Saints Church http://www.wathparishchurch.co.uk, in a small leafy green with the Town Hall, the Montgomery Hall and a campus of the Dearne Valley College
. There are several busy high-street pubs in the town centre, along with many local pubs dotted around the town.
Today Wath is still emerging from the hardship caused by the sudden collapse of its major industry. However over the past decade jobs and a certain albeit relatively low level of affluence have returned to the area. In very recent years, after a hiatus between the clearing of the former colliery land and the recent redevelopment when the area felt rather rural, the construction of large distribution centres to the north of the town is once again bringing an industrial feel to the area, although without the pollution
issues that were connected with the coal industry. Recently several very large distribution warehouses for the clothing chain Next have opened. A significant amount of new housing is also being built on this reclaimed industrial land, however progress on these developments has slowed to a crawl due to the recent economic climate.
Held every May bank holiday
, Wath Festival is the biggest folk festival of its kind in the region, with a growing national reputation. Some of the biggest names in the folk scene have appeared in recent years. It is also very much a community festival with traditional dancing, street performances, workshops, children's festival and the famous throwing of the bread buns from the Parish Church Tower.
The RSPB
's Old Moor nature reserve lies a mile to the north-west of the town; it is a flash, where mining-induced subsidence
of the land close to a river has created wetlands.
Dearne Valley
The Dearne Valley is an area of South Yorkshire along the River Dearne. It encompasses the towns of Wombwell, Wath-upon-Dearne, Swinton, Conisbrough and Mexborough, the large villages of Ardsley, Bolton on Dearne, Goldthorpe, Thurnscoe, Darfield, Stairfoot and Brampton Bierlow, and many other...
in the historic county of the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
and the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham
Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham
The Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. It is named for its largest town, Rotherham, but also spans the outlying towns of Maltby, Rawmarsh, Swinton, Wath-upon-Dearne, as well as a suburban and rural element composed of hills, escarpments and...
, 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...
, lying 5 miles (8 km) north of Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, almost midway between Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
and 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"...
. It has a population of 16,787. It is twinned with Saint-Jean-de-Bournay
Saint-Jean-de-Bournay
Saint-Jean-de-Bournay is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France.- References :*...
, in France.
History
Wath can trace its existence back to Norman timesNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
, having an entry 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...
as 'Wad'. For hundreds of years it remained a quiet rural settlement astride the junction of the old Doncaster-Barnsley and Rotherham-Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
roads, the latter a branch of Ryknield Street. North of the town was the ford of 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...
by this road that gave the town its name: the origin of its name has been linked to the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
vadum and the Old Norse
Old 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....
vath (ford or wading place). The town received its Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
in 1312 – 13 entitling it to hold a weekly Tuesday market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
and an annual two-day fair, but these were soon discontinued. The market was revived in 1814.
Until the mid-19th century the town was home to a racecourse of regional importance, linked to the estate at nearby Wentworth
Wentworth, South Yorkshire
Wentworth is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,223.- History :...
; the racecourse later fell into disuse although traces of the original track can easily be found between Wath and Swinton
Swinton, South Yorkshire
Swinton is a suburban town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England on part of the west bank of the River Don...
and its memory is left in local street names. There also was a pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
at Newhill, close to deposits of clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, although this always lived under the shadow of the nearby Rockingham Pottery
Rockingham Pottery
The Rockingham Pottery was a 19th century manufacturer of porcelain of international repute, supplying fine wares and ornamental pieces to royalty and the aristocracy in Britain and overseas, as well as manufacturing porcelain and earthenware items for ordinary use.It is best known for its finely...
in Swinton. Around the turn of the 19th century the poet and newspaper editor James Montgomery
James Montgomery
James Montgomery was a British editor, hymnwriter and poet. He was particularly associated with humanitarian causes such as the campaigns to abolish slavery and to end the exploitation of child chimney sweeps....
, resident in Wath at that time, described it as "the Queen of villages". This rural character was to change rapidly in the 19th and 20th century with the development of the deep mining industry.
