Skelmanthorpe
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Skelmanthorpe is a village in West Yorkshire, England with a population of 4,198 according to the 2001 census. It is part of the parish of Denby Dale in the Kirklees borough.
Locals know it as "Shat". According to legend, when the DeLacy family who owned much of the land wanted tough soldiers, they sought them out in Skelmanthorpe. These men were known as "Shatters" (they used to shatter things), from which the word "Shat" comes.
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History
Origins
The village was probably created during the Viking invasion in the 9th century, as they moved inland from the North Sea.<ref name="lawton">Template:Cite book</ref> There is no record of the village in the earlier Roman times.
A number of different explanations exist concerning the derivation of the name Skelmanthorpe:<ref name="lawton" />
- Originally was called Shalman, a Hebrew word meaning peace/peaceable
- Having been the abode for Scheldt men (pronounced Skelt), a group of people displaced from the banks of the river Scheldt in Holland. Combining with 'Thorpe' meaning hamlet or village; the name literally means "Schelt man's village"
- Place names recorded in the Icelandic Landnama such as Skalmarkelda (Skalmars Well) Skalmarnes (Skalmars Promontory) bear a striking similarity. Locally the name Skalmar would have been pronounced Skelmar/Skelmer leading to the form Skelmerthorpe. The name Skelmanthorpe can therefore be derived to 'Skalmar's Thorpe'.
Domesday Book
The entry for Skelmanthorpe in the Domesday Book of 1086 states:<ref name="lawton" />
"Manors & Berewick. In Turulsetone and Berceworde and Scelmertorp, Alric and Aldene had nine carcucates of land to be taxed, and there may be five ploughs there. Ilbert now has it, and it is waste. Value in King Edwards time 4 pounds. Wood pasture one mile long and as much broad."
The comment "and it is waste." is a direct result of the Norman invasion of 1066. William the Conqueror had difficulties subduing his northern subjects, leading to the order "spare neither man nor beast, but to kill, burn and destroy" being issued.<ref name="lawton" /> This left Skelmanthorpe and much of Yorkshire a wasteland for around 9 years after the conquest.
Skelmanthorpe Feast
Around the year 1700, Skelmanthorpe Feast was a riotous affair with bull and bear-baiting and organised dog fights.<ref name="lawton" /> A quote from Fred Lawton, who compiled a history of the village says "Public houses were crowded with drunken revellers, who caroused all day and made night hideous with quarrels and disturbances...Among these scenes of revelry were mountebanks, showmen, fortune telling gypsies, vagabonds ans thieves from every quarter."<ref name="lawton" />
Ownership
The first recorded owners of the village were Alric and Aldena in the 11th century, mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066 the village was given to Ilbert de Laci by the new king, the de Laci family would remain the owners of the village for the next 300 years until through the marriage of Alice de Laci in the 14th century, the village came into the possession of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster. The village remained in this family and after the marriage of Blanche of Lancaster to John of Gaunt, the village became the property of their son Henry (King of England).<ref name="lawton" />
Handloom weaving thrived in the village during the 1800s, and many houses are still obviously weaver's cottages. As late as 1890, there were 200 handlooms in cottages in Skelmanthorpe.
Buildings and services
Schools
Two schools are situated in Skelmanthorpe:
- St Aidan's Church of England Voluntary Aided First School
- Skelmanthorpe First and Nursery School
Churches
Skelmanthorpe currently has 4 churches:
- Church of St Aidan (Church of England - Anglican)
- Skelmanthorpe Methodist Church
- Trinity Evangelical Church
- Skelmanthorpe Wesleyan Reform Church
Fire station
The fire station was constructed in 1956. It currently houses 1 pump & 1 area support unit along with 21 personnel. The station deals with around 140 incidents a year.[1]
Sports teams and facilities
The village has its own cricket team, and its own cricket pitch.
Transport
Railway
From 1879 till 1986 Skelmanthorpe had a rail line passing along the north edge of the village. The line was closed to passengers in 1983 with the track being removed in 1986.[2]
The disused trackbed was re-opened in 1992 as the Kirklees Light Railway; a narrow gauge railway used as a tourist attraction.
Notable groups & events
Skelmanthorpe Brass Band is a Championship Section Brass band, and is one of the oldest in the country dating back to 1843.[3]
Skelmanthorpe was one of the locations for filming the 1970s television sitcom, Oh No, it's Selwyn Froggett.[4]
Nearby places
Towns and cities: Barnsley, Huddersfield, Wakefield
Villages: Denby Dale, Clayton West, Emley, Lower Cumberworth, Scissett, Shelley
References
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