Handsworth, South Yorkshire

Handsworth is a suburb of south eastern Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England.

History

There is little recorded detail about Handsworth prior to the Norman Conquest. No doubt a small number of people would have lived or hunted in the region and, much earlier, Roman soldiers would have marched through it since they had a settlement and fort nearby at Templeborough. Although no evidence of actual Roman remains in Handsworth have yet been unearthed, names such as Ballifield ("Bale Enclosure")certainly indicate later Scandinavian settlements at the same site.

Related Topics:
Norman Conquest - Templeborough - Ballifield

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Under Norman rule, the parish of Handsworth prospered and grew to include Darnall, Gleadless, Richmond and Woodhouse.

Related Topics:
Norman - Darnall - Gleadless - Richmond - Woodhouse

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Handsworth and the Domesday Book

In the Domesday Book account, Handsworth is spelt "Handeswrde" and is joined to Whiston ("Witestan") to form a single manor. Before the Conquest, Torchil is reported as being the Lord, but after the Conquest, it was handed over to Robert, the Count of Mortain, who was the half-brother of William the Conqueror. Richard de Sourdeval held it for Count Robert. The Manor then passed, through marriage, to the Paynel and Lovetot families. It was a member of the Lovetot family who built the parish Church in Handsworth.

Related Topics:
Domesday Book - Whiston - William the Conqueror

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It is known that the lord of the manor was Torchil, a man of Danish descent, because his name is mentioned, under the entry for Handsworth, in the Domesday Book.

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In a survey in 1379, there were were reported to be 9 smiths and perhaps one cutler in Sheffield, but by that time, Handsworth had 13 smiths and 3 cutlers. Clearly, the ancient parish of Handsworth had its own identity and history, almost as extensive as that of the City into which it became absorbed.

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The History of St. Mary's Church

The Norman's were very enthusiastic church builders and St. Mary's Church was constructed in order to satisfy the growing need of the local community for a permanent priest. It has remained the focal point enhancement for over eight centuries. http://www.handsworth.org.uk/churches/stmarys/history.htm

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St. Mary's was built in about 1170. It was founded by the Norman lord, William de Lovetot, or his father Richard, and the foundations were planned by William Paynel. In the 1220s, St Katherine's Chapel was added, probably by Maud de Lovetot, so that prayers vcould be offered for the soul of her husband, Gerard de Furnival, and perhaps her son, Thomas de Furnival who died on a crusade to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. By 1472, Fabric Rolls of York reported that the Church was in a ruinous state, although in the process of being rebuilt. It was successive Earls of Shrewsbury who repaired much of the damage in the Tudor period.

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In 1698, the Church spire was destroyed by lightning. A new steeple was built which was so small and squat it was nicknamed "the Handsworth stump". This was replaced in the 1820's by another new tower, which is also struck by lightning in January 1978.

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St. Mary's Church House (now the Cross Keys Inn)

Standing in the shadow of St. Mary's Church is the Cross Keys Inn. This too is the very old building, but it has not always been a public house. When it was originally built in the mid-13th century, it was used as a Church House for the chaplains and lay clerks attached to St. Mary's Church.

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The Rector of the Church lived at the Rectory and his assistants lived in this Church House — the Church was very wealthy and powerful institution in the Middle Ages. The clergy were usually well educated (by the standards of the time) and were held in great respect — and often fear — by the ordinary people of the community.

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Simon Foliot, the first Rector, had two assistants and by 1535 there were five. During the reign of Henry VIII they lost their livings when the King broke away from the Church of Rome, its customs and traditions. After the Reformation, the old medieval Church House was converted into a school. In about 1823, it became licensed as a public house and has remained one ever since.

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The Tudor Rectory and the Parish Centre The old Tudor Rectory was situated on the site now occupied by the Parish Centre. It was originally a timber framed building — both a section of the straw and daub wall (in the present day Museum) and an oak tree post (in the present Day reception hall) can still be seen as remnants of the Tudor Rectory.

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At some point in the late 17th or early 18th centuries, the Rector of the day decided to build a larger and more modern house at the East End in the Georgian style. Shortly afterwards a wing complementary to the East wing was constructed. The old fashioned Tudor timber framed buildings were demolish although parts of the Tudor Rectory became incorporated into the new building. In addition, all the pre-Georgian outhouses, except the coach house and stable block, were removed.

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The coach house and stable block were modernised in Victorian times. Improvements and renovation work on these buildings, now all part of the parish centre, continues today.

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Handsworth Parish Registers

Not much of the Tudor Rectory remains today, but Handsworth Parish Registers, dating back as far as the reign of Queen Elizabeth I still exist.

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From 1558, the year that Elizabeth I ascended the throne, there are written documents recording all the baptisms, marriages, and burials which have taken place in the Parish of St. Mary's. Parish Registers were first ordered in England during the turbulent early years are of Henry VIII's reign, probably to compensate for the dissolution of the monasteries, which had previously kept some deaths registers. Parish Registers were continued until 1836, when a new system of registration began.

Related Topics:
1558 - Elizabeth I - Henry VIII - 1836

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The Parish Registers are an extremely valuable source of historical research. For over 400 years they have recorded the cycle of human existence — birth, marriage and death — for successive generations of Handsworth inhabitants. Anyone wishing to trace the history of an old Handsworth family should start by looking through the Registers. Copies have been made with this in mind, as the originals are so very old and fragile.

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