Coal mining
The town lies within the South Yorkshire CoalfieldSouth Yorkshire Coalfield
The South Yorkshire Coalfield is defined by a triangle lying between Barnsley, Doncaster and Sheffield, though a few mines within the coalfield lie outside this area. It is part of the larger Midland coal field which stretches from Nottingham in the south to Bradford and Leeds in the north...
and high quality bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
has been dug out of outcrops and near-surface seams in primitive bell pit
Bell pit
A bell pit is a primitive method of mining coal, iron ore or other minerals where the coal or ore lies near the surface.. A shaft is sunk to reach the mineral which is excavated by miners transported to the surface by a winch and removed by means of a bucket, much like a well. It gets its name...
s for many hundreds of years. Several high-grade coal seams
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,...
are close to the surface in this area of South Yorkshire, including the prolific Barnsley and Parkgate seams
Coal Seams of the South Yorkshire Coalfield
The coal seams worked in the South Yorkshire coalfield lie mainly in the middle coal measures. These are a series of mudstones, shales, sandstones, and coal seams laid down during the Carboniferous period about 350 million years ago...
. The industrial revolution and consequent massive increase in demand for coal lead to a rapid industrialisation of the area in the 19th and early 20th century. The population of the area swelled and the local infrastructure was developed for the coal industry. The local economy became overly reliant on this one single industry; this was to store up problems for the future.
The Dearne and Dove Canal
Dearne and Dove Canal
The Dearne and Dove Canal ran for almost ten miles through South Yorkshire, England from Swinton to Barnsley through nineteen locks, rising 127 yards. The canal also had two short branches, the Worsbrough branch and the Elsecar branch, both about two miles long with reservoirs at the head of each....
, which was opened in stages from 1798 to 1804 to access the local collieries on the southern side of the Dearne Valley, passed through the town just to the north of the High Street on a large embankment and then turned north into the valley, this wide section known locally as the 'Bay of Biscay'. The canal finally closed in 1961 after many years unused and in poor repair. Much of the line of the canal in the town has since been used for new roads, one called 'Biscay Way'.
By the 20th century, heavy industry was evident in the area with many large, busy collieries operating. Wath Main
Wath Main Colliery
Wath Main Colliery was a coal mine situated in the Dearne Valley, close by the township of Wath-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire, England. The colliery was operated by the Wath Main Coal Company Limited....
and Manvers Main
Manvers Main Colliery
Manvers Main Colliery was a coal mine, sunk on land belonging to the Earl Manvers and was situated on the northern edge of the township of Wath-upon-Dearne, between that town and Mexborough, in the Dearne Valley, South Yorkshire, England...
were the two usually associated with Wath. After the Second World War the collieries clustered around Manvers were developed in to a large colliery complex, coal preparation, coal products and coking
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
plant, which were not only visible, but also detectable by nose from miles around.
Railways
RailRail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
took over from the canal as a means of transporting coal out of the area, and Wath-upon-Dearne became a railfreight centre of national importance. One of the biggest and, for its time, most modern railway marshalling yards
Classification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
in the UK, the Wath marshalling yard
Wath marshalling yard
Wath marshalling yard, also known as Wath concentration yard, was a large railway marshalling yard specifically designed for the concentration of coal traffic. It was set at the heart of the South Yorkshire Coalfield, at Wath-upon-Dearne, approximately halfway between Barnsley and Doncaster, in...
was built north of the town in 1907. It was one of the eastern ends of the trans-Pennine
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
Manchester-Sheffield-Wath
Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electric railway
The Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electric railway was an early electrification scheme on British railways. The route featured long ascents on both sides of the Pennines with the long Woodhead Tunnel at its central summit close to the Woodhead pass...
electrified railway
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
(also known as the Woodhead Line
Woodhead Line
The Woodhead Line was a railway line linking Sheffield, Penistone and Manchester in the north of England. A key feature of the route is the passage under the high moorlands of the northern Peak District through the Woodhead Tunnels...
