Friday, 10 June 2016

In Memoriam

Burial of Bentley Pit Disaster of 1931 at Arksey Cemetery.
Photo courtesy of Jill Lowe


The Story Of Burials In Arksey


Since the very earliest times of the parish, Arksey has provided a resting place for our loved ones after they have departed life. People from Arksey, Bentley, Almholme and environs were all brought to Arksey to be laid to rest. At first it was the churchyard of All Saints which welcomed the dead, but as room ran out, other cemeteries were laid out in the village. 

In this article we look at all three resting places in Arksey, how they started, some of the notable graves within them and the ongoing project to record as many memorials as possible before time erases them too. 


Contents

  • Churchyard Burials
  • Early Burials
  • Space for the Dead
  • Vaults and Permanent Memorials
  • Memorials Survey
  • Notable Graves and Memorials
  • The Old Cemetery
  • Notable Graves
  • Memorials Survey
  • Arksey New Cemetery
  • Cemetery Layout
  • Notable Graves and Memorials
  • Memorials Survey


Churchyard Burials


Arksey Churchyard


Burial is one of the very last things we can do for a loved one and has been an intrinsic part of humanity since ancient times. Pagan burial sites were sacred and set-apart, and as Christianity grew many of these pagan places became sites of early Christian worship.

Before Christianity became established it was customary to bury the dead outside the city or town walls, in fact it was unlawful to bury the dead within the walls for reasons of health and preserving clean water supplies.

Churchyards only came into use after 752AD when St Cuthbert obtained permission from the Pope to have churchyards for the burial of the dead added to the church. This ground was consecrated (liturgically blessed) by the Bishop who walked the boundaries of the churchyard saying prayers to cast out evil.

Walls were constructed around the consecrated ground to isolate it as an enclosure for graves, and it was necessary for the grounds to be cared for and for no animals to graze there. 

It was usual for the higher classes to be buried within the church itself, while those of the lower classes were confined to the churchyards. Space north of the church was sometimes reserved for social outcasts, such as murderers, but some could be refused a consecrated burial on the grounds of being suicides, lunatics or even unbaptized children.



Medieval funeral



Early Burials

The earliest burials carried out at Arksey would probably be contemporary with its age. Building began in the mid 1100's by the Newmarch family, and it is probably a Newmarch grave cover that can be seen high up on the outer wall of the south chapel. Dating from the 13th century, this grave slab has been reused in the building, probably during its construction in the 15th century.



The cross on the grave slab is still visible.
   
The next record of a burial at Arksey is from 1349 when Richard Fegheherd, who was possibly a rector, was buried in the church. Sources do not tell us where exactly his grave is located as it is probably covered by modern flooring.

The parish registers for burials began in 1558 and at first there were on average one or two burials per month, about what you would expect for the size of the parish at that time. Numbers stayed steady until 1583 when a shocking 45 burials took place in the months of April and May alone, 65 in the whole of that year. The cause, pestilentia or 'plague' as it's more commonly referred to. Brought to the area by one William Monkton, a traveller from Thirsk, William was found collapsed on the road at Amersall, Bentley. He died and was buried in the churchyard but not before he had infected most of the immediate area, which spread to Doncaster and beyond.

For more on the plague and William Monkton go to the article How We Died.



Plague Doctors


In some cases there were as many as four burials a day at Arksey during April 1583, but that is not the only spike in mortality rates. In 1727, 52 burials were recorded; in 1728, 51 were recorded, while in 1729, 55 were recorded. A note in the parish registers written by Chas. Herring states:

'The greatest mortality that ever can be remembered or made out to be in the Parish of Arksey.'

It is difficult to determine what the cause of this high mortality was as this portion of the registers omits the cause of death, but there were periods of bad harvests and severe winters throughout the eighteenth century which would have had an effect on resistance to disease.



Space for the Dead

Now it doesn't take a mathematician to realize that the number of burials carried out at Arksey church over the last 700 years far exceeds the space available. The question was where did all the bodies go?





The answer comes from looking at the history of Christian burial practices. Before coffins were routinely used for burials, the dead would be wrapped in a shroud, and a 'parish coffin' kept in the church would be used to transport the body to the grave. The enshrouded corpse would then be lifted out and placed in the ground, with a simple wooden grave marker above. The body would then be allowed to decompose before being disinterred to allow the plot to be re-used. The exhumed bones would then be placed in either a charnel house (in larger churches) or in an ossuary. Unfortunately there are no records of where the burial remains were moved to in Arksey, and there is no evidence of a charnel house or ossuary.


Vaults and Permanent Memorials

Wealthy or landed families were often buried inside the confines of the church, sometimes in family vaults such as the Cooke family, who had two vaults inside the church, one of which was opened in 2013 for inspection. Inside, a number of lead coffins were found, their wooden outer skins long since rotted in the flood waters which used to ingress the foundations of the church. These coffins dated from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century and contained the remains of past Baronets of Wheatley and their immediate family.

