Harley History
Pre and early history.
Unfortunately, there is very little information available on Harley with most local material concentrating on Wentworth, Tankersley or Thorpe Hesley. There are though some items of interest, and this information will hopefully expand in the future.
People have inhabited this area of South Yorkshire for thousands of years. In the Iron Age tribes were found at e.g. Wharnecliffe and Wincobank Hill and famously in Roman Times by the Brigante tribe, who covered the area of Lancashire , Yorkshire and the north-east. Despite the Roman invasion of 55BC and the subsequent settlement, there were frequently uprisings in various regions of Britain against the Romans up until their departure.
After holding out against the Romans for many years the Brigantes were defeated and the Romans consolidated their hold on Britain until the a fall of the Roman Empire about 400AD, and the invasion of Angles, Saxons and Jutes who consolidated their hold about 500AD.
Up until the Norman invasion the Anglo-Saxons were frequently attacked by Vikings from Scandinavia . Settlements were often set up and Danish rule and law enforced. In fact Harold had defeated another Viking invasion force before travelling to Hastings to meet William and his Norman invasion force.
After 1066.
Most small towns and places are only first reliably referred to about the time of, or after the Domesday Book was completed by the Norman invaders in 1086, twenty years after the famous battle of Hastings . Wentworth is mentioned but there is no entry for Harley.
According to West Yorkshire Place Names Harley was in existence in 1219 as Harelawe (source: Feet of Fines for The County of York), and is later referred to many times in the same document in 1590. By 1637 it is spelt as "Harley", in the Wills in the York Registry. (From Rotherham MBC archives)
The place name meaning is ambiguous but could be a heap of stones or "mound". However some local opinion suggests that Harley means "Hare Lea" or field of Hares, and certainly there are Brown Hares still present today.
Between Harley and Wentworth is a collection of houses known as Derricroft. The original name of this area was Spittal Houses (see 1890 map). Prior to this the Wentworth estate survey of 1778 records the area as Spital House Green (see 1778 map). Originally a "spital house" was a hospital or colony for lepers, hence the possible change to the name! They were usually located outside the main areas of population and were often charitable or run by religious orders as there was no health service as today. These spital houses date back hundreds of years no information has yet been found for this particular one.
Map of Harley and Hood Hill 1776 from Wentworth Estate Survey
courtesy of Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estates
From the above map it can be seen that Harley was only a few dwellings and that the present village was actually grazing land known as Hoodhill Common, the suffix common associated with ancient "common" grazing rights of local inhabitants.
Industrial revolution to the present.
The oldest existing buildings (i.e. those with dates on!) are a private dwelling with a plaque " Harley View 1868" and the Primitive Methodist Chapel - 1875. The map of 1890 also records a "mission", the site of the present functioning church.
Harley had it's own school facility in the form of an Infant school across the road from the Horse Shoe pub. Date? This was in existence before schooling was compulsory. The school became redundant in 19?? The building remains in a much-altered form today.
Apart from recent expansions in the seventies and 2001-2, the most notable changes have been the use of a site as a military camp for Allied Soldiers during World War 2. Following this it was used by the National Coal Board as a workshop for open cast mining - the evidence of which can be seen all around the area in the form of spoil heaps.
The local area was extensively mined from at least the 18 th century for iron ore and coal. Old disused iron ore workings can be seen in the form of disused "bell pits" at Tankersley and close by at Hood Hill.
Harley was a mining village in the 18 & 19 th centuries, contributing to the wealth of the Wentworth Fitzwilliam family. There is a house with a plaque "Harley View 1868" which may be the oldest existing building in the village and may predate the village.
Looking at the 1890 map the old part of Harley is well establishedbut the farmland across from the Horse Shoe was mostly woodland. " Harley Springs ". Also there is a coal mining works marked Lidgett Colliery.
From the 1956 map Coal mining was open cast and continued until the 1950's and 60's. Evidence of this can be seen in numerous spoil heaps around the area some of which have been landscaped and are overgrown (see 1956 map below).
Harley Area Map 1956
The village now numbers about 200 houses following the latest expansion. The original village numbers about 50 houses surrounding "the Square". In the seventies Rotherham Council added some council dwellings with a grassed area known locally as "the Circle". Following this the village expanded towards the coach road with a private development. Arial photos from the seventies shows the then new council houses and the NCB works with the huge crane in situ where the latest houses have been built .
Harley from the air circa.1970 (Thanks to Brian for the photos)
Finally in 2001, a disused area behind the newer part of the village, which was originally a Coal Board works, was purchased by builders and 59 houses of mixed size were built, completing in 2002.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Christine Heron, Local Studies Librarian RMBC, Ian Lomas (Parish Council) of Harley, and Fitzwilliam-Wentworth Estates.