Timelines of History in the Penistone Parish

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Back History Timeline Pages
Penistone Coat of ArmsThese links go off to timeline pages for various time-spans. You can return back here by clicking the 'Back' Back icon on each page. The most recent updates are highlighted.

These pages are often updated. Most items are from secondary sources from such as Penistone almanacks, book references, press cuttings, visitor submissions to Penistone Archives on Facebook, antiquities, memorial stones and other occasional sources. Some sources are incomplete and possibly contradictory but it is better to include historic notes with their foibles and faults rather than forget them altogether. Better minds can use them to seed better enquiries. Where known, sources are generally acknowledged.

Back Top Index of Topics
To sections below on this page.

The Picture - The subject of the Timeline section is all about the passage of time, so what could be a more appropriate picture than the clock mechanism of Penistone church tower?

1923 Clock
Back Top Penistone - Here described in the 1880 Penistone Almanack (the 1914 version is the introduction to the History page):

'In the Doomsday Survey, 1066, Penistone is twice mentioned, being spelled Pangestone. A well-known market town, parish, and the head of a Poor Law Union, in the Holmfirth Division of the West Riding, wapentake and petty sessional division of Staincross, county court district of Barnsley, rural deanery of Silkstone, arch deanery of Huddersfield, and diocese of Wakefield; the town occupies a position 747 feet above sea level. The general elevation of the district is from 600 to 1600 feet, the higher ground being to the westward. The air is pure and bracing, and the town possesses a splendid supply of pure water. The average rainfall is 35 inches.

'A weekly cattle market, which dates from 1699, is held on Thursday and frequent fairs during the year. Wool Sales are held in the clipping season, and the town is a centre for many purposes for the surrounding district. For election purposes the town is also the head of the Holmfirth Parliamentary Division, the nominations, counting of votes, and declaration of result all being held at Penistone. The Urban Council have suggested to the County Council that Petty Sessions be held at Penistone. the district to comprise the whole of the Poor Law Union, except Kexborough. The district is noted for its dairy cattle and produce, and a Dairy Co. has been formed, one of its chief objects being the collection of milk from the farmers in the district, making into butter in large quantities of an uniform quality, and disposing of the same to the large towns in the neighbourhood. The railway facilities are excellent, being on the main line Of the Great Central Railway and a junction for Barnsley and Huddersfield branches. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Co. have a branch line to Huddersfield, and the London and North-Western Co. and the Great Northern Co. have running powers on the Great Central railway.

'The town grows slowly, dwelling houses being very scarce, although during the last two years more have been built than for many years past. The building operations have been chiefly in artisans’ dwelling houses at Castle Green, Kirkwood, and Penistone Green. An extensive sewerage scheme has just been completed, and an Isolation Hospital for the district will shortly be commenced on Hoyland Moor. The inhabitants are mainly employed at Messrs. Cammell and Co. Ltd., Steel Works, Messrs. Jabez Nell & Co., Ltd, Hawley’s Saw Mills, and on the railway in various capacities.'

Back Top English Calendar Change
This is just a brief note on the subject. For more on this, take a look at 1582 and 1751 in the appropriate Timelines.

The Julian Calendar had been in general use in Europe and Northern Africa from 46 BC until Pope Gregory XIII promulgated his more accurate Gregorian Calendar in 1582. Julius Caesar's calendar was very nearly correct but the accumulation of small errors over centuries had gradually moved the months relative to the physical year.

The Gregorian calendar was adopted throughout the Catholic countries and many others but Protestant Britain would stubbornly cling on to the old calendar long after most other countries, in 1751-1752. This put the earlier dates eleven days 'out of sync.' with the Gregorian Calendar.

For centuries, the year had been regarded as starting at the onset of Spring, around the Spring Equinox. This practise was widespread from the eleventh century in Europe and from the late twelfth century in England, where the legal start of each new year (and tax year) was Lady Day, 25th March, known on the church calendar as the 'Feast of the Annunciation.' Lady Day was also a Quarter Day when people were hired and debts paid.

In the old system, dates between 1st January and Lady Day were normally hyphenated. For example, Wm Shakespeare died 23rd April 1616 and written as 23rd April 1615-16 but, had he died a month later, it would have been written 23rd May 1616. Cumbersome but workable.

The modern UK Tax Year is still based on the old system with the eleven-day discrepancy added to Lady Day to place it on 6th April every year, as explained in entertaining detail on Paul Lewis's site.

Back Top A Note on Quarter and Cross-Quarter Dates
Four dates (quarter days) were typically used for legal purposes, such as hiring servants and paying rents and to make sure that all debts were cleared and recorded as such. They fell on four religious festivals about three months apart and close to the solstices and equinoxes. Some property matters still use these dates. Before the move from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, Lady Day was the first day of the year (and Tax Year) in British dominions (excluding Scotland which had earlier adopted 1st January).

