Thurcroft
Encyclopedia
Thurcroft is a village and civil parish
situated southeast of Rotherham
in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham
in South Yorkshire
, England
. From 1902 to 1991, it was a close-knit, mining community. It has a population of 5,296.
The village has seen great changes and re-generation since the pit closed down. It had a devastating effect on the community as a whole and since a lot of families have moved out of the village. Recent re-generation has taken place from the local council and now the housing has increased with new housing estates being built on the old pit site.
The old colliery site and the pit tip have now been renovated into large grass planes and show no sign of what they once were.
Dance Wear and Fancy Dress Shop (Performers Unlimited), four hairdressers, a traditional sweet shop, a Deli, a Kitchen shop, three newsagents, and two medium sized supermarkets, the SPAR
, and the Co-Op
. There is also a gymnasium, in the old chapel and an auction hall, which used to be a cinema many years ago. Also in Thurcroft is a large shoe shopping centre, Wyndsor World of Shoes. In addition, an independent free church, Thurcroft Christian Fellowship (TCF CHURCH).
(Viking
) roots as 'thorr' means thunder in old Norse, so is probably at least a thousand years old.
Until the 20th century Thurcroft consisted of Thurcroft Hall, the longtime holding of the Mirfin family, and three other farms. Thurcroft Hall was held by the Mirfin (sometimes spelled Mirfield) until 1644 when Robert Mirfin, the lord of the manor, died childless. The property then was carried into the Beckwith family by his widow—who also happened to be his stepsister. The MIrfields and the Levett
s of nearby High Melton were interrelated, Thomas Levett having married Robert Mirfin's sister Elizabeth.
Today's Thurcroft is very different from its medieval antecedents. Today's town was largely shaped by 20th century coal mining.
in 1902. Modern Thurcroft only really came into being with the sinking of the coal mine in around 1909. Many of the terraced houses on the area showed characteristics of coal mining in the last quarter of the 19th century and first quarter of the 20th century. The population grew from next to nothing in 1900 to around 2,000 in 1923: Shortly after which the village saw hard times in the 1926 coal strike, when 250,000 free meals were given out between May and September. By 1947 the mine employed over 2,000 men, and in the 1984/85 miners' strike
was once again in the thick of the action.
The coal mine was closed in Thurcroft in 1991 despite attempts by the workforce to buy it out.
and a permanent stone church was only built in 1937, making it one of the newest on this site (although there was a Methodist chapel built in 1917, and a village cemetery was established in the 1920s). Thurcroft parish became separate from Laughton in 1995.The old Catholic Church is now home to TCF Church.
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...
situated southeast of Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham
Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham
The Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. It is named for its largest town, Rotherham, but also spans the outlying towns of Maltby, Rawmarsh, Swinton, Wath-upon-Dearne, as well as a suburban and rural element composed of hills, escarpments and...
in 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...
. From 1902 to 1991, it was a close-knit, mining community. It has a population of 5,296.
The village has seen great changes and re-generation since the pit closed down. It had a devastating effect on the community as a whole and since a lot of families have moved out of the village. Recent re-generation has taken place from the local council and now the housing has increased with new housing estates being built on the old pit site.
The old colliery site and the pit tip have now been renovated into large grass planes and show no sign of what they once were.
Facilities
Thurcroft has a number of schools, pubs, a snooker club, a cricket club, five take-a-ways, car spares shop, a garage, a DIY shop, a charity shop, the Gordon Bennett Memorial Hall, a pharmacy, a bookmaker, an off licence, a butcher, a beauty parlour, aDance Wear and Fancy Dress Shop (Performers Unlimited), four hairdressers, a traditional sweet shop, a Deli, a Kitchen shop, three newsagents, and two medium sized supermarkets, the SPAR
SPAR
Spar , trades from approximately 12400 stores in 34 countries worldwide and is the world's largest independent voluntary retail trading chain. Spar was founded in the Netherlands in 1932 by retailer Adriaan Van Well and now, through its affiliate organisations, operates through most European...
, and the Co-Op
The Co-operative brand
The Co-operative is a common branding used by a variety of co-operatives based in the United Kingdom.Many in the UK mistakenly consider the Co-op to be a single national business, however each Co-operative is actually a franchise selling branded goods produced by the Co-operative Group The...
. There is also a gymnasium, in the old chapel and an auction hall, which used to be a cinema many years ago. Also in Thurcroft is a large shoe shopping centre, Wyndsor World of Shoes. In addition, an independent free church, Thurcroft Christian Fellowship (TCF CHURCH).
History
The name Thurcroft has NorseNorsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
(Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
) roots as 'thorr' means thunder in old Norse, so is probably at least a thousand years old.
Until the 20th century Thurcroft consisted of Thurcroft Hall, the longtime holding of the Mirfin family, and three other farms. Thurcroft Hall was held by the Mirfin (sometimes spelled Mirfield) until 1644 when Robert Mirfin, the lord of the manor, died childless. The property then was carried into the Beckwith family by his widow—who also happened to be his stepsister. The MIrfields and the Levett
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
s of nearby High Melton were interrelated, Thomas Levett having married Robert Mirfin's sister Elizabeth.
Today's Thurcroft is very different from its medieval antecedents. Today's town was largely shaped by 20th century coal mining.
Coal mining
The land on which the village would one day stand was bought in the 1800s (along with the Hall) by a Sheffield brewer (Thomas Marrian), whose son, Thomas Marrian Jr, leased the coal mining rights to Rother Vale CollieriesRother Vale Collieries
Rother Vale Collieries were a group of coal producing pits originally in the Rother Valley parishes of Treeton, Woodhouse and Orgreave, nowadays on the south east Sheffield / Rotherham boundary, in South Yorkshire, England...
in 1902. Modern Thurcroft only really came into being with the sinking of the coal mine in around 1909. Many of the terraced houses on the area showed characteristics of coal mining in the last quarter of the 19th century and first quarter of the 20th century. The population grew from next to nothing in 1900 to around 2,000 in 1923: Shortly after which the village saw hard times in the 1926 coal strike, when 250,000 free meals were given out between May and September. By 1947 the mine employed over 2,000 men, and in 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...
was once again in the thick of the action.
The coal mine was closed in Thurcroft in 1991 despite attempts by the workforce to buy it out.
Church and parish
Before 1995 Thurcroft was within the parish of Laughton-en-le-MorthenLaughton-en-le-Morthen
Laughton-en-le-Morthen is a small dormitory village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham lying to the south of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, and its main attraction is the All Saints Church with its huge spire. It has a population of 1,185.- Origin :There are several...
and a permanent stone church was only built in 1937, making it one of the newest on this site (although there was a Methodist chapel built in 1917, and a village cemetery was established in the 1920s). Thurcroft parish became separate from Laughton in 1995.The old Catholic Church is now home to TCF Church.