The Local Population

Penistone's Ethnic mix
Ethnos (Greek) is supposed to mean nation or country (not directly 'race' or 'skin pigment'). It comes from the Greek nation-states of old.

The largest non-English ethnic group in the UK is the Irish, who migrated to this country in large numbers in the nineteenth century. Many were involved in the construction of canal navigation (navvies), railway and heavy industry during the industrial revolution. They were often discriminated against in the UK (and USA) but gradually integrated into the populace and inter-married with the idigenous population. In the old days, their mainly Catholic faith might have been an obstruction to integration with our largely protestant population but the passage of time has watered down such sensitivities. Many Irish names can be found in the Penistone area.

With the Second World War, Many East European refugees came to this area, especially from Poland. It was our treaty with Poland which brought the UK into the Second World War, after Germany invaded Poland in September 1939 and a good number of Polish people have integrated with the local population very well. There had been a refugee camp near Tenter Hill. The nearby village of Thurgoland is sometimes called 'Little Poland' or 'Pogoland'.

A few Greek Cypriots and Germans have also come to live in Penistone. The very few Chinese or Asian people in this area are usually connected with food businesses but are not well integrated and are almost invisible. They do not noticeably socialise in our area. Other ethnic groups have minimal representation in the area.

In the early noughties, troubles in Bosnia led to Penistone adopting a large group of refugees for several months, at Scout Dike outdoor pursuits school. Local people took pity on their plight and generously collected food and household goods for them during their stay even if they were seldom seen in our town. They were visible at one of the Penistone Parades and looked bewildered at it all, as though it made no sense to them. The Co-op store had a trolley for donated goods from local people. After it all settled down, they returned to their homeland.

Penistone people were also very generous after the tsunami of Boxing Day 2005, without regard for the religion or the skin colour of the victims - a typically enlightened British trait. The moneys collected did not reach the most needy but that was somehow expected. For example, funds raised towards new fishing boats went into hotels instead. With the expansion of the EU, many Polish people came to the area but did not stay. In general, the Poles soon miss the lakes, forests and mountains of their homeland and its culture and prefer to return after a time.

English Comers-in
With the continuing explosion of house-building (27% increase between 1975 and 1997 and still going - see below), there are plenty of strange English accents around now. The easy motorway access and comparatively cheap housing has encouraged many 'comers-in' to settle here, especially from the South. I would not call Penistone 'gentrified', as we are more of a 'dormitory' town for Leeds, Huddersfield, Barnsley and Sheffield. There is very little local employment and house prices have pushed many local people out of the housing market. Some of the 'comers-in' have joined local clubs, such as the PFR.

Local people are generally open and friendly but will be reserved with strangers at first. Newcomers are quickly accepted if they adopt the open attitude that abounds here - which might involve declaring their life history. Ex-townies should make the effort to reciprocate greetings like 'good morning', etc. which might not come naturally and can be assured that we will not use it to harrass them or sell them something.

Penistone people tend to watch out for the well-being of neighbours (whom we will often know personally). We don't need neighbourhood watch signs as the curtains will twitch when some suspicious stranger or vehicle comes down the side streets. And it works!

An 1842 book on the diocese claims a population for the Penistone area as 5201, which it breaks down as below. This totals 5,111 and does not explain the missing 90. From the same source, the population for 1834 was 5,204. The Thurlstone/Penistone ratio was still greater than 2:1 at the time.

The 1837 West Riding Directory says only 703, which tallies with the above. The 1919 Penistone Almanac lists the following figures, for the rural and urban district council areas: I think that the figures were separate, UDC not being a subset of RDC but referring to the outlying areas.

Population for the Penistone West area
The 'Local Area Community Plan 2000-2001', includes the 1997 'Housing Needs Survey'.(Penistone Library)

7,000 - Penistone town
3,350 - Hoylandswaine, Thurlstone and Millhouse Green
- with the 'remaining 11% scattered over a wide area'
Calculates to about 11,630 - but 11,550 is also quoted in the same document.

Housing development in Penistone continues at an accelerating pace but there is a national trend for more single-person households.

Names
Many names in the old records are still current in the area, such as: Dransfield, Wordsworth, Fieldsend, Armitage, Hinchliff, Kenworthy, etc. People did not stray far from their roots in the old days. In fact, it was not easy for someone and their family to re-settle in another village, unless they had wealth, because that village might have to (minimally) provide for them in times of need, through a Poor Fund or the Workhouse. However, during the Industrial Revolution, many people did uproot from country villages to find factory employment in the cities and large towns. They would often have to share with other families in overcrowded houses. Working hours were long in possibly hazardous factories, with no concept of 'Health and Safety.' If they didn't like it, someone else would willingly take that job.