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Local History
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Pedalling back to yesteryear ...
GIVEN the recent success of the Tour of Britain’s staging in Barnsley, we have dug back into archives to find pictures of some local cyclists.
The pictures show off cyclists from a number of local clubs including Barnsley Road Club and Birdwell Wheelers who both celebrated big birthdays this year, with their 100th and 75th year anniversaries in 2024 respectively.
Other images show Mel Shaw from the now defunct Royston Road Club and Margaret Larkin...
LOCAL HISTORY: Looking back on Cudworth choir's high notes
WITH Thurnscoe Harmonic Male Voice Choir celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, we’ve gone back in time to look at another group’s milestone.
Cudworth Male Voice Choir, sadly now inactive, celebrated 50 years of existence in April 2001.
They did so with a concert and supper held in The Wesley Hall in their own village.
Then chairman Ray Mellor wrote in the evening’s programme: “We have three founder members still with the...
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Schooldays ... were they the best days?
You know those photos you never want your parents to dig out again…
Well we have found some of them in our archives room at the Barnsley Chronicle.
They depict the early school days for numerous kids around Barnsley.
We reckon all the kids in the photos are grown up now and maybe even have children of their own.
Do you recognise anyone in the photos? Email jh@barnsley-chronicle.co.uk
...
How Stuart’s repainting the town ...
FOR nearly 30 years a photography enthusiast has been recolouring historic pictures of Barnsley to bring the past back to life.
Stuart Sykes picked up the recolouring skill when he was teaching computer studies in the early 1990s.
Since then, he has been developing his skills, and over the past year began a popular Facebook page showing ‘Old Barnsley In Colour’.
“The biggest thing is getting the picture to the stage that it wants to...
TRUE CRIME HISTORY: Yorkshire's Murderous Women
Some of the most notorious cases of women being tried for wilful murder in English history involve moral beliefs and ideologies of power that are impossible to accept today. Something profound in the human mind and in the sense of moral community feels an extraordinary revulsion at the thought of a woman taking a life. Until 1827, a woman who took the life of her husband was committing, not murder, but petty treason. Until 1790,...
Holgate Heroes: Harold Clegg
Another installment in our 'Holgate Heroes' series.
Harold Clegg
Harold Clegg in the Chronicle 1942
JAPANESE prisoner of war Harold Creighton Clegg’s mother is said to have taken to bed and never left after the death of her only son.
Harold, a First Class Aircraftman, was born in Barnsley in 1920 and the only child of bus driver Thomas Arthur Clegg and his wife Jane Clegg, who was 37 when she...
Memories of Barnsley: From Barnsley Basin to Smithies Lane
There are still signs of life on the former canals around Barnsley. In this article from issue 26 of our sister magazine, Memories of Barnsley, Mark Green followed the trail of the story.
From Barnsley Basin to Smithies Lane
It all began in July 1792 when the Aire & Calder Navigation Company instructed its manager, William Martin, to obtain a plan and estimate for the building of a canal from Barnsley to Wakefield.
...
From the Archives: Why Wimbledon was not Wimbledon without Barnsley
The start of the tennis at Wimbledon will always trigger memories for Barnsley people.
And it’s true what they used to say. Wimbledon wouldn’t be Wimbledon without Barnsley.
For many years the Dunlop Slazengers factory in Measborough Dike was completely in control of the production of balls for the esteemed tournament.
Many Barnsley people will have worked in the various departments over the years.
We dug back into our archives to...
Looking back: Yoxall family name is explored
CHRONICLE readers have helped to provide information for a family history website dedicated to one particular surname.
Those called Yoxall can now research their family history thanks to 20 years of work.
Several years ago, James Wignall, from Lancashire, wrote a letter to the Chronicle looking for help from people whose last name was Yoxall – which crops up in his own family tree.
James once again wants to appeal to Barnsley...
From the archives: Barnsley's 19th Century nail makers
IN THE medieval period, nails were hand made in small rural workshops next to workers’ cottages.
Such an industry thrived in the village of Hoylandswaine, where by the 18th century, nail makers, if not full-time, would have fitted in forging work in between working in the fields.
Records show that by 1806, there were around 60 nail makers in Hoylandswaine, increasing to 90 in 1851.
But by 1861, this figure had fallen to 53, and...
