South Kirkby & Moorthorpe
Encyclopedia
South Kirkby and Moorthorpe is a town and civil parish
located in the City of Wakefield
in West Yorkshire
, England
. It was a coalmining village, with a large textile industry. Along with South Elmsall
the villages have all but merged into one.. The town has a population of 10,979.
The South Kirkby motto is 'Friendship, Unity & Progress', and the town has been twinned with Sprockhövel
in the Ruhr Valley
of Germany
since 1981. The establishment of 'Sprockhövel InterNational Friendship Circle' led to the same named organisation in South Kirkby & Moorthorpe. Since that time the Sprockhövel IFK and the South Kirkby & Moorthorpe IFC have organised an annual exchange visit.
The villages were first mentioned 1086 in the Domesday Book
, and retains the site of the original Saxon settlement (Grid ref: SE434104). The foundations and part of the walls of 'All Saints Church' in South Kirkby are from the period. For many centuries they were both simply farming villages until the start of the industrial revolution
. In 1881 with the foundation of the South Kirkby Colliery coal mine, an increase in population caused the villages to be extended until at its largest the two villages housed almost all of the 3000 workers employed in the mine. In 1984 the miners' strike included the colliery's workforce but in vain. In 1988, South Kirkby Colliery along with many of the other coal mines in the immediate area closed and later cleared for redevelopment. These included South Kirkby-Ferrymoor Riddings Drift, Frickley Colliery (Carlton Main), Kinsley Drift (formerly Hemsworth Colliery), and Grimethorpe Colliery. The nearby Upton Colliery closed in 1964 due to loss of life caused by explosions, fires, and serious geological faults.
The town retains its own town council and is represented on the district council by Wilf Benson (Independent), Laurie Harrison (Labour Party
) and Steve Tulley (Labour Party) .
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
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...
in 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 was a coalmining village, with a large textile industry. Along with South Elmsall
South Elmsall
South Elmsall pronounced "south em-sull" is a small town and civil parish to the east of Hemsworth in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is on the B6422 and B6474 ....
the villages have all but merged into one.. The town has a population of 10,979.
The South Kirkby motto is 'Friendship, Unity & Progress', and the town has been twinned with Sprockhövel
Sprockhövel
Sprockhövel is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Neighbouring places:* Hattingen* Witten* Wetter * Gevelsberg* Wuppertal* Schwelm-Divisions of the town:* Niedersprockhövel* Obersprockhövel...
in the Ruhr Valley
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...
of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
since 1981. The establishment of 'Sprockhövel InterNational Friendship Circle' led to the same named organisation in South Kirkby & Moorthorpe. Since that time the Sprockhövel IFK and the South Kirkby & Moorthorpe IFC have organised an annual exchange visit.
The villages were first mentioned 1086 in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, and retains the site of the original Saxon settlement (Grid ref: SE434104). The foundations and part of the walls of 'All Saints Church' in South Kirkby are from the period. For many centuries they were both simply farming villages until the start of the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. In 1881 with the foundation of the South Kirkby Colliery coal mine, an increase in population caused the villages to be extended until at its largest the two villages housed almost all of the 3000 workers employed in the mine. In 1984 the miners' strike included the colliery's workforce but in vain. In 1988, South Kirkby Colliery along with many of the other coal mines in the immediate area closed and later cleared for redevelopment. These included South Kirkby-Ferrymoor Riddings Drift, Frickley Colliery (Carlton Main), Kinsley Drift (formerly Hemsworth Colliery), and Grimethorpe Colliery. The nearby Upton Colliery closed in 1964 due to loss of life caused by explosions, fires, and serious geological faults.
The town retains its own town council and is represented on the district council by Wilf Benson (Independent), Laurie Harrison (Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) and Steve Tulley (Labour Party) .