For more on the opening of the Cooke vault go to the article Secrets of the Vault.

To read about the final Cooke interment at the church go to the article Funeral for a Baronet. 



The Cooke vault with visible lead coffins inside.

Permanent memorials for burials began to emerge in around 1650 when large square shaped tombstones began to be used. Reserved for the upper and middle classes, these stones were inscribed with the deceased's name, age and year of death. Some of the earliest stones at Arksey have since been moved inside the church, where they now pave most of the floor. The majority of these date from the 18th century, with a few dating from the late 17th century. The earliest memorial is to John Hall of Stockbridge and dates from 1680 (see below).



Memorial dating from 1680.

As permanent memorials became more widely used during the 19th century, the burials themselves were left intact which meant that space in churchyards came at a premium and public cemeteries evolved to accommodate the demand. 

By 1883 Arksey churchyard was becoming full and a new site for a cemetery was sought. The churchyard was subsequently closed to new burials two years later, unless plots had already been reserved. In fact there were only two more burials in the churchyard after 1885. All subsequent burials were interred in one of the two new cemeteries at the entrance to the village.



Memorials Survey

Over the course of time the memorials in Arksey churchyard have suffered damage from weathering and subsidence, therefore it is important that as many of these memorials are recorded while we are still able to read them.

The Doncaster & District Family History Society did an excellent job of surveying and recording graves a number of years ago, but it was lacking photos, so I carried out my own survey, photographing every single surviving  gravestone and recording the inscriptions. Merging the two surveys I was able to produce the fullest and most accurate list of burials in the churchyard to date. All the memorials inside the church were also recorded, although no burials lie under them I'm told.

From the survey I was able to produce an accurate 'plot map' enabling anyone looking for a specific grave to locate it on the ground. 

Plot map for Arksey church and churchyard
  

A pdf version of the fully indexed plot map is available along with the photos and transcriptions on the Church Graves page (see below).


For photos, transcriptions and plot map of all memorials in the church and churchyard go to the page Church Graves. 


For the Doncaster & District Family History Society go to Doncaster and District Family History Society.



Notable Graves and Memorials

Arksey church has a number of notable graves in the churchyard as well as some impressive memorials in the church itself.

Most notable are the Cooke burials. While most of them are interred in the family vaults, there are two substantial memorials in the church yard too.

Cooke Memorials

The two memorials in the photo (above) both belong to the Cooke family. The larger red and white stone monument marks the final resting place of  Sir William Ridley Charles Cooke (1827-1894), 9th Baronet of Wheatley. 

The stone cross next to the large monument belongs to Sir William's younger brother, Charles Edward Stephen Cooke (1829-1895).

Inside the church there is a magnificent memorial to Sir George Cooke, the 1st Baronet of Wheatley (1628-1683), who built the Almshouses and the Endowed School in Arksey.


Memorial to Sir George Cooke
Lady Chapel, Arksey Church

Another memorial mounted opposite Sir George Cooke's is that of George Augustus Cooke (1780-1808). He was the brother of Sir William Bryan Cooke (1782-1851), the 8th Baronet Wheatley. George Augustus would have inherited the title from his father, but he died at the age of 27, leaving his younger brother to inherit.


Memorial to George Augustus Cooke
Lady Chapel, Arksey Church
Some of the other notable burials and memorials in the church and churchyard include two for the Bradford family. The Bradford's are ancestors to William Bradford who was one of the Pilgrim Fathers.

Also remembered here are the Broughton family; a large number of memorials in the Broughton name relate to this prominent Bentley family.

An interesting memorial near the main gate remembers an American child who died at the United States Consulate Altona in Denmark in 1863. He was the son of William Marsh, a Bentley man who travelled to the US and as a friend of Abraham Lincoln, aided his rise to the White House. The little boy was named Lincoln after the great President, but sadly died at the age of sixteen months.


The Marsh memorial


To read the full story of William Marsh go to the article William Marsh, Son of a Miller, Friend of a President, on sister site Bentley Village, A History.

Buried in the church chancel are the remains of General Robert Portington who died in 1660. Portington was famous for engaging in battle against Oliver Cromwell during the Civil War and almost changing the course of English history at the Battle of Winceby. His memorial was to be found near the church altar for generations, but it was moved to the churchyard in the late 1700's and it's whereabouts today are lost.

To read the full story of General Portington of Arksey Hall go to the article Arksey Hall. 





The Old Cemetery


Old Cemetery view, facing south west.