), a project which spanned World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and was in part justified by the need to transport large amounts of coal mined in the Wath area to customers in North-West England.
Wath once had three railway stations, all on Station Road – Wath Central
Wath Central railway station
Wath Central railway station was on the South Yorkshire Railway's Doncaster - Barnsley Exchange line. It was the closest of Wath-upon-Dearne's three railway stations to the town centre, lying immediately to its north-east, over the Dearne and Dove Canal bridge...
, Wath (Hull and Barnsley)
Wath (Hull and Barnsley) railway station
Wath railway station was one of three railway stations in Wath-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire, England. It was the southern terminus of The Hull & South Yorkshire Extension Railway which became part of the Hull and Barnsley Railway in 1898 and was the southern terminus of a branch line from...
and Wath North
Wath North railway station
Wath North railway station was on the Midland Railway's Sheffield - Cudworth - Normanton - Leeds main line, serving the South Yorkshire town of Wath-upon-Dearne...
in order of distance from the town centre. This most distant station was the last to close in 1968 as a part of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
. The town no longer has a direct rail link, although there has been talk of opening a station on the Sheffield-Wakefield-Leeds line
Wakefield Line
The Wakefield line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro/South Yorkshire P.T.E. area of northern England. The service connects Leeds and Wakefield with Sheffield and Doncaster. The section of the line between Leeds and Doncaster forms part of the East Coast Main...
at Manvers, roughly a mile from the town centre.
The decline of coal
The local coal industry was at the forefront of the sudden dramatic decline of the British coal mining industry, which was precipitated by a change of government economic policy in the early 1980s. This had very severe knock-on effects in the many reliant local industries, and caused much local hardship. The 1985 miners' strikeUK miners' strike (1984–1985)
The UK miners' strike was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement...
was sparked by the impending closure of Cortonwood
Cortonwood
Cortonwood Colliery was sunk in 1873, a year after the formation of the Brampton Colliery Company, which took its name from the local parish of Brampton Bierlow, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England....
Colliery in Brampton Bierlow
Brampton Bierlow
Brampton Bierlow, often known simply as Brampton, is a former mining village and civil parish situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, on the south side of the Dearne Valley, between Barnsley and Rotherham. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a...
, a neighbouring village often considered a part of Wath. Along with the whole of the Dearne Valley, Wath was classified as an impoverished area and received much public money, including Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an funds. These were put into regenerating the area from the mid-nineties onward causing a certain amount of economic revival, and changing the character of the area to be more rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
as large areas of ex-industrial land to the north of the town which were once collieries and railway marshalling yards were turned back into scrubland and countryside, dotted with light industrial
Light industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
and commercial office parks. This regeneration has now progressed such that the reclaimed countryside, as it still classified as brownfield land
Brownfield land
Brownfield sites are abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities available for re-use. Expansion or redevelopment of such a facility may be complicated by real or perceived environmental contaminations. Cf. Waste...
, has been built over with various industrial and commercial parks, and large housing developments have also been started.
Today
Wath-upon-Dearne is centred on Montgomery Square, where the town's main shops, library and bus station are located. Immediately west is the substantial Norman builtNorman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
All Saints Church http://www.wathparishchurch.co.uk, in a small leafy green with the Town Hall, the Montgomery Hall and a campus of the Dearne Valley College
Dearne Valley College
Dearne Valley College is a further education college situated in the Manvers Park area of Wath-upon-Dearne, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It also has a campus near Wath town centre....
. There are several busy high-street pubs in the town centre, along with many local pubs dotted around the town.
Today Wath is still emerging from the hardship caused by the sudden collapse of its major industry. However over the past decade jobs and a certain albeit relatively low level of affluence have returned to the area. In very recent years, after a hiatus between the clearing of the former colliery land and the recent redevelopment when the area felt rather rural, the construction of large distribution centres to the north of the town is once again bringing an industrial feel to the area, although without the pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
issues that were connected with the coal industry. Recently several very large distribution warehouses for the clothing chain Next have opened. A significant amount of new housing is also being built on this reclaimed industrial land, however progress on these developments has slowed to a crawl due to the recent economic climate.
