Fitzwilliam, West Yorkshire
Encyclopedia
Fitzwilliam is a small village
on the edge of West Yorkshire
, England
. It is located in the City of Wakefield
district. Technically, it is part of the town of Hemsworth
and governed by Hemsworth Town Council as well as Wakefield M.D.C., but the Land Registry and Post Office recognise Fitzwilliam as a separate place from Hemsworth. It was built as a pit village
. It has a railway station
on the Wakefield line
, providing it with connections to Leeds
, Wakefield
, Doncaster
and Sheffield
.
The village was originally built to provide housing for miners at the colliery that was originally named "Fitzwilliam Main". The name was taken from the family name of the colliery's proprietor. In 1905, a bitter industrial dispute led to all the miners being expelled from their homes, which were owned by the Fitzwilliam family; this became known as the "Kinsley eviction".
The mine later changed its name to Hemsworth Colliery and was then closed in 1969. Kinsley Drift Mine was opened on the site of the old Hemsworth Colliery in 1977. Kinsley and nearby Nostell Pit were closed in 1986 and 1987 respectively. South Kirkby Colliery closed in 1988. During the UK Miners' Strike (1984-1985), there was a riot in Fitzwilliam on 9 July 1984; nine were convicted as a result (The Fitzwilliam Nine).
The large levels of migration out of the village earned it the label of a ghost town
. Between 2003 and 2006, much of the village was demolished, including the whole of the "City" estate, to clear derelict properties. In response to this situation, Fitzwilliam is included in the Hemsworth Coalfield regeneration area and has received special funding to aid its recovery. The economy had improved much in the first decade of the 21st century; unemployment in the Hemsworth seat
fell to 3% in 2007, although there are no statistics on the rate in Fitzwilliam itself.
Its most notable sons are Geoffrey Boycott
, the cricketer, and Cyril
and Peter Knowles
, the footballers. The band Chumbawumba recorded a song named after the village, which described its painful decline following the 1984-85 miners' strike
. The village also plays a large role in the crime novel Nineteen Seventy Four
, in which it is introduced in a list of "hard towns for hard men" and then later referred to as "a dirty brown mining town" and "where the night comes early and nowt [nothing] feels right, where the kids kill cats and the men kill kids".
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
on the edge of West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, 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...
. It is located in the City of Wakefield
City of Wakefield
The City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. Wakefield is the district's administrative centre. The district includes the "Five Towns" of Normanton, Pontefract, Featherstone, Castleford and Knottingley. Other...
district. Technically, it is part of the town of Hemsworth
Hemsworth
Hemsworth is a small town and civil parish on the edge of West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the City of Wakefield, and has a population of 13,311....
and governed by Hemsworth Town Council as well as Wakefield M.D.C., but the Land Registry and Post Office recognise Fitzwilliam as a separate place from Hemsworth. It was built as a pit village
Pit village
A pit village is a term used in the UK for the village serving a deep coal mine.Many of the workers lived in houses that were provided by the colliery. Many villages have experienced depopulation after colliery closures forced people to move to other towns and cities where there are jobs for them...
. It has a railway station
Fitzwilliam railway station
Fitzwilliam railway station is in the village of Fitzwilliam near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.The station is on the Wakefield Line operated by Northern Rail...
on the Wakefield line
Wakefield Line
The Wakefield line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro/South Yorkshire P.T.E. area of northern England. The service connects Leeds and Wakefield with Sheffield and Doncaster. The section of the line between Leeds and Doncaster forms part of the East Coast Main...
, providing it with connections to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
.
The village was originally built to provide housing for miners at the colliery that was originally named "Fitzwilliam Main". The name was taken from the family name of the colliery's proprietor. In 1905, a bitter industrial dispute led to all the miners being expelled from their homes, which were owned by the Fitzwilliam family; this became known as the "Kinsley eviction".
The mine later changed its name to Hemsworth Colliery and was then closed in 1969. Kinsley Drift Mine was opened on the site of the old Hemsworth Colliery in 1977. Kinsley and nearby Nostell Pit were closed in 1986 and 1987 respectively. South Kirkby Colliery closed in 1988. During the UK Miners' Strike (1984-1985), there was a riot in Fitzwilliam on 9 July 1984; nine were convicted as a result (The Fitzwilliam Nine).
The large levels of migration out of the village earned it the label of a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
. Between 2003 and 2006, much of the village was demolished, including the whole of the "City" estate, to clear derelict properties. In response to this situation, Fitzwilliam is included in the Hemsworth Coalfield regeneration area and has received special funding to aid its recovery. The economy had improved much in the first decade of the 21st century; unemployment in the Hemsworth seat
Hemsworth (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1940s :- Elections in the 1930s :- Elections in the 1920s :...
fell to 3% in 2007, although there are no statistics on the rate in Fitzwilliam itself.
Its most notable sons are Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott OBE is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
, the cricketer, and Cyril
Cyril Knowles
Cyril Barry Knowles was a footballer who played full-back for Tottenham Hotspur and England. He was the brother of fellow professional footballer Peter Knowles.- Early career :...
and Peter Knowles
Peter Knowles
Peter Knowles is an English former football player. He spent his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he became a popular player scoring around 101 goals in all competitions. He voluntarily ended his football career in 1970 after he became one of Jehovah's Witnesses...
, the footballers. The band Chumbawumba recorded a song named after the village, which described its painful decline following the 1984-85 miners' strike
UK miners' strike (1984–1985)
The UK miners' strike was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement...
. The village also plays a large role in the crime novel Nineteen Seventy Four
David Peace
David Peace is an English author. Known for his novels GB84, The Damned Utd, and Red Riding Quartet, Peace was named one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta in their 2003 list...
, in which it is introduced in a list of "hard towns for hard men" and then later referred to as "a dirty brown mining town" and "where the night comes early and nowt [nothing] feels right, where the kids kill cats and the men kill kids".