After considering three sites for a new Burial Ground, one was chosen in late 1883 on the west side of the railway. However, at a meeting of the Arksey-with Bentley Burial Board in March 1884, it was proposed by Mr Atkinson and seconded by Alderman Elwis: 
"That the resolution of the 18th Dec. 1883, selecting a site for the Cemetery on the west side of the railway in Humphrey Croft be rescinded, and that the site in West Croft on the east side of the railway be selected instead."  
The resolution was carried and at a Vestry Meeting held on the 16th of June 1884 the Burial Board was granted permission to spend £362 on the purchase of the land, and £238 for fencing and laying out the cemetery in West Croft.



Map of Arksey 1903, showing the location of the Old Cemetery


Work got underway, and by December 1884 work was rapidly progressing under the direction of William Chadwick jnr. Esq. of Arksey Hall. Mr Chadwick supplied a number of ornamental trees at his own expense to adorn the cemetery, the idea being to improve the beauty of the approach from the station to the village of Arksey.

The cemetery lies in a rectangular plot, bordered by hedges. From the wooden gated entrance a straight path runs continuously in a loop around the interior, with a semi-circular section on the east side.


The Old Cemetery from above.


Roughly two thirds of the ground was set apart for consecration, and the remainder left unconsecrated. Once the plan was approved by the Home Secretary a date for consecration was applied for.

What followed next was a complicated disagreement on how the plots should be divided. There were to be three rates of payment:

  • Two guineas (42s) - for larger ratepayers
  • One guinea (21s) 
  • Two shillings - for the 'public graves'

Mr Chadwick suggested that the two guinea graves should be in one part, while the one guinea and two shilling graves could be placed anywhere. Plots would be used alternately, so that spaces would be left and families kept together.

Another suggestion from a Mr Johnson divided the cemetery into three sections, one section for each rate of payment.

The vicar of Arksey Walter Gray, disagreed with making any charge, as was the principle with the churchyard. His objection to both schemes was on the grounds of making distinctions between those who had money and those who did not. 

A poll of ratepayers was taken which came out on the side of Mr Chadwick's scheme.

The first interment at the cemetery was noted in the parish magazine of March 1885 in its section in recording 'Monthly Extracts from the Parish Registers', it stated that 'George SPURR, Bentley, aged 19 years', was the 'first interment in the New Cemetery'. It is marked by an impressive monument as in the photo below.



Spurr monument

As with any cemetery, there still had be some division of the land, for recording plots as they were used. Besides each plot having a number, it also fell into one of seven sections, 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F' and 'G'. These are identified on a plan as shown below, while 'boundary markers' were placed at the edges of the cemetery itself, and look like this:


Boundary marker stone
  


Incidentally, section D is known as the 'babies section' and lots of infant burials can be found there.



Notable Graves 

Most of the graves in the Old Cemetery date from 1885 to the 1920's, with later additions for those previously reserved. There are a number of WW1 graves, including a rare female CWGC grave to Sarah Lizzie Harris, whose story is told in the linked article below.



Memorial to S. L. Harris


Other graves include one for Henry Woodhouse, schoolmaster of Arksey from 1902, also, his predecessor George Chadwick. Also remembered there is Frank Higginbottom, who went down with the ship H. M. S. Good Hope during WW1. His story is told in the article linked below.



Memorial to Frank Higginbottom


The largest plot in the Old Cemetery is reserved for the Chadwick family of Arksey Hall, squires of the village from 1839 until 1910.



The Chadwick plot


As mentioned earlier in the churchyard section of this article, there is a grave remembering Lincoln Bennet Marsh, the son of William Marsh who was born in the U.S. and died in Denmark at sixteen months. Whilst the boy was buried in Denmark his parents returned to England with their second son William Dawson Marsh. All three are buried in the Old Cemetery in unmarked graves. 

The location of the graves was unknown until 2015 when myself and officials from Rose Hill Cemetery, assisted a descendant of the Marsh family in finding the graves. One morning in August 2015 they were very kindly marked out for us and I was able to record their location.



The two Marsh grave plots in section 'A' of the Old Cemetery


For the article on Sarah Lizzie Harris go to The Story of a Grave.

For the article on Frank Higginbotton go to Frank Higginbottom - Casualty of War.



Memorials Survey

As with the churchyard I felt it necessary to record as many memorials in the Old Cemetery as possible. Sadly there are many fallen and broken memorials today, partly due to tree root disturbance, land subsidence and possibly vandalism. Some have fallen face down and are now impossible to read, making the recording of the memorials still standing more important than ever.

Once again the Doncaster & District Family History Society had already carried out their own survey and produced a booklet of transcriptions and a plot map. I repeated the survey and found some mistakes and missed graves, so I put together my own version, which can be viewed via the links below.






Arksey New Cemetery 


Bentley Pit Disaster Memorial in the New Cemetery


Just as the Churchyard had become full in the 1880's, so did the Old Cemetery. The arrival of Bentley Colliery in the early 1900's saw an influx of people to the parish, people who would need burial plots one day.

The Old Cemetery soon filled up, and by the close of World War One a new cemetery was being planned.

