The Hyperbole
Before the arrival of the railway in 1845, Penistone was not of great significance. The nearby village of Thurlstone was more important, with more people and dwellings. The 1672 Hearth Tax returns list only 28 householders for Penistone, compared with 65 for Thurlstone and 23 for Oxspring. Furthermore, the West Riding Directory of 1837 says:
Penistone '... consists of one wide street, in which are a few neat houses; but it is now a place of no trade, though the linen and woollen manufactures extend into some of the out-townships of its extensive parish.... The market, held every Thursday, is of small importance.. The township of Penistone contains only 703 inhabitants .. etc.'
But Penistone does have some historical value and has grown in importance over the years. A few miles away there are earthworks from the time of Stonehenge. We have a presence dating back to before the Magna Carta, although the area was laid waste after the 'Harrying of the North'. We have a fine medieval church and its tower alone is more than 500 years old. An old Saxon stone, which is now built into an interior church wall, was used by early Christian worshippers in this area. Our Grammar School can trace its roots back to 1392 and many buildings and farms in the area go back several centuries.
Penistone History Archive
An archive of local history is available for perusal on every Market Day (Thursdays 10.30am to 2.30pm), in the Millennium Room of Penistone Town Hall. This is a collection which local historian Neville Roebuck has been building up for years. Neville had for a long time been trying to find a permanent home for the collection for the benefit of local people. This collection has now been electronically scanned and will be made available on CD but details of its availability have not yet been released.
History Sections
Steel was an important industry in the area since the mid nineteenth century but has been in steady decline in recent times, with much of our manufacturing going abroad. This has led to savage job cuts from time to time. Penistone had extensive railway sidings for the old Cammel Laird works which later became David Brown's. Their old red-brick wall, which would have been familiar to many ex-pupils of Spring Vale school, has now been demolished and new houses are being built on part of the adjacent 'Hitec' site.
The other major steelworks in the area was Samuel Fox's of Stocksbridge, a few miles over the hill to the south. This later became British Steel Company (BSC, nicknamed Billy Smart's Circus). British Steel merged with Hoogovens and created an Anglo-Dutch company called CORUS, registered in the UK and run by British people (it was a takeover by any other name). At this time, I don't have any pictures to illustrate the local steel industry.
Another important historical business was the vinegar brewery at Cubley bottom. It started out as a beer brewery and maltings but later provided vinegar for many different well-known brands. Even the horse trough has been dug out by builders now and there is no trace left of the brewery.
Other References
There's a succinct one-page history of Penistone on the Penistone Info website and a long potted history of Britain and Penistone on Mr Wainwright's website. There is also a Penistone History website which has lots of small articles of local interest. Some printed sources I have used in this section.
