While Hemsworth's recent history and reputation are dominated by the coal mining industry that developed in the latter part of the nineteenth century, it had long existed as an agricultural village.
From the Middle Ages to Tudor times it would have seen little change to the manorial features, open fields, woods, commons, enclosed holdings, manor house, scattered farmsteads and the church, dedicated to St Helen, which dates to the eleventh or twelfth century. The present chancel was rebuilt in the fourteenth century.[5]
A grammar school and a hospital, or almshouses, founded in the mid-sixteenth century owe their existence to Robert Holgate, thought to have been born in Hemsworth, who was consecrated Archbishop of York in 1544.
The school, established in October 1546 by letters patent granted by Henry VIII, did not thrive. At times there were complaints about the masters failing in their duties, which were to teach Latin, Greek and Hebrew to the sons of husbandmen in Hemsworth, Felkirk, South Kirby, Ackworth, Royston and Wragby. There were periods in the eighteenth century when there were no pupils. A revival was attempted and a new school built and opened in January 1868. But it too failed to attract numbers and was moved to more populous Barnsley in 1888.[6] The school buildings became the Roman Catholic Church, before they themselves were replaced in the 1990s.
The Archbishop Holgate almshouses,[7] or hospital, still exist and still offer housing accommodation in a complex of 24 cottages for selected elderly people. Originally the endowment was for a master and ten poor men and ten poor women from the locality. The brothers and sisters wore gowns, were not permitted to frequent the ale-house, nor allowed out without permission later than half past nine in the summer or half past seven in the winter. A fine of twopence was levied for breaches. Being a common swearer, drunkard or brawler could lead to removal. The endowment, based on revenue from lands which Archbishop Holgate held, appeared in Holgate's will dated April 1555 and was carried into effect a year after he died in 1556. The total net assets of the modern-day charity which continues the work are £20.7million.[8]
Enclosure was brought about by an act of parliament in 1803, though it was not a revolutionary change. It ended the tithe system in kind and allocated common land to local landowners, particularly to Sir Francis Wood, and, less so, to Earl Fitzwilliam.
Economy
Hemsworth was a one-industry town, where coal mining employed the vast majority of residents, and the closure of the pits during the 1980s led to huge levels of unemployment and deprivation in the area. Hemsworth, along with nearby villages such as Ackworth, Fitzwilliam, Havercroft and Ryhill as well as the towns of South Elmsall and South Kirkby have seen much regeneration both locally and area wise.
Hemsworth is also home to Hemsworth Water Park, situated on the outskirts of the town. Hemsworth Water Park has two lakes and many recreational activities.
Politics
Hemsworth Town Council was formed under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and came into existence on 1 April 1974, succeeding the former Hemsworth Urban District Council. Five wards of Hemsworth Town Council serve the town and the villages of Fitzwilliam and Kinsley. Three councillors serve on each ward—Hemsworth East, Hemsworth South, Hemsworth West, Fitzwilliam and Kinsley.[9]
Three councillors represent Hemsworth, Ward 7, on Wakefield Metropolitan District Council.[10]
The current Member of Parliament, Jon Trickett (Labour), has represented Hemsworth since a by-election in 1996. Trickett was most recently re-elected in December 2019 with a majority of 1,180, much reduced from the majority of 10,174 two years earlier. Labour's share of the vote was down from 56 per cent to 37.5 per cent.
Labour has represented the seat of Hemsworth since its creation in 1918, and from 1966 to 1974 held it with the largest majority of any party in the UK. From 1950 to 1974 Labour's share of the vote never dropped below 80 per cent. That it is now a marginal seat is regarded as partly due to the disappearance of the coal mining industry, the reorganisation of Conservative-voting areas of the southern part of Wakefield into the constituency in 2010 and the prominence of Brexit as an election issue in 2019. It is estimated that 68.1 per cent of the constituency voted leave in the EU referendum of 2016.[11]
Population
Population estimates for the Hemsworth built-up-area for 2019 and 2001, broken down by age group, are:[12]
Age group
0-15
16-24
25-64
65+
Total
Population in 2019
1,692
868
4,855
2,010
9,425
Percentage of total population
18%
9%
52%
21%
100%
Age group
0-15
16-24
25-64
65+
Total
Population in 2001
1,884
980
4,809
1,403
9,076
Percentage of total population
21%
11%
53%
15%
100%
In May 2005, the Office for National Statistics estimated that unemployment in Hemsworth was just 2.8%. This marks progress from periods in the previous two decades when it could reach as high as 50%.
Hemsworth lies at the crossing point of the Barnsley to Pontefract and the Wakefield to Doncaster roads. The junction where these roads cross, Cross Hill, is the heart of the original village, where the parish church and the George & Dragon inn still face each other. The A628 road, which forms the Barnsley to Pontefract road, bypasses Hemsworth to its south and east.