With space aplenty over the road in the south section of West Croft, the new cemetery was laid out here. 

Burials began in 1920, and the first person to be buried there was a man by the name of George Ashmore. George came to Bentley from the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire area, and was part of the workforce sinking the new Bentley pit. He died in a colliery accident in 1920 at the age of 44.


George Ashmore and family.
Photo courtesy of Dianne Harvey-Marshall


Burials continued at the Old Cemetery where plots had been reserved in advance, but all new public burials would take place in the New Cemetery.



Arksey Cemetery from the air.


Cemetery Layout

The cemetery lies in a wedge of land between the railway, Station Road and the housing estate to the east. Open fields stretch away across Bentley Ings to Doncaster in the south. 




My own version of the New Cemetery plan as displayed at the cemetery entrance

The first sections to be laid out were those to the west, marked 'A' to 'F'. In 1936 the cemetery was extended eastwards to reach sections 'H', 'K', 'M' and 'N'. 

Below is a photo of a large cloth plot map from 1936, loaned to me in 2018. It shows the proposed extension, and despite it being in a poor state I was able to scan it and make copies of each section, identifying plot numbers.



Cloth plot map from 1936

One surprising discovery from the cloth map was the existence of a chapel in the cemetery grounds, something I knew nothing of before.

Right in the centre, at the end of the main drive is marked a rectangular building as shown in the scan I took of the area (below).


Scan showing the chapel site

This version (below) of the above scan has the chapel and circular path layout highlighted to make it easier to see.


Highlighted plan of the chapel

Today, this area of the cemetery has a circular area planted up with shrubs instead of the chapel as can be seen in this photo below.


Site of the former chapel, pictured in 2018

Today the cemetery extends as far east as section 'P' and burials are slowly filling up the vacant ground in a southerly direction.

The cemetery is arranged around a series of straight paths, interspersed with small circular paths. The paths divide the cemetery into their labelled sections, as seen on the plan above. Section 'N' is allotted for Roman Catholic burials. 

A straight driveway leads into the cemetery from Station Road, where an old public convenience building stands. A small office used to exist near the north east corner of section C1; cemetery information could be obtained there, and there were watering cans, taps and bins for the care of flowers on graves. Sadly the building has long gone.



The cemetery toilets.



Notable Graves and Memorials

The largest memorial in the cemetery is the Pit Disaster Memorial. Towering above all others in section 'C', the buff stone monument remembers forty five men and boys who perished in the Bentley Colliery disaster of 1931, and seven men who died in another disaster in 1978.


Bentley Pit Disaster Memorial

Thirty eight of the forty five who perished in the disaster were buried in one large grave (see photo at top of this article), the remaining were either buried in their home towns or were not able to be brought out of the pit. 



Photo of the memorial being erected.
Photo courtesy of Sheila Seymour


The inscription on the monument reads as follows:
In memory of the forty-five men and boys who lost their lives in the Bentley Colliery explosion on the 20th November 1931.
And of the seven men who lost their lives in the Bentley Colliery Disaster on the 21st November 1978.

The main monument is surrounded by a number of stone plaques naming each of those buried there.



One of the stone plaques at the Pit Disaster Memorial


A grave associated with the disaster is for Ernest Allport, who won the George Cross for heroism on the day of the disaster.



Memorial to Ernest Allport G.C

For more on the pit disasters and funeral go to Bentley Pit History Part 2 - Disasters on sister site Bentley Village, A History.


Another prestigious medal winner interred at Arksey is that of Thomas Bryan who was awarded the Victoria Cross for heroism during WW1.



Thomas Bryan V.C

Local celebrity Roland Todd, who remained undefeated middle weight champion of Great Britain and Europe until his death in 1969, is also buried at Arksey.


Roland Todd
Photo courtesy of Sean Brennan

As well as these notable memorials, a number of well-known business people from Arksey and Bentley are interred in the cemetery.  Included are, Ruth and Adeline Hall, who ran the corner shop near the school in Arksey. There is also Jack Crawshaw, milkman of Arksey Lane; father and son, Herbert and Donald Bostock, shoe retailers of Bentley for many years; and Tom Cargill Kemp, stationmaster of Arksey is also buried here.


Arksey cemetery workers c.1950


There are a number of war graves from WW2 scattered throughout the cemetery, and a large memorial seat in memory of civilians who died in the bombing of the Royston Avenue area of Bentley in 1940.


The Civilian War Memorial


Memorials Survey

Unlike the Churchyard and Old Cemetery, the possibility of me ever finding the time to survey the whole of the New Cemetery is pretty slim. However, that does not mean I have abandoned the project completely. A survey of the older graves in section A has been carried out, along with a partial survey of sections 'B' to 'F'. The recorded graves can be found on sister site Bentley Village, A History

I am hopeful that many more graves can be added to the list, but it is not something I can do alone. There are details on the cemetery pages of Bentley Village, A History of how you can get involved by submitting your own grave photos to be added. By recording as many as possible, hopefully they will not be lost once the inscriptions have worn off or the stones fallen.

