Skellow is a village in the

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

district, in the county of

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...

, England.

Historically History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

part of the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

, the village is roughly north-west of

. The village falls in the Askern Spa Ward of Doncaster MBC. To the north and south is mixed farmland, the A1 runs immediately along the western edge of the village, and to the east Skellow merges with the adjacent village of Carcroft along the B1220 road. As of 2023, the village had a population of 3,800.

Geography

The village derives its name from the River Skell which flows from the nearby village of Skelbrooke, through the locally named 'Five Lanes End' area of Skellow where it joins the

Ea Beck The Ea Beck, also spelled Eaubeck or Eau Beck, is a small river in South Yorkshire, England, that flows eastwards into the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don at Thorpe in Balne, Thorpe-in-Balne. The Environment Agency lists the beck as starting at ...

, a tributary of the River Don, of which it joins near the former Thorpe Marsh Power Station at

Barnby Dun Barnby Dun is a village in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Together with Kirk Sandall it forms the civil parish of Barnby Dun with Kirk Sandall. It lies between Arksey and Stainforth. It is located about 4 miles north-east of Doncaste ...

. The village lies on the north side of the east-west Ea Beck valley. To the north-east with access from the village is Burghwallis. Skellow is well served for open public spaces, with a range of small and medium-sized parks scattered through both the modern housing estates to the west and the older former council estates which border Carcroft. Today most of the western half of Skellow is occupied by a patchwork of late 20th century housing estates.

History

Skellow is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

as belonging to Ilbert of Lacy, and having villagers, ploughlands, meadows and woodland. The name derives from the nearby River Skell, and various derivations could be behind the name, which Smith suggests is '' heNook of land or hollow near the Skell (brook).'' Historically, Skellow was in the Parish of Owston, in the

wapentake A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and in Cumberland County in the British Colony of ...

of Osgoldcross. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, Cromwell placed a cannon battery at the village to protect the Great North Road. The mounds for the cannon still remain and the surrounding area of cottages remain to this day. Skellow was formerly a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in the parish of Owston, in 1866 Skellow became a separate civil parish, on 1 April 1915 the parish was abolished and merged with Adwick le Street. In 1911 the parish had a population of 760. It is now in the

unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparis ...

of Adwick le Street. On the east bank of the Skell lies Old Skellow, a cluster of older houses facing Skellow Hall. This was also the site of the motte-and-bailey castle and Oliver Cromwell’s batteries - of which little remains. The hall was originally built in 1642 and is now uninhabited. This part of Skellow is a conservation area owing to its rich historical roots and links to Cromwell. In fact, Cromwell actually stayed in Skellow Hall during the Civil War. Furthermore, the remains of the Buttercross and old stone walling (which surrounded Skellow Hall) have also survived. Some items of archeological importance have been found in the area.

Godfrey Higgins Godfrey Higgins (30 January 1772 in Owston, Yorkshire – 9 August 1833 in Cambridge) was an English magistrate and landowner, a prominent advocate for social reform, historian, and antiquarian. He wrote concerning ancient myths. His book ''Anaca ...

was the son of the owner of much of the land, known as Skellow Grange, of what is now Skellow Village. The church of Saint Michael located in the village is a sister church to the nearby Grade I listed Church of All Saints, Owston.

Coal mining

Further east is a sizeable former council housing estate which is in a generally good state of repair, and a good example of the coal mining related social housing developments typical of the southern part of the

West Riding The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The lieutenancy at that time included the city of York a ...

in the early to mid-20th century. This area is the heart of the village, containing most of the local amenities including various shops and the local primary school. Several local clubs exist on the sites of former

working men's club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education ...

s, and the area has an active local nightlife including live music events. Coal mining in the area ceased in the 1980s but some remnants from the industry are visible in the area, including winding wheel relics at Bullcroft. Demographic evidence of the former mining community is also evident in both higher than average levels of unemployment, and a strong sense of community with residents knowing their neighbours and those that live around them. In 2009, the population was estimated to be 4,103 by Doncaster Metropolitan Council. The national censuses record the population of the village within the Askern Spa Ward.

References

External links

Skellow Grange WMC

Health statistics for Skellow

Music of the village
{{Authority control Villages in Doncaster Former civil parishes in South Yorkshire Adwick le Street

Geography

History

Coal mining

See also

References

External links