High Hoyland is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...
in the
Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in
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.
I ...
, England, on the border with
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exis ...
. It lies to the west of
Kexbrough, and is located at approximately , at an elevation of around 200 metres above sea level. At the 2001 census it had a population of 142, reducing to 128 at the 2011 Census.
There are many Hoylands in Barnsley - there is the village of
Hoyland
Hoyland is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. The town developed from the hamlets of Upper Hoyland, Hoyland and Hoyland Common.
The town has also been known as ''Nether Hoyland''. That name was given ...
itself south east of
Barnsley on the road to Sheffield, which includes the former hamlets of Hoyland Common, Upper Hoyland and Hoyland Nether (''nether'' being old English for "lower").
Hoylandswaine is located on the opposite side of the wide valley, and at almost 1000 feet above sea level has a wilder and bleaker feel than ''High Hoyland''.
The word Hoyland is derived from Norse, and at its simplest means "farm on a hill". Despite there being countless farms on hills around England, the majority of the Hoylands are concentrated in Barnsley.
History
There is some evidence to suggest that ''High Hoyland'' has quite an ancient history, though no archaeological survey has yet taken place. Some people believe the village may have been the site of an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post- ...
, and its strategic hilltop location would surely have been a good place for one. Nearby Kexbrough (originally ''Cezeburgh'') also lends weight to the theory, since the "burghs" were originally strongholds.
The village was nevertheless in existence in 1086 when the
Domesday survey was compiled. The village was listed as ''Heyholand'', being one of only 16 settlements in present-day South Yorkshire to be recorded.
Today a bridleway runs along the ridge above the village; originally this was a trans-Pennine salt track, and was also mentioned in the Domesday survey.
Present day
The village is now part of Barnsley's metropolitan area, yet retains a very rural feel and has become part of the commuter belt west of Barnsley, which also includes
Silkstone
Silkstone is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, between the towns of Barnsley and Penistone. The parish includes the village of S ...
and
Cawthorne. The ''Cherry Tree Public House'' is one of the most famous in South Yorkshire, and has won awards for both its ale and its views - with spectacular open vistas across the valley. From here it is possible to see
Cannon Hall
Cannon Hall is a country house museum located between the villages of Cawthorne and High Hoyland some 5 miles (8 km) west of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. Originally the home of the Spencer and later the Spencer-Stanhope family, ...
, the
Peak District National Park,
Barnsley Town Hall and on clear days the cooling towers of the distant power stations of
Drax and
Eggborough.
See also
*
Listed buildings in High Hoyland
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in South Yorkshire
Geography of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley
Civil parishes in South Yorkshire