Blaxton
Encyclopedia
Blaxton is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
(part of South Yorkshire
, England
), on the border with Lincolnshire
. It lies to the north of Finningley
, on the A614 road
, and is located at approximately 53° 29' 30" North, 0° 59' West, at an elevation of around 5 metres above sea level
. It has a population of 1,179.
Blaxton is a civil parish situated, since April 1974, in the county of South Yorkshire and in the Doncaster Metropolitan District. Before that date, it was situated in the West Riding of Yorkshire, one of the three divisions of the county of York. It lay on the southern border of the county and the name of the community derives from the name 'Blackstone'. Blaxton does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1087 and the earliest written reference dates from 1213, when it is named as 'Blacston' in the records of the central government. This spelling, or something similar, was customary for centuries. On the map in Edward Miller's History of Doncaster, published in 1805, it appears as Blakestone. The name is likely to refer to the location of a stone that traditionally marked a boundary. The boundary that it would most recently mark would be the county boundary of Yorkshire. However, the boundary it originally marked may be even more ancient, perhaps that of the southern boundary of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, the kingdom `North of the Humber'. The name of the village probably received its current spelling, as with many other places, from the surveyors of the Ordnance Survey, who first put Blaxton on their first map of Yorkshire, on a scale of one inch to one mile, published in 1 February 1841. This map, incidentally, shows the boundary stone to the south-east of the village cross roads.
Blaxton was part of the soke of Hexthorpe, later known as the soke of Doncaster, another ancient institution, probably dating from the time of the Norsemen. They colonised Yorkshire under their leader Halfdan, who in the year 876 decided that it was more profitable to settle in the country that they had previously only raided. The soke was a unit of local government with its own court and Blaxton effectively remained part of the soke until 1835, when the magistrates of Doncaster ceased to exercise their jurisdiction over the village.
From the earliest times, Blaxton lay in the ecclesiastical parish of Finningley. Although part of the West Riding, Blaxton, like its neighbours Austerfield
, Auckley
, and Blyth
were not part of the great diocese of York
. They were part of the archdeaconry of Nottingham. This was part of the diocese of Lichfield
then, from 1836, part of the diocese of Lincoln
before becoming part of the new diocese of Southwell, to which these parishes still belonged until 2010 whence the Parishes of Finningley, Blaxton and Auckley transferred to the diocese of Sheffield.
Blaxton has been through its history a small rural community. In 1811, the first time its population was counted separately, it had 132 residents. There were 146 of them by the mid century and 149 by 1901. These figures, however, disguise a picture of growth and then decline, in common with many agricultural communities in the course of the nineteenth century, as employment opportunities fluctuated and finally went into long-term decline as foreign food imports competed all too successfully with British farming.
Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire in Yorkshire and the Humber Region of England.In addition to the town of Doncaster, the borough covers Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne and Finningley....
(part of South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
), on the border with Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. It lies to the north of Finningley
Finningley
Finningley is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of Nottinghamshire, Finningley lies along the A614 road, about six miles from the centre of Doncaster, at , and at an elevation of around seven metres above sea...
, on the A614 road
A614 road
The A614 is a main road in England running through the counties of Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.Beginning at Redhill, near Calverton in Nottinghamshire at a roundabout with the A60, the road meets the A6097 at a junction which looks like a roundabout but...
, and is located at approximately 53° 29' 30" North, 0° 59' West, at an elevation of around 5 metres above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. It has a population of 1,179.
Blaxton is a civil parish situated, since April 1974, in the county of South Yorkshire and in the Doncaster Metropolitan District. Before that date, it was situated in the West Riding of Yorkshire, one of the three divisions of the county of York. It lay on the southern border of the county and the name of the community derives from the name 'Blackstone'. Blaxton does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1087 and the earliest written reference dates from 1213, when it is named as 'Blacston' in the records of the central government. This spelling, or something similar, was customary for centuries. On the map in Edward Miller's History of Doncaster, published in 1805, it appears as Blakestone. The name is likely to refer to the location of a stone that traditionally marked a boundary. The boundary that it would most recently mark would be the county boundary of Yorkshire. However, the boundary it originally marked may be even more ancient, perhaps that of the southern boundary of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, the kingdom `North of the Humber'. The name of the village probably received its current spelling, as with many other places, from the surveyors of the Ordnance Survey, who first put Blaxton on their first map of Yorkshire, on a scale of one inch to one mile, published in 1 February 1841. This map, incidentally, shows the boundary stone to the south-east of the village cross roads.
Blaxton was part of the soke of Hexthorpe, later known as the soke of Doncaster, another ancient institution, probably dating from the time of the Norsemen. They colonised Yorkshire under their leader Halfdan, who in the year 876 decided that it was more profitable to settle in the country that they had previously only raided. The soke was a unit of local government with its own court and Blaxton effectively remained part of the soke until 1835, when the magistrates of Doncaster ceased to exercise their jurisdiction over the village.
From the earliest times, Blaxton lay in the ecclesiastical parish of Finningley. Although part of the West Riding, Blaxton, like its neighbours Austerfield
Austerfield
Austerfield is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster , on the border with Nottinghamshire. It lies to the north-east of Bawtry on the A614 road to Finningley, and is located at 53° 26' 30" North, 1° 0' West, at an elevation of around 7 metres above sea level...
, Auckley
Auckley
Auckley is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, about five miles east of Doncaster town centre. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 3,266...
, and Blyth
Blyth, Nottinghamshire
Blyth is a village in the Bassetlaw district of the county of Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands, north west of East Retford, on the River Ryton.-Geography:...
were not part of the great diocese of York
Diocese of York
The Diocese of York is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers the city of York, the eastern part of North Yorkshire, and most of the East Riding of Yorkshire....
. They were part of the archdeaconry of Nottingham. This was part of the diocese of Lichfield
Diocese of Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England...
then, from 1836, part of the diocese of Lincoln
Diocese of Lincoln
The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.- History :...
before becoming part of the new diocese of Southwell, to which these parishes still belonged until 2010 whence the Parishes of Finningley, Blaxton and Auckley transferred to the diocese of Sheffield.
Blaxton has been through its history a small rural community. In 1811, the first time its population was counted separately, it had 132 residents. There were 146 of them by the mid century and 149 by 1901. These figures, however, disguise a picture of growth and then decline, in common with many agricultural communities in the course of the nineteenth century, as employment opportunities fluctuated and finally went into long-term decline as foreign food imports competed all too successfully with British farming.