Dungworth (archaic ''Dungeworth'',) is a hamlet in the civil parish of Bradfield, west of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

, England. The village also gives its name as a surname; a 'Dungworth' is recorded living at the nearby village of Storrs in 1323. In the late 20th century the English occurrences of the surname remained concentrated in the Sheffield area.

Modern geography and economy

Dungworth is a hamlet located approximately west of Stannington and the outermost suburbs of

in agricultural high ground at around above sea level. It is south of the eastern end of

Damflask reservoir Damflask Reservoir is situated at grid reference five miles (eight kilometres) west of the centre of Sheffield in the Loxley valley close to the village of Low Bradfield and within the city's boundaries. The hamlet of Stacey Bank is located ...

. The village has a primary school ''Bradfield Dungworth School'', and a public house, the ''Royal Hotel''.

Social geography

The village pub has long been a centre of village life, games of

Knurr and Spell Knurr and spell (also called northern spell, nipsy or trap ball) is an old English game, once popular as a pub game. History The game originated in the moors of Yorkshire, in England, but then spread throughout the north of England. It can be ...

were played in the 1920s and there were clubs for fishing, running, football and cricket. At Christmas time people have sung local songs in the pub for over 200 years. The village has a school "Bradfield Dungworth School" and a community hall.

History

A medieval cross, ''Dungworth Cross'' was once located northwest of the village. () Dungworth has a long tradition of dairy farming, and at one time there were eight dairy farms in the area, each delivering their own milk to the surrounding district, but this has been significantly reduced in recent years. A

cruck A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which support the roof of a building, historically used in England and Wales. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally naturally curved, timber members that lean inwards and ...

barn at Briers House farm once used as a cowhouse and hayloft dates from the 16th century. Manufacture of knives took place in Dungworth in the 17th and 18th centuries; the nearby 'Sykehouse' (c. 1800) at Syke House farm has hearths and workshop dating from the period. The census of 1861 shows a large number of men in the Dungworth, Hill Top and Storrs area who combined farming with the production of knives in small workshops attached to their cottages. Coal was mined near Dungworth up to the 19th century; it was found in association with

ganister A ganister (or sometimes gannister ) is hard, fine-grained quartzose sandstone, or orthoquartzite,Jackson, J. A., 1997, ''Glossary of geology'', 4th ed. American Geological Institute, Alexandria. used in the manufacture of silica brick typically ...

. There are several historic buildings within the village dating from the 18th century; Green Fold farm dates from the early 18th century, and Padley farmhouse (converted to three cottages, formerly 'Dungworth Hall'.), dates from the mid 18th century. The village pub dates to 1813, parts of the village primary school date from the 1840s. A

Primitive Methodist The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primiti ...

chapel was built in the village around 1850; the anniversary of the church's founding in June of each year was a highlight of village social life in the early and mid 20th century. Ringwood House on Main Road was once a butcher's shop and had arched cellars used for storing meat, it continued as a grocery shop until the 1970s, known as ''"Harper's Shop"''. Some additional housing was built around the village in the mid 20th century: on the road to Dungworth cross (1920/30s), and later (1956) several council houses were built on Dungworth Green (road). In 1985 the local school amalgamated with Low Bradfield Junior and Infants' School to form the present Bradfield Dungworth School on Dungworth Green. Dungworth Green Community Hall, adjoining the school was opened in 2011. Two professional footballers are associated with Dungworth:

Cec Coldwell George Cecil Coldwell (12 January 1929 – 9 November 2008) was a professional footballer who played for Sheffield United from 1951 to 1968. He played in the position of right-back. Playing career Coldwell signed for Sheffield United in Septe ...

(b. 1929) was born in here, while Tony Hawksworth (b. 1938) grew up here.

Load Brook

The hamlet of Load Brook is located about roughly southwest of Dungworth at around above sea level. Load Brook was developed from a farm to a minor industrial site in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Ordnance Survey, 1:2500; 1891–3, 1903, 1923 A "pot clay" mine (pot clay – a type of fireclay from the Stannington pot clay bed) was developed to the southwest in the 1850s by William Trickett, a local farmer. Trickett obtained rights to mine pot clay from the landowner, the

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...

in 1852 and was mentioned in the Sheffield Trade Directory of 1862 as a clay merchant. William Trickett died in 1890 and the business was continued by his three sons, William, Benjamin and Matthew under the name of B. Trickett & Co. The mine was officially named the Intake Clay Pit and had four drift entrances going into the hillside; one of these is still visible as is the path of the former tramway which had stone foundations. Ponies were used to pull the wagons from the mine along the tramway to the brick works, which had two rock crushers and three coal fired brick kilns. Cottages were built at the site to house the workers., gives details of mining. Facilities included a works ~100 SW of the hamlet and a track and tramway northward from the works, at around the mark. The mine was later taken over by Thomas Wragg & Sons who had a business in the Loxley valley making

refractory brick In materials science, a refractory material or refractory is a material that is resistant to decomposition by heat, pressure, or chemical attack, and retains strength and form at high temperatures. Refractories are polycrystalline, polyphase, ...

s; the mine and works closed in the 1950s. In the second half of the 20th century the site and surrounding land was gradually used for

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

. As of 2010 the former industrial use was marked by field boundaries, and remains of the trackways.Ordnance Survey, 1:25000, c. 2010

Present day

Some of the former workmen’s cottages have been developed into modern private residences. Loadbrook Cottages has been refurbished into

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

accommodation and a self-catering holiday cottage., details of Loadbrook Cottage. Loadbrook House is also now a holiday cottage,, details of Loadbrook House. while the original Loadbrook Farm, dating from the 18th century also offers bed and breakfast accommodation., details of Loadbrook Farm. Other buildings in the hamlet include, Loadbrook Barn, Brook Cottage, Heather Bank and Beeton Farm which stands just to the south of the hamlet.

References

External links

*
Sources for the history of Dungworth
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