For more on the New Cemetery list and how to submit photos go to Arksey Cemetery A - M .

For graves listed N to Z go to Arksey Cemetery N - Z.



Arksey Cemetery


Arksey cemetery continues to welcome the dead of the parish and beyond, and when this too becomes full, I'm sure space will be found nearby to welcome many more. Arksey cemetery is a place of peace and tranquillity, but it also holds many reminders of the colourful characters who used to live among us, and what is a cemetery for if not to remember those we have loved?


Alison Vainlo 

First written 2016, updated 2020

Wednesday, 8 June 2016

Lanes Around Arksey

1938 map showing all the lanes around Arksey


Walking Back To The 1830's


Away from the centre of Arksey, the surrounding countryside is criss-crossed by ancient lanes and footpaths. 

In this article we look at where the lanes go, their histories, and examine the origins of some of their interesting features and names. 


Contents

  • A Tour of the Eastern Lanes
  • Ings Lane, Arksey 
  • Hemp Pits Road
  • The Pinfold
  • Common Lane
  • Mastall Lane
  • Ings Lane South  
  • Dog Croft Lane
  • Marsh Lane North
  • Waite House Farm
  • Thorpe Marsh
  • Power Station
  • Fordstead Lane
  • A Tour of the Western Lanes
  • The Balk
  • Shaftholme Road
  • Marsh Lane, Arksey
  • Round About Moat
  • Stockbridge Lane



A Tour of the Eastern Lanes


Ings Lane, Arksey 


Ings Lane (in red/brown), Hemp Pits Road (in orange)


The west end of Ings Lane begins in the centre of Arksey, at the junction with Station Road, opposite the vicarage. Mostly residential, it allows access to Ings Way and Brook Way and is coloured red/brown on the above map.

Ings is a Norse word for water meadow and marshes and comes from the areas of Arksey Ings and Bentley Ings, which lie to the east of the villages. Ancient variants in spellings include:
  • Ynggs - 1480
  • Inges - 1557
  • Inghes - 1593
Finally changing to Ings in 1843.

Ings Lane in the early 1900's


Hemp Pits Road

Hemp Pits Road runs between Ings Lane in the north east and Arksey Lane in the south west, shown in orange on the map.

Although called 'road', it is really a lane lying on the perimeter of residential Arksey.  


Road sign at the end of Ings Lane


The name Hemp Pits Road, harks back to a time when hemp was cultivated in the area. Once mature, the hemp plants would be pulled from the fields and bound in bundles. The bundles would then be immersed in water filled 'pits' or 'ponds' for a few days until the hemp readily separated from the stem. 





A pond can be seen on the map above (the semi-circular feature next to the pinfold, called Town End Pond), so it is possible that at one time it was used in hemp production. Hemp was used for a variety of purposes, from food, to rope, clothing and fuel. Houses now occupy the site of Town End Pond.


The Pinfold

At the junction of Ings Lane and Hemp Pits Road is a round enclosure known as a pinfold. It is eleven metres in diameter and is thought to date from the early 19th century.


The pinfold at the end of Ings Lane

Built of magnesian limestone rubble and sandstone copings, it has a gate in the north side with two large monolithic jambs. The structure is Grade II listed. 

Historically, pinfolds provided a temporary enclosure for stray animals, or were sometimes used by drovers taking their stock to market. Pinfolds can be square, rectangular or circular and can vary in size. A similar pinfold is located on Finkle Street in Bentley and has been turned into a community garden.



The pinfold seen from above and clear of overgrowth. Google Earth image



Common Lane 


Common Lane (in bright green)

Branching off the junction of Ings Lane and Hemp Pits Road is Common Lane, a long, almost straight lane that stretches ahead as far as the eye can see, it is coloured green on the above map. 

Common Lane and those branching off it were created following an act 'for dividing and allotting the Commons and Waste Grounds in the Townships of Bentley and Arksey' in 1759. The aim of Enclosure was to make agriculture more efficient and meant the gradual change from strip farming to a method of farming in smaller hedged 'closes'. 

Many smaller roads, footpaths and bridleways were 'stopped up and discontinued' at this time, and instead, long straight occupation roads were laid out across the common.   

For a very long time Common Lane was a narrow, rutted track, but has since been widened and the surface improved as can be seen by comparing the two photos below.


Common Lane looking east in 1992

   
Common Lane looking east 2009

A short distance along Common Lane the track crosses the Bentley and Arksey Commons Drain, shown as a grey line intersecting the lane north east to south west on the map above. 

There is a bridge over the drain which has been altered greatly over the years. Once named Stone Bridge it used to have rough stone walls on each side, but these were removed, probably due to collapse, by the 1990's (see photo below). The walls have probably been replaced by now.


