Grenoside
Encyclopedia
Grenoside is a suburb of Sheffield
, South Yorkshire
, England.
. The name Grenoside, which was first recorded in the thirteenth century as Gravenhou, is made up of the different elements. Gren from the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) graefan meaning a quarry. ‘o’ from the Old Norse
haugr meaning hill and the modern word side, altogether meaning a quarried hillside.
In Norman and later documents it is named as Gravenho (1199) and Gravenhowe (1332). This name is made from the Saxon word elements of Grave meaning "to dig" and How meaning Hollow. In this sense the meaning of Gravenhowe would be "Quarried Hollows" or "Quarried Hills" and indicates that stone has been quarried in Grenoside from the ninth century up to 1938 when the last quarry on Norfolk Hill closed. (Other spellings of the name are Granenhou (1267), Granow (1450), Graynau (1534), Grenoside (1759), Greenaside (1772) and Grinaside (1831).
Stone quarrying was a major industry in Grenoside from a very early date until it ceased in 1939. The stone quarried in Grenoside varied in quality and was put to several uses. The finer grained, hard stones were much in demend as grindstone
s for the cutlery
trade and for fine fettling and finishing in iron foundries. Coarse grained stone was used for furnace
lining and from these were hewn the stone boxes used in the Cementation process
of steelmaking. In 1860 the following are named as quarry owners in Grenoside - Thomas Bever, George Broadhead, George Firth, Thomas Lint, Joseph Swift and Charles Uttley.
By the beginning of the seventeenth century several village people were named in connexion with the making of cutlery. William Smith, a yeoman of Grenoside, who died "of great age" in 1627 had taken out a cutlers mark in 1614. His son, Henry, was a member of the Cutler's Company in 1629. The manufacture of cutlery was restricted to those who had served an apprenticeship in the trade; an apprentice served seven or ten years without pay. The restriction was closely controlled by the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire
from 1624. As a result many small nailmaking businesses were set up which was not so tightly controlled. As late as 1860, three nailmakers are listed as living and working in Grenoside.
The Grenoside Sword Dance
forms an important mid-winter ritual for the village and can be traced back to the 1750s It is traditionally performed on Boxing Day morning in Main Street.
Grenoside contains places of worship, with three churches within the village, and one just outside. The Primary School left the infant site and moved to a new building on the junior side of the road. The junior building has been demolished. Grenoside's new crematorium, built in 1999 on skew hill lane, was formerly a munitions scrap yard.
There is an Anglican church situated on Main Street, St Mark's Church, Grenoside
, and a Catholic primary school, St Thomas More, on Creswick Lane.
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...
, 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.
History
The name Grenoside is derived from the language of the Anglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
. The name Grenoside, which was first recorded in the thirteenth century as Gravenhou, is made up of the different elements. Gren from the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) graefan meaning a quarry. ‘o’ from the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
haugr meaning hill and the modern word side, altogether meaning a quarried hillside.
In Norman and later documents it is named as Gravenho (1199) and Gravenhowe (1332). This name is made from the Saxon word elements of Grave meaning "to dig" and How meaning Hollow. In this sense the meaning of Gravenhowe would be "Quarried Hollows" or "Quarried Hills" and indicates that stone has been quarried in Grenoside from the ninth century up to 1938 when the last quarry on Norfolk Hill closed. (Other spellings of the name are Granenhou (1267), Granow (1450), Graynau (1534), Grenoside (1759), Greenaside (1772) and Grinaside (1831).
Stone quarrying was a major industry in Grenoside from a very early date until it ceased in 1939. The stone quarried in Grenoside varied in quality and was put to several uses. The finer grained, hard stones were much in demend as grindstone
Grindstone (tool)
A grindstone is a round sharpening stone used for grinding or sharpening ferrous tools. They are usually made from sandstone.Grindstone machines usually have pedals in which to speed and slow the stone to sharpen metal to the point of perfection....
s for the cutlery
Cutlery
Cutlery refers to any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in the Western world. It is more usually known as silverware or flatware in the United States, where cutlery can have the more specific meaning of knives and other cutting instruments. This is probably the...
trade and for fine fettling and finishing in iron foundries. Coarse grained stone was used for furnace
Furnace
A furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven.In American English and Canadian English, the term furnace on its own is generally used to describe household heating systems based on a central furnace , and sometimes as a synonym for kiln, a device used in the...
lining and from these were hewn the stone boxes used in the Cementation process
Cementation process
The cementation process is an obsolete technique for making steel by carburization of iron. Unlike modern steelmaking, it increased the amount of carbon in the iron. It was apparently developed before the 17th century. Derwentcote Steel Furnace, built in 1720, is the earliest surviving example...
of steelmaking. In 1860 the following are named as quarry owners in Grenoside - Thomas Bever, George Broadhead, George Firth, Thomas Lint, Joseph Swift and Charles Uttley.
By the beginning of the seventeenth century several village people were named in connexion with the making of cutlery. William Smith, a yeoman of Grenoside, who died "of great age" in 1627 had taken out a cutlers mark in 1614. His son, Henry, was a member of the Cutler's Company in 1629. The manufacture of cutlery was restricted to those who had served an apprenticeship in the trade; an apprentice served seven or ten years without pay. The restriction was closely controlled by the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire
Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire
The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire is a trade guild of metalworkers based in Sheffield, England. It was incorporated in 1624 by an Act of parliament. The head is called the Master Cutler...
from 1624. As a result many small nailmaking businesses were set up which was not so tightly controlled. As late as 1860, three nailmakers are listed as living and working in Grenoside.
The Grenoside Sword Dance
Sword dance
Sword dances are recorded from throughout world history. There are various traditions of solo and mock battle sword dances from Greece, the Middle East, Pakistan, India, China, Korea, England, Scotland and Japan...
forms an important mid-winter ritual for the village and can be traced back to the 1750s It is traditionally performed on Boxing Day morning in Main Street.
Grenoside contains places of worship, with three churches within the village, and one just outside. The Primary School left the infant site and moved to a new building on the junior side of the road. The junior building has been demolished. Grenoside's new crematorium, built in 1999 on skew hill lane, was formerly a munitions scrap yard.
There is an Anglican church situated on Main Street, St Mark's Church, Grenoside
St Mark's Church, Grenoside
St. Mark's Church in Grenoside, South Yorkshire, England is a church near Sheffield.Built in 1884, St Mark's Church celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2009. It serves the local village of Grenoside in North Sheffield....
, and a Catholic primary school, St Thomas More, on Creswick Lane.
Notable people
- Wallace BirchWallace BirchWallace 'Karl' Birch was an Australian footballer. Karl had a blosoming career before an imminent lip injury changed his life forever. Karl became addicted to perscription medication before moving onto harder substances including the little known cocain and acid...
, a professional footballer, began his career with local side Grenoside Sports. - Helen SharmanHelen SharmanHelen Patricia Sharman, OBE PhD , is a British chemist. She was the first Briton in space, visiting the Mir space station aboard Soyuz TM-12 in 1991....
, first British astronaut.
External links
- The Grenoside & District Local History Group
- YouTube Grenoside Sword Dancers 2006