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Worsbrough is a district 2 to 3 miles south of Barnsley in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. Before 1974, Worsbrough had its own urban district council in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Much of Worsbrough is now part of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council's, Worsbrough Ward, although certain parts of the historic Worsbrough district, such as Birdwell, Rockley and Blacker Hill, currently lie within neighbouring council wards.
The Worsbrough district included three parishes; St James's originally included the suburbs of Worsbrough Bridge and Ward Green. St Thomas's included Worsbrough Dale, Swaithe and Bank End. St Mary's included Worsbrough Village, Birdwell, Blacker Hill, Worsbrough Park and Rockley.
Worsbrough Common estate is a suburb of the Barnsley town centre area. It takes its name from the old common above Highstone Lane. Although it takes its name from the old Worsbrough common, most of the modern Worsbro Common council estate was never part of the Worsbrough Urban District[1] or Parish, but part of the County Borough of Barnsley. Furthermore, approximately one third of the common ground and fields used to build the Kendray council estate was on land within the Worsbrough Urban District, which was later swallowed up by the County Borough of Barnsley after the estate was constructed.
Stainborough C.P. was formerly a sub division of the Worsbrough Urban District.
The River Dove flows through Worsbrough and the reservoir before joining the River Dearne. The A61 traverses this large valley, before passing through Birdwell and junction 36 of the M1, in the direction of Sheffield.
A railway line, the Worsbrough Branch line, linked to the former Woodhead Line, passed along the valley. It is now part of the Trans-Pennine Trail.
The Worsbrough Branch railway line was primarily a coal freight line and started at Aldham from Wath and ended at West Silkstone Junction, where it joined the Barnsley-Penistone line.
The Worsbrough Bank, sometimes referred to as the Worsbrough Incline, was a steep bank on the Worsbrough Branch of the Great Central Railway (GCR) freight-only line from Wath to Penistone, climbing for 7 miles (11 km), with a stretch of 3 miles (4.8 km) at a nominal gradient of 1 in 40 (2.5%). Sections of this incline also suffered from colliery subsidence, making it infamously difficult to restart a stalled train on these severe sections. The main traffic on the line was loaded trains carrying coal from the southern Yorkshire coalfields to Lancashire via the Woodhead Tunnel.
The LNER Class U1 was designed solely for the Worsbrough Branch line, prior to electrification in the early 1950s. The Worsbrough Branch line was closed in 1981.
There were two passenger railway stations in the Worsbrough U.D. both in rather remote locations at the districts southern edge. One being at Dovecliffe, and a short lived station High Royds(1854–56) at Shortwood, both on the South Yorkshire Railway's Barnsley to Sheffield line. Dovecliffe railway station was originally named Smithley for Darley Main & Worsborough. The road from Worsbrough Dale to Dovecliffe is called Station Road. Dovecliffe railway station closed in 1953, but freight traffic on the line operated for Rockingham Colliery until the late 1960s and the nearby Barrow Colliery, until the mid 1980s. The line was closed in 1986.
The current Hallam Line and Penistone Line between Barnsley-Sheffield, both run through the Worsbrough area at Swaithe.
Notable landmarks of Worsbrough include Houndhill, Rockley Old Hall, Rockley Furnace, Wigfield Farm, Worsbrough Hall, St Mary's Church, Swaithe Hall also Worsbrough Mill[7] and Worsbrough Reservoir, which are within Worsbrough Country Park. There is also remnants of a canal , the Worsbrough canal basin, which was known as the Worsbrough branch of the Dearne and Dove Canal.
Worsbrough dates back to at least the 7th century, and is listed within the Wapentake of Staincross, Yorkshire, in the Domesday Book: "In Wircesburg Gerneber and Haldene had five carucates of land and a half to be taxed where there may be four ploughs. Gamel and Chetelber now have it of Ilbert, themselves two ploughs, and four bordars, and one mill pays two shillings. Wood pasture half a mile long and half a mile broad. Value in King Edward's time four pounds, now thirty shillings."
The name 'Worsbrough' means 'Weorc's fortified place'.
The historic centre of Worsbrough was what is now known as Worsbrough Village. It was colloquially referred to as Wusber/Wusper up until recent times, and is spelt as such on old maps.
Worsbrough was a largely farming and agricultural settlement prior to the Industrial Revolution. During the Industrial Revolution, there was a growing coal mining industry, plus iron foundries and several quarries across the Worsbrough District.
The railway, canal system and better road links between Barnsley and Sheffield, also led to increased industry and migration to Worsbrough from other parts of the North, Britain and Ireland, and to the wider area as a whole.
Several coal mines in the industrial era were located in Worsbrough, more so in the east of the area, such as Swaithe Main, Martin's Main, Worsbrough Park, Bell Ing, Blacker Main, Kendal Green, Rob Royd, Barrow, Mount Vernon, Edmunds Main, Darley Main.
With the rise of industry in the area and migration, came risks and due to unsafe and treacherous working conditions, many men and boys lost their lives, and families their breadwinners.
Several large pit disasters rocked the local community.
In 1849, 75 men and boys lost their lives in the Darley Main Colliery disaster in Worsbrough Dale.
In 1862, another massive pit disaster occurred this time at Edmunds Main Colliery.[29] Fifty-nine men and boys died in the explosions.
Then, in 1875 at Swaithe Main Colliery, another explosion that led to the deaths of 143 men and boys, this was the biggest loss of life since the Oaks Disaster near Hoyle Mill, Barnsley.
There was several 'lesser' pit disasters in the Worsbrough area, including the 1907 Barrow Colliery disaster, among others.
Today there are several memorials to those who lost their lives in local pit disasters, at churchyards in the area.
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