Bridge over the Bentley and Arksey Commons drain in 1992.

Common Lane branches off to Almholme a little further down, but continuing along the main stretch the lane crosses the Fur Water Drain (Far Water Drain on some old maps) at Creek Hill Gate. The name Creek Hill Gate comes from Creakhill Close, a field name dated to 1726. The name itself is derived possibly from the Old Welsh creic 'cliff' and hyll, a 'hill or piece of naturally elevated land'. 



Creek Hill Gate on Common Lane, 1854

Once over Creek Hill Gate the lane meanders around what remains of the sand banks, once belonging to the Pilkington Glass factory, which was nearby. 



The sand banks in 2002, from Google Earth


The photo above shows an aerial view of the old sandbanks in 2002, standing out in white irregular squares. The glassworks, which closed in 2008, used to be situated on the very left of the photo, where the cars are parked.

From ground level these banks towered quite high, the tops accessed by long ladders. Common Lane is shown coming in from the left, below the lower sandbank, before turning sharp left and skirting the riverbank on the right before continuing on to its end at Grumble Hurst Bridge, which we will come to later. 


Mastall Lane

Mastall Lane shown in yellow


Mastall Lane is a short lane off Common Lane which serves as a road to Dockhills Farm before terminating in a dead-end just beyond the farm, (another short lane just before the entrance to Mastall Lane is just a relatively new access road and is not marked on the maps). 


Mastall Lane and Dockhills Farm, from Google Earth

The name Mastall Lane is probably a compound of mersc 'marsh' and dal 'share of the common field', and was probably constructed for the farmer to access his fields at the time of Enclosure.

Dock Hills, after which the farm is named is an area to the south of Mastall Lane, near to Bentley Ings. The name is from the Old English docce a 'dock' or possibly a 'water lily', and hyll a 'hill or  piece of naturally elevated land'. 

The lane doesn't appear to have ever been any longer in length as can be seen on this map of 1854 (below). A small bridge is shown on this map over the Commons Drain, and while the drain and bridge still exist, they are less obvious now.


Mastall Lane in 1854



Ings Lane South


Ings Lane (in red brown) and Dog Croft Lane (in light brown)


The southern Ings Lane lies off Common Lane and is unrelated to the one in Arksey village. Running south east towards the river, the lane is featureless apart from a crossing over the Bentley Bank Drain or Fur Water Drain, called Fur Water Bridge ('Fur' is often spelled as 'Far' on some old maps)


1854 map showing Ings Lane and Fur Water Bridge

The lane terminates at the Doncaster to Hull railway line, at which there is a foot crossing. This crossing leads to the flood banks and drains of the river Don. This route can be followed south west to reach Bentley Ings.

It is said that the Cooke family of Wheatley Hall used to cross the river by boat in order to attend church services in Arksey. The map below shows the close proximity of the Wheatley Estate to Arksey, and with the presence of  Arksey Landing at the end of Ings Lane, it is possible to imagine them disembarking here and using the lanes as a route to Arksey church.


1854 map showing the river route between Wheatley Hall and Arksey


Dog Croft Lane

Dog Croft Lane is marked on some old maps as a lane running north east off Ings Lane, and may even have crossed Ings Lane from the west at one time, as indicated on the 1854 map (below). 

The origins of the name Dog Croft are not documented, but it seems likely that it was named after a parcel of land of that name.



Dog Croft Lane on the 1854 map

Dog Croft Lane has long been no more than a grassy track, but today seems to have been eradicated by farming and only traces of it are visible now in the tree line and in the opening onto Ings Lane, as can be seen in the photo below.


Location of Dog Croft Lane. google Earth



Marsh Lane North

Marsh Lane (in dark blue)

Marsh Lane (not to be confused with the Marsh Lane in Arksey) runs from the end of Common Lane at Grumble Hurst Bridge, crosses Fordstead Lane and terminates at the entrance to the former Thorpe Marsh Power Station, which was demolished in 2012.

Grumble Hurst Bridge crosses Grumble Hurst Drain at the end of Common Lane coming up from the south. The name Grumble Hurst is possibly derived from the Middle English 'Grimbald', a name, and 'hyrst', a 'wooded hill' and first appears in records of 1765.


Waite House Farm

Just to the east of Grumble Hurst Bridge, and marked on many maps, is the site of the former Waite House, or Thwaite House, a place which dates back to the sixteenth century.


Grumble Hurst Bridge and Thwaite / Waite House, 1854


There has been a dwelling on the site for over 475 years, but it hasn't always been the same property. Up until the 1990's the house which stood there was a large, red brick house, with outbuildings, probably built in the mid 1800's. 


A closer view of the map image of Waite House in 1854





Waite House Farm in 1935

The Parkin-Coates family owned the farm from at least 1913. They brought up a family there and their association with the farm lasted into the 1960's. 