From the archives - free download of Barnsley Chronicle - December 1980
We have started re-visiting past editions from our extensive archives at the Chronicle and wanted to share a couple with you.
The first one is from this time of year but in 1980 and it is free to download here: https://www.barnsleychronicle.com/storage/pdf/bc-12-12-1980.pdf (64.4 MB) Please note the file size before you download.
Keep visiting the Chronicle website for the next instalment. We really hope you enjoy going back in time and think you will be a big...
History society help residents dig a little deeper into their roots
OF the many pastimes people have taken up during lockdown, genealogy has been at the top of the tree. Ashley Ball finds out more from the Barnsley Family History Society.
FOR people researching their ancestral roots in Barnsley, the town’s family history society is often a port of call.
Membership with the 35-year-old society during lockdown has risen significantly to 250 members as people have gone online and in some cases hit proverbial brick walls....
Egyptologist links Darfield finds to Antony and Cleopatra
PROFESSOR Joann Fletcher is respected around the globe for her knowledge of ancient Egypt but how did coins minted by Antony and Cleopatra end up in her hometown? As part of a series of features, Ashley Ball delves into what has been found beneath our feet in Barnsley.
Ancient Egypt and Darfield seem miles apart. According to internet route planners it’s 3,633 miles by road. That is a long distance journey even by today’s standards...
1964: Glancing Back
Charlotte Hutton takes a look back at the Barnsley Chronicle from this week 56 years ago.
BRITISH policemen are acknowledged to be wonderful and one particular policeman has made a lasting impression on one visitor and can be regularly seen on traffic control duties in the centre of Barnsley.
He is PC William Harber, a 32-years-old member of the Borough Force whose main claim to fame - apart from the efficient way in which he...
Miners, familiy and friends invited to share their memories
CAMPAIGNERS are inviting former miners, as well as their families and friends, to speak on camera as part of an ongoing investigation into the miners’ strike of 1984.
Representatives of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign will set up in the NUM Hall, on Huddersfield Road, tomorrow.
They are encouraging anyone with stories to tell - from happy memories to inspiring tales of heroism to more upsetting truths - to join them in the hall,...
2003: Glancing Back
Megan Wallace explores the Barnsley Chronicle archives from 2003.
BARNSLEY Hospital was named one of the best in the country this week after it was awarded full marks in the annual NHS ratings.
It was given the maximum three stars for the first time meaning it moves into the prestigious ranks of trusts which got top scores in performance indicators.
The rating is decided by a number of factors including how each department performs and...
1969: Glancing Back
Megan Wallace explores the Barnsley Chronicle archives from 1969.
A JOHN J Kennedy Scholarship - one of only 12 available to students in Britain - has been awarded to Miss Jane Bennett, daughter of Mrs M Platt.
The scholarship is tenable at Harvard University, starting in September until August, and covers travel to America, the costs of study in linguistics, and a grant of £4,000.
Miss Bennett attended Agnes Road Junior School, and from 1959...
Rare piece of treasure is unearthed at Brierley Spring Fete
A RARE china mug which is thought to be more than 100 years old surfaced at a village Spring fair.
Jennifer Collishaw took the item to the Brierley Spring Fete to show to long-standing residents of the village who may be interested in it.
It is thought to be a peace mug commemorating the end of the First World War.
Jennifer said she had got the piece from her mum, who got it from her...
Looking back as Danny turns 103
ASTONISHING recollections of the Second World War and the evacuation of Dunkirk have been shared with the Chronicle by veteran Danny Smith who remembers ‘blowing up’ his vehicle to ensure the enemy could not make use of it.
Danny Smith, born Edwin Verdun Smith, featured in the Chronicle last week as he celebrated his 103rd birthday, and the veteran of Dunkirk shared some of his experiences.
Born in 1916 in Leicester, Danny was 23 when...
Man would have been proud to kick off junior football legacy
AN APPEAL in the Barnsley Chronicle has paid off with the family history of the man behind the historic Totty Cup football competition finally tracked down.
The cup was donated by Goldthorpe cinema owner Russell Totty ahead of the 1922-23 season and has been competed for ever since.
The competition’s historian Chris Brook sought to find out more about the founder and reader Bryn Jones was on hand to help.
Bryn discovered that Hoyland-born Russell...
