Goldthorpe is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It was anciently a small medieval farming village, Goldthorpe is recorded in the Domesday Book a part of the Manor of Bolton upon Dearne which was once owned by Roger de Busli. The village is in the Dearne North Ward of Barnsley MBC and had a population of 6,051 at the 2011 Census.

Goldthorpe
Goldthorpe centre
Goldthorpe is located in South Yorkshire
Goldthorpe
Goldthorpe
Location within South Yorkshire
Population6,051 (2011 Census)[1]
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townROTHERHAM
Postcode districtS63
Dialling code01709
PoliceSouth Yorkshire
FireSouth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°32′N 1°18′W / 53.53°N 1.30°W / 53.53; -1.30

History

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Early prehistoric pottery, a flint flake, Bronze Age cremation sites and Romano-British ditches and field systems have been found in the Goldthorpe area suggesting ancient occupation of the area over a long period of time.[2]

In the early 18th century, Barnsley Attorney William Henry Marsden Esquire of Burntwood Hall bought the Manor of Bolton on Dearne with Goldthorpe for £10,000 including over 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of land. Goldthorpe is recorded in the 1761–1767 Inclosure Awards. The Marsden family held the manor until 1815.

St John and St Mary Magdalene Church, Goldthorpe, built in 1916, is an early example of a ferro-concrete building. According to Nikolaus Pevsner, the pulpit bought by the church in 1931 is 18th-century Flemish.

Goldthorp, Goldthorpe, Gouldthorpe and all variations of this surname, derive from this placename. A marriage took place in 1361, when Robert de Goldthorpe alias Robertson, son of Robert Lord of the Manor of Goldthorpe married Esabul de Shepley daughter of William de Shepley, half heiress with her sister Dionyssia to the Manor of Shepley. Descendants with the surname Goldthorpe were the major land owners for almost 200 years, until the final heir sold the land and left the area. Cadet branches remained in the Huddersfield area for many centuries mainly as wool weavers.

Economy

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The area is now commonly referred to as the Dearne Valley and was a major coal mining area.

In 1984 two teenage boys had died in Goldthorpe while collecting coal during the strike; a memorial to them was built in 2011.

Facilities

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Goldthorpe railway station opened in 1988 on the Wakefield Line.

Goldthorpe Market is located in the middle of town, next to the library. The current market day is Monday.

Goldthorpe Library is a modern building (the previous library having been burnt down in an arson attack) in the middle of the town.

There is no longer a Goldthorpe Town Centre. It was replaced with Dearne Goldthorpe Primary School, which has since moved. The area is currently having plans being made to construct something else to help the community.

Schools

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The main secondary school in the area is Astrea Academy Dearne, a school that caters for around 1,300 pupils aged 11–16 years. There are three main primary schools: Dearne Goldthorpe Primary School (3–11, community school), Dearne Highgate Primary School (3–11, community school) and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School (3–11, voluntary aided school).

Sports

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Goldthorpe was represented in the FA Cup during the 1920s and 1930s by Goldthorpe United F.C. Goldthorpe is home to Dearne CC, a cricket club established in 1926 and currently playing in Division 5 of the South Yorkshire Senior Cricket League.

Notable residents

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  • The actor Brian Blessed once lived on Probert Avenue in Goldthorpe.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Goldthorpe Built-up area sub division (E35000438)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Goldthorpe, South Yorkshire". www.northernarchaeologicalassociates.co.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
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