One of the Parkin-Coates' family died in tragic circumstances at the farm in 1968, and the property was abandoned shortly after this occurred. It was eventually demolished in the 1990's after falling into dereliction.


Google earth image of the Waite House site in 2002

Today, a new farm stands in the footprint of Waite House Farm continuing the long history of farming in the area of Grumble Hurst.

For a full history of Waite House Farm go to the article Waite House Farm.




Thorpe Marsh


Power Station 





Located just west of the river Don near Barnby Dun, Thorpe Marsh is an area of land named as such since an enclosure award in around 1766, and probably so called after the nearby village of Thorpe in Balne. This low-lying area liable to flooding is probably where the Marsh element came from. The area is best known for the power station which dominated the skyline for miles around for over fifty years.

The entrance to the power station lay off the northern side of Marsh Lane. At one time Marsh Lane ran right up to the village of Thorpe In Balne, but ceased to be a through road when the power station was built.

Thorpe Marsh Power Station under construction in 1959.
Photo courtesy of Ann Singleton



Built in 1959, this coal powered station, consisting of six cooling towers, was producing electricity commercially by 1965 although it wasn't officially opened until the 2nd of June 1967. 


Thorpe Marsh Power Station in 1961

Affected by picketers during the 1972/3 miners' strike, the site had to close down temporarily.



Thorpe Marsh Power Station in 1966


In 1989 following privatisation of the energy industry, the site was taken over by National Power (now Npower), however Thorpe Marsh closed down in March 1994 when the gas fired power station at Killingholme came online, a move which coincided with the decline of the coal industry and a switch to greener energy. The decommissioned site was slowly dismantled over the next two decades, but plans to turn it into a site for holding new cars before being sent out on car transporters was turned down by planners due to insufficient roads in the area.   


Thorpe Marsh Power Station 


In 2007 severe flooding in the area threatened the electricity substation and the army had to airlift sandbags in to keep the flood water at bay. 

The cooling towers were finally demolished in 2012 and the skyline of the area west of Barnby Dun was altered forever. 


Demolition in 2012.


Fordstead Lane


Fordstead Lane (in olive green)

Fordstead Lane runs in a north-east direction from Almholme to Barnby Dun. Today, this lane is somewhat taken for granted as a through road from Arksey to Barnby Dun, but up until around 1959 it only existed as a short lane running from the Barnby Dun swing bridge to Marsh Lane.

1956 map showing the original length of Fordstead Lane

The extension to Fordstead Lane undoubtedly came about with the construction of Thorpe Marsh Power Station in 1959. With heavy materials to transport to the site, the route through Barnby Dun would not have been suitable. The extension also had the added advantage of providing a through road between Arksey and Barnby Dun.

The only disadvantage of this road is that it is notorious for becoming flooded and therefore has to be closed after particularly wet weather. Gates have been installed at two points along the road to prevent drivers getting caught out. The area affected is usually around the cross-roads of Fordstead Lane and Marsh Lane, where the land is at its lowest point. 

Flooding on Fordstead Lane

Returning to Arksey via Fordstead Lane, there used to be an interesting fallen tree in a farmers field, just near the last bend in the road before the Almholme turnoff. It looked like a giant man or monster crawling across the field towards the road and was quite well known in the area in the 1970's and 80's. Eventually the farmer removed the tree after he decided it had been there long enough. 



The 'giant' tree.

The tree meant quite a lot to some locals, as was the case with Dave Northmore, who wrote the following poem.


GRANDAD'S TREE

It lay in a field, a broken tree
Like a body with arms, bit like a man you see
As a boy my grandad would always point it out to me
Like a stranded giant in its own cemetery
It lay in snow through winters and the warm summer sun
In a field at the side of the road, to Barnby Dun
I passed it in cars for years, a familiar friend 
I would always look for it, just beyond the bend
It survived throughout my childhood, the years of hard weather and all
A grey strong silent figure from what I recall
But one day I looked and it was gone
An empty field, no tree, after so long
The farmer had removed it, just a broken tree
Unaware of all that it meant to me
Still I have this old picture that I one day took
Not sure if it was fate or just pure luck
Still treasured in a frame, it remains with me
Though nothing can remove its memory
I'll never forget you, Grandad's tree.


Many thanks to Dave Northmore for the photo and poem.




A Tour of the Western Lanes


The Balk


Having examined all the lanes lying north and east of Arksey, we now look at those lying on the north and western side, beginning with The Balk (pron. Bork), which branches off Almholme Lane.

The Balk (in purple)

The Balk is a lane that marks the boundary between Almholme Field and Carr Gap (see map below), and literally means 'boundary ridge'. It is a fairly featureless lane which farm vehicles use to access the fields. 