Stagecoach provides bus service 28[13] from Barnsley to Pontefract which serves Hemsworth's bus station. Service 195,[14] run by Arriva Yorkshire, links Hemsworth and Wakefield via Ryhill. The Upton to Wakefield services 496 and 497[15] call at Hemsworth bus station, as does service 36[16] run by Waterson bus and coach between South Elmsall and Barnsley.
Primary schools in Hemsworth are St Helen's CE Primary School, West End Academy, Grove Lea Primary School and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary. The only secondary school is the Outwood Academy Hemsworth, which was set up in 1921 as Hemsworth Grammar School, the first secondary school in Hemsworth after Archbishop Holgate school relocated to Barnsley in 1888.
Hemsworth had an FE college for many years. Hemsworth Mining and Technical college offered day release to mining apprentices as well as a range of other academic and vocational courses. It closed in the 1990s.
Media
The local weekly newspaper, the Hemsworth and South Elmsall Express,[17] is edited by Gavin Murray and published by National World, the parent company of Yorkshire Post Newspapers and which also publishes The Scotsman and scores of local papers and websites.
Wakefield, commonly known as the City of Wakefield, is a local government district with the status of a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Wakefield, the largest settlement, is the administrative centre of the district. The population of the City of Wakefield at the 2011 Census was 325,837.
Featherstone is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, two miles south-west of Pontefract. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 2011 it had a population of 15,244. Featherstone railway station is on the Pontefract Line.
Ackworth is a village and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It stands between Pontefract, Barnsley and Doncaster on the River Went. It has four parts: High Ackworth, Low Ackworth, Ackworth Moor Top, and Brackenhill. The 2001 census gave it a population of 6,493, which rose to 7,049 at the 2011 census. There is also a city ward called Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton, with a 2011 census population of 16,099.
South Elmsall is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. South Elmsall lies to the east of Hemsworth. The town had a population in 2001 of 6,107, increasing to 6,519 at the 2011 Census.
The Wakefield line is a railway line and service in the West Yorkshire Metro and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive areas of northern England. The Wakefield line is coloured yellow on maps and publications by West Yorkshire Metro. The line was electrified in 1989, between Leeds & Wakefield Westgate, as part of the programme to electrify the East Coast Main Line.
Hemsworth is a constituency in West Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons since 1996 by Jon Trickett of the Labour Party.
Hemsworth was, from 1894 to 1974, a rural district in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England.
Havercroft is a small village situated on the B6428 in West Yorkshire, England, approximately 7 miles (11 km) south-east of the city of Wakefield. It forms part of the civil parish of Havercroft with Cold Hiendley, which has a population of 2,103, increasing to 2,256 at the 2011 Census.
Upton is a village and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 3,541 in the 2001 census.
Ryhill is a small village and civil parish situated on the B6428 road in West Yorkshire, England approximately 7 miles (11 km) south-east of the city of Wakefield. It has a population of 2,628, increasing to 2,894 at the 2011 census.
Crofton is a village in West Yorkshire, England, about 4 miles (6 km) south-east of Wakefield, some 6 miles (10 km) to the west of the town of Pontefract, and 4 miles (6 km) from the town of Featherstone. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 5,781.
Kinsley is a village in the civil parish of Hemsworth, and the City of Wakefield district of West Yorkshire, England.
Hessle and Hill Top is a civil parish in the City of Wakefield district of West Yorkshire, England. Scattered settlement in the rural parish includes the hamlet of Hessle, which lies about 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of the village of Ackworth Moor Top and 3+1⁄2 miles (6 km) southwest of the town of Pontefract. At the 2011 census the parish was grouped with the small neighbouring parish of West Hardwick, and a combined population of 138 was recorded.
North Elmsall is a village and civil parish in the City of Wakefield district in West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 4,093 in 2001 and 3,873 in 2011. Until 1974 it was part of Hemsworth Rural District. The parish is seven miles from Pontefract, nine miles from Barnsley and Doncaster, and eleven miles from Wakefield.
Moorthorpe is a village in the civil parish of South Kirkby and Moorthorpe in the City of Wakefield district of West Yorkshire, England. It is governed by South Kirkby and Moorthorpe Town Council.
Tates Travel was a local bus operator based in Barnsley in England, operating services in South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.
Outwood Academy Hemsworth, known previously as Hemsworth Arts and Community Academy and Hemsworth Arts and Community College, is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Hemsworth in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.
Normanton and Hemsworth is a proposed constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. The constituency is scheduled to be created by the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, and will first be contested at the next general election.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