Held every May bank holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
, Wath Festival is the biggest folk festival of its kind in the region, with a growing national reputation. Some of the biggest names in the folk scene have appeared in recent years. It is also very much a community festival with traditional dancing, street performances, workshops, children's festival and the famous throwing of the bread buns from the Parish Church Tower.
The RSPB
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
's Old Moor nature reserve lies a mile to the north-west of the town; it is a flash, where mining-induced subsidence
Subsidence
Subsidence is the motion of a surface as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level. The opposite of subsidence is uplift, which results in an increase in elevation...
of the land close to a river has created wetlands.
Notable people
- David BretDavid BretDavid Bret is a French-born British author of showbiz biographies. He chiefly writes on the private life of movie stars and singers in a somewhat sensationalist style.-Life:...
, showbusiness biographer, born in Paris but adopted into a family (Spurr) here, and attended Wath Grammar School, 1961–66 - Lucy ClarksonLucy ClarksonLucy Clarkson is an English model. She is best known as being the fourth official Lara Croft model from the Tomb Raider series of video games, a role she took on in May 2000, at the age of 17, and held for two and a half years until 2002 when Jill de Jong took over.As well as her role as the...
, Lara CroftLara CroftLara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world...
Tomb RaiderTomb RaiderTomb Raider is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was originally released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn, with MS-DOS and PlayStation versions following shortly thereafter...
model, born in Wath-upon-Dearne and educated at Wath Comprehensive School - Rob DawberRob DawberRobert "Rob" Dawber was a British railwayman turned writer whose script for the film The Navigators was commissioned by director Ken Loach and shot in Sheffield, where Dawber lived...
, scriptwriter for the Ken LoachKen LoachKenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
film, The NavigatorsThe Navigators (film)The Navigators is a 2001 British film directed by Ken Loach with screenplay by Rob Dawber.It tells the story of the reactions of five Sheffield rail workers to the privatisation of the railway maintenance organisation for which they all work, and the consequences for them... - Simon FarnabySimon FarnabySimon Alexander Farnaby is an English comedy actor and writer in television, theatre and film.-Early life:Born in Wath-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire, Farnaby trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, National Youth Theatre, and Trinity College, Dublin...
(b 1972), actor plays various characters in the CBBCCBBCCBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
tv show Horrible HistoriesHorrible HistoriesHorrible Histories is a series of illustrated history books published in the United Kingdom by Scholastic. They are designed to engage children in history by concentrating on the unusual, gory, or unpleasant. The series has proved exceptionally successful in commercial terms... - William HagueWilliam HagueWilliam Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
, former leader of the Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and current Foreign SecretarySecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsThe Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
, was a pupil at Wath Comprehensive School - Peter Hardy, Baron Hardy of WathPeter Hardy, Baron Hardy of WathPeter Hardy, Baron Hardy of Wath, DL was a British Labour politician.The son of a Wath-upon-Dearne miner, Hardy was educated at Wath upon Dearne Grammar School. He trained as a teacher at Westminster College, London, and Sheffield University, rising to be head of English at Mexborough County...
, local LabourLabour 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...
MP for many years, born and educated in Wath - Rev. William Keble Martin, botanist and botanical illustrator, vicar of Wath, and is also remembered by a streetname, Keble Martin Way
- Ian McMillan, poet and so-called Bard of Barnsley, was educated at the town's secondary school when it was a Grammar School
- James MontgomeryJames MontgomeryJames Montgomery was a British editor, hymnwriter and poet. He was particularly associated with humanitarian causes such as the campaigns to abolish slavery and to end the exploitation of child chimney sweeps....
, Scottish-born poet and SheffieldSheffieldSheffield 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...
newspaper editor lived in Wath at the turn of the 19th century, referred to it as the "queen of villages", and is remembered today in the name of Montgomery Hall and Montgomery Square - Sir Charles Curran, Director-General of the BBC, educated at Wath