The name The Balk has been in use since 1848, although the 1854 map (below) still has the old names of Carr Gap Lane and Riddings Lane. Carr Gap Lane is the part running from Almholme Lane to the left turn at the top, and Riddings Lane is the part running from the top to the junction with Shaftholme Road. 


1854 map of The Balk area

The only feature of note is the Sandall Nooking Drain which runs east to west right through this area. 



Shaftholme Road 


Shaftholme Road (in light red)
Marsh Lane (in dark blue)

Shaftholme Road, whilst not technically a lane, links The Balk with Marsh Lane in Arksey, which we will come to next. However, it would be wrong not to mention something about this road which passes through open countryside between Arksey and the hamlet of Shaftholme.

The junction of Shaftholme Road with The Balk lies near to the Shaftholme level crossing, once over the crossing it becomes Shaftholme Lane, but heading south it ends at the junction with Marsh Lane.

The map below shows how the route of Shaftholme Road had to be altered to accommodate the railway line. 


Map of 1854


Looking to the lower right of the map Shaftholme Road is seen in green coming up from Marsh Lane to where it meets the railway, the old route is shown in red, while the new route is shown in blue. By taking the road up the side of the railway and creating a sharp left turn, it was possible to create a straight level crossing (ringed in brown), rather than having to put one on the diagonal.

Further down Shaftholme Road we come to the Willow Garth fishing pond. This pond was created out of the old Tuffield Brick and Tile Yard, which was operational during the 1850's and seen here on a map of 1854.


1854 map of Tuffield Brick and Tile Yard

More on the brick yard can be found in the article A Brief History of Arksey - Part Two.



Marsh Lane, Arksey


Marsh Lane, Arksey (in dark blue)

This Marsh Lane, as opposed to the one we looked at earlier, lies in central Arksey and runs from Almholme Lane in the east to Stockbridge Lane in the west. The eastern end is residential, so we will concentrate on the western end, from the junction with Shaftholme Road.



Marsh Lane looking towards railway, 2009


Today, the western end of Marsh Lane terminates at the railway line, where a foot crossing takes you over to Stockbridge Lane on the other side. Originally however, this lane extended all the way up to Shaftholme as can be seen on this 1854 map (below).



Marsh Lane from Almholme Lane in Arksey
to Shaftholme in 1854 (in green)


As the lane was used as a route to Shaftholme there was a level crossing and a gate house where the railway line crossed. 

More on this can be found in the article Arksey and the Railway. 

By 1915 the Marsh Lane route to Shaftholme had been cut off by the Bentley Colliery railway and although the gatehouse remained occupied up to the early 1950's, the lane became the rough track that we know today. This 1950 map below shows how Marsh Lane became split in two by the colliery railway (ringed in red).



1950 Map of Marsh Lane (in green)

Since Bentley Colliery was demolished in 1994/95 a community woodland was created in the area of the old pit railway. As a consequence of this, the old route between Arksey and Shaftholme has been opened up again via a footpath through the woods.

More on this can be found in the article Local Hamlets Part One - Shaftholme.



Round About Moat

One feature not mentioned so far is the moat which lies just off Marsh Lane, close to the railway line. At one time it could be accessed from either Marsh Lane, or via the field behind High Street, but since it has been fenced off, there is no access now.

1891 map showing the moat and lanes near the railway line at Arksey

The Round About Moat consists of a central platform measuring about 30m x 50m, surrounded by a water filled moat with an opening on the north side. It is probably to site of a medieval moated farmstead, although this has not been proved. Other moated sites of similar appearance exist in the area and more about those can be read in the article Moated Sites.



Stockbridge Lane

Stockbridge Lane (in dark red)

Stockbridge Lane runs from Marsh Lane in the north, to Arksey Lane in the south. The top half of the lane is footpath only and was known as 'The Cinder Track' due to its surface, which was made up of colliery slag at one time.

The lane becomes a proper road, accessible to vehicles at the mid-way kink (see map above) and passes the properties of the hamlet of Stockbridge.


Back up near the top of the lane, there is a footpath which runs east to west, from Arksey to Bentley. A foot crossing at the railway line provides the route back to Arksey (shown in lilac on the map above), while a straight footpath heads west to Bentley (shown as a grey broken line on the map above) emerging at Elm Crescent in the New village.

Lying at the lower end of Stockbridge Lane is Arksey (or Railway) Fishing Pond. It used to be a popular spot for anglers, but hasn't been used for many years now.


Arksey Fishing Pond in the 1960's.
Photo courtesy of Janice Lowe

The lower end of Stockbridge Lane emerges at Arksey Lane, and roughly opposite is the entrance to Hemp Pits Road, where we started our tour of the lanes.

So now we have come full circle, exploring the lanes and their histories. So whether you are walking the dog, or just out for a stroll, hopefully you'll know a little more about them now.  

 


Alison Vainlo

First Written 2013, updated 2016, re-written and updated 2019.