A walk from Mortomley to Thorncliffe Woods

Mortomley Hall was situated almost opposite the Parish Council offices; apartments now stand on the site. The hall was built in 1703 and demolished in the 1960’s. It was known locally as the doctor’s residence.

Les Sansam used to work at Tankersley Pit and described his job working with pit ponies underground. He said the work “...consisted of fetching full tubs of coal up a steep slope from where the fillers or trammers had pushed them and taking back empty tubs from the upper level… the small tubs contained about a third of a ton. For a full six shift week you received the princely sum of exactly £1 take home pay.” Quoted in J. & M. Jones (1993) “..A most Enterprising Thing…” (p15-16).

The park, managed by Sheffield City Council, was created on the former Tankersley Colliery site.

The dam, now a fishing pond, was created by Newton Chambers & Co. to supply water to Thorncliffe Ironworks.

Until they were demolished in the late 1960’s, a double row of cottages and Methodist chapel once stood on the far side of the dam. They were built by Newton Chambers & Co. to house non-union workers during the 1869-70 Miners’ Lockout.

Thorncliffe Wood may be part of the ‘pasturable woodland’ referred to in the Domesday book as belonging to the manor of Tankersley, although it is first mentioned by name in a document dating from around 1600, listing the woodlands belonging to Gilbert, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury. At this time the wood was used for the production of charcoal and other products.

Thorncliffe Wood today is recovering from the devastation caused by coal mining and iron working and is described as a semi-natural ancient woodland. Although it is now dominated mainly by sycamore, it also has significant numbers of oak trees as well as a few beech and ash. The shrub layer consists mainly of young sycamore, and ash, plus a few willow and birch trees. It is one of the few local woods where elm forms a significant feature and indeed there are some larger mature elms which seem to have escaped the ravages of Dutch elm disease.

The 1869-70 Miners’ Lockout occurred because Newton Chambers & Co. had decided to reduce the miners’ wages and refused to negotiate with the union. 850 workers who refused to accept the company’s terms were locked out, although several hundred continued to work. The company recruited new non-union workers and built houses for them at Thorncliffe and Westwood Rows.

The riots took place when striking miners attacked the non-union men. On 21st January 1870 a crowd, estimated at between 300 and 1500 armed with picks, pistols and bludgeons, attacked the cottages on Westwood Rows. The police could not contain the situation and it was only when reinforcements arrived from Barnsley was the violence, damage and looting brought under control. Although no-one was killed, one miner and at least one policeman were seriously injured. 23 men were sent for trial at York assizes and 11 received prison sentences. The dispute continued for another 7 months. Miners returned to work but had to accept the company’s terms, including lower wages. For more information see J. & M. Jones (1993) “..A Most Enterprising Thing..”