Cross-quarter days were observed in northern England as Quarter Days until the 18th century:

'Kal', 'Nons' and 'Ides' in Old Documents
These terms refer to dates in old ecclesiastical documents, based on the Roman calendar. Wikipedia has a very full description but the gist is that each month was divided into three fixed points, the Nons ('non'), Kalends ('Kal') and Ides ('id'). Their position in the month varied by a day or two according to the length of the month. The dates have Roman numerals preceding, such that, for example, 2nd April would be named 'IV non', counting down (3rd = III non, 4th = II non) to 5th April = non. The 9th would be 'V id' (five before the Ides, which is the 13th for this month). We all know that the 'Ides of March' is the 15th day of that month.

Regnal Dates
English legal documents give the year as the number of years in the reign of the particular monarch of the time. Regnal = 'Of or relating to a monarch or their reign' but in this context it means a specified year of a monarch's reign calculated from the date of accession. For example: In the Queen's tenth regnal year. Although archaic in origin, the regnal year is still commonly used in UK Acts of Parliament, along with the actual date.

A private website has a useful Regnal Date Converter to extract the actual year from the Regnal year.

Back Top Roman Numerals
Although the Roman Numerals are definitely 'old school' they are still widely used today in film credits (and sometimes television credits), monuments, milestones and anywhere where a bit of importance and elegance might be conferred. Wikipedia explains it all.

Symbol I V X L C D M
Value   1 5 10 50 100 500 1000

A crusty old 1948 black & white film would be credited as 'MCMXLVIII' which we can break down thus:
MCM (1,000 + [100 less than 1,000] = 1,900), plus XL (10 less than 50 = 40), plus VIII (5 + 3 = 8). Add it together: 1,900 + 40 + 8 = 1948.

The year 2021 would be written 'MMXXI' in Roman Numerals, broken down thus:
M and M (1,000 + 1,000 = 2,000), plus X and X (10 + 10 = 20), plus I as the one in 21. Add together: 2,000 + 20 + 1 = 2021.

Clock faces often use Roman Numerals as shown here but there is a tradition to use IIII for four on some clocks, instead of the more proper IV.

Arabic  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Roman I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII

Roman Measures
(from Wikipedia)

A Roman Mile was 5,000 Pedas (Roman feet) = 4854 Imperial feet.
A Pes (Roman foot) = 0.971 of an Imperial foot = 11.652 inches.
A Roman Mile is 0.919 Imperial Mile = 1,617 yards, and 15.84 Inches.

One English Mile = 5,280 Feet or 1,760 Yards.
An Imperial Yard = 36 inches or 39.370113 Metres.

Back Top To BCE or Not to BCE?
By the way, there is none of that 'Common Era' nonsense on this website (ya snowflake), only the good old BC or AD which has been used for centuries before anyone was 'offended.' The always-politically-correct BBC and others use BCE and CE to address a supposed concern for the sensitivities of non-Christian and atheistic people to the very obvious Christian basis of our established calendar. It is rewriting history for no good reason. Was anyone actually offended by BC and AD? Of course not.

Jeremy Paxman and his successor Amal Rajan have both used this new baloney on University Challenge (and not always consistently) to accommodate those delicate souls in the detached world of academia who habitually take offence on behalf of people who are not offended. It originates from misguided but otherwise well-intentioned people who are, in effect, professional offence-takers. It's a disease. And perhaps they hope for extra credibility by toeing the line. 'Virtue Signalling' is where people suggest that their thoughts and deeds are better or purer than those of the common people, thereby suggesting that they are superior. And it is still all baloney.

'Common Era' denies the historical basis of our dating system and tries to erase history, just like burning books. The subjects who are supposed to be offended might in reality be more uneasy about the actions of their self-appointed protectors than from whatever they being protected from. As the old saying goes: "If it ain't broke - don't to fix it."

Back Top Sources Used in the Timeline Pages

Some small details were also added from 'An Explorer's Guide to Penistone & District', 2006, a few leaflets describing local walks and some anecdotal remarks from Penistone people. Where information is anecdotal, it has been marked as such.

The 2013 re-issue of 'An Explorer's Guide to Penistone' retained the interesting historic articles of earlier issues and can be found in Penistone Library.

Back Top Gaps to Fill
There are some gaps in important events which I would welcome help with:

Back Top Links
If you are on Facebook, please visit these groups: Penistone Archives - PGS Archive.

Just for interest:

Pestilence and Famine
Long before the Covid-19 pandemic, there were many outbreaks of pestilence, crop failures and famines in England which would certainly have affected our district. Some of this would have been down to changing social conditions, such as the cramped housing during the Industrial Revolution.

A List of Famines and Pestilence includes Bubonic Plague, Influenza, Measles, Smallpox, The Ague, Cholera, Spotted Fever, Diphtheria, Syphilis, Comatose Fever, English Sweats, Dysentery, ad nauseam, it makes you wonder how anyone survived. How much relief do we owe to antibiotics of the modern age! See also 'A History of Epidemics in England' (from Archive.org).

Back Top Notes:

Back Top Home Old Proverb: "When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground"