Hallamshire facts for kids
Hallamshire (sometimes called Hallam) is an old name for an area in South Yorkshire, England. It's pretty much the same area as the modern City of Sheffield.
The name's exact meaning isn't totally clear. Some think "Hallam" means "on the rocks." Others believe it comes from words meaning a border area, a slope, or even a large hall.
We don't know the exact borders of this historic area. But it likely included the parishes of Sheffield, Ecclesfield, and Bradfield. This is roughly the western part of Sheffield today, west of the River Don and Sheaf rivers. Later, areas like Brightside and Handsworth were also included.
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History of Hallamshire
Early Hallamshire
Long ago, in Anglo-Saxon times, Hallamshire was the most southern "small shire" or region in the Kingdom of Northumbria.
The main church for Hallamshire was at Ecclesfield, about five miles north of Sheffield. The name Ecclesfield comes from an old word for "church." This suggests Hallamshire was an important area even when people first became Christians in Romano-British times.
The Domesday Book of 1086 tells us that Hallam, Attercliffe, and Sheffield were separate areas. The Domesday Book says the area of Hallam ("Hallun") had sixteen small villages. Before the 1066 Norman Conquest, it belonged to Waltheof, an important Earl. He had a large hall, or aula, in the Hallam area.
Some people think Waltheof's hall and village were in the Hallam area itself. Others believe they might have been in the Sheffield area, perhaps where Sheffield Castle later stood. Some old digs at Sheffield Castle found signs of an Anglo-Saxon building. Other ideas suggest the hall was near the Rivelin valley or at Hallam Head.
After the Normans Arrived
After the Norman Conquest, Waltheof first accepted William I as king and kept his lands. But he later joined a rebellion and was executed in 1075.
Waltheof's wife, Judith, kept his lands, including Hallamshire. But when she refused to marry a Norman knight, William I took many of her lands. He gave them to her daughter, Maud, who then married the knight. Maud later married David, who became King of Scotland. So, Waltheof's lands and title passed to him.
However, the Domesday Book says that Roger de Busli held the Hallam area "of the Countess Judith." This means Judith might have kept some control over Hallamshire. Even centuries later, in 1332, records show that the owners of Sheffield still paid a yearly service of two white greyhounds to the "King of Scotland." This shows a lasting connection.
The word Hallamshire was first used in a document from 1161. A "shire" usually meant a district linked to a city, town, or castle. So, Hallamshire was likely the district connected to a town called "Hallam," even though we don't have records of such a town.
The Normans kept the name Hallamshire for this area. It was managed from Sheffield Castle, located where the River Don and River Sheaf meet. A smaller castle was also built at High Bradfield.
In the 12th century, William de Lovetot gained control of most of the land around Sheffield. This included the old areas of Hallam, Sheffield, and Attercliffe. He built a stronger castle in Sheffield, making it the most important settlement in Hallamshire. Sheffield grew, getting its own large parish, which was separated from the big Ecclesfield parish.
By 1268, Hallamshire was described as having just three main areas: Ecclesfield, Sheffield, and Bradfield. Over time, Sheffield grew even more, taking in other areas outside the original Hallamshire.
In the 16th century, under Henry VIII, Hallamshire was even included in official lists of the counties of England. It continued as a special district, called a liberty, into the 19th century.
Hallamshire Today
Today, "Hallam" generally refers to the part of Yorkshire that sits in the foothills of the Peak District, southwest of the River Don. This includes much of western Sheffield and the Bradfield area. Some suburbs and villages in this region are Bradfield, Broomhill, Crookes, Fulwood, Hillsborough, Loxley, Stannington, Strines, and Walkley.
Many local groups and businesses use the "Hallam/shire" name to show their link to Sheffield:
- The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire is an old group for steelworkers, started in 1624.
- Sheffield Hallam is an area that elects a Member of Parliament.
- Hallamshire was also a Parliamentary area from 1885 to 1918.
- The Diocese of Hallam is a Roman Catholic church area covering South Yorkshire and parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
- Royal Hallamshire Hospital is a big hospital in Sheffield.
- The Hallamshire Battalion was a military unit of volunteers from the area, fighting in both World Wars.
- Sheffield Hallam University is one of Sheffield's two universities. It got its name in 1992 to be different from the older University of Sheffield.
- Hallam FM is a local radio station for Sheffield and nearby towns.
- The Hallam Line is a railway line that goes from Sheffield to Leeds.
- Hallam Cricket Club is one of the oldest cricket clubs in the north of England, started in 1804.
- Hallam F.C. is a football club formed in 1860 and plays on the world's oldest football ground.
- Hallamshire Golf Club was founded in 1897.
- Sheffield & Hallamshire FA is a football association covering a wide area.
- Hallamshire Harriers Sheffield Athletics Club is a major athletics club in the city.
- The Hallamshire Lodge is a Freemasons lodge in Sheffield.
- The Hallam Tower is a building in Sheffield, once a hotel.
- Hallam Primary School is a school in Sheffield.
Hallamshire and Robin Hood
The small village of Loxley, now part of western Sheffield, is in Hallamshire. An old survey from 1637 said that a place in Loxley Firth had "the foundation of a house or cottage where Robin Hood was born." A historian named Joseph Hunter wrote in 1819 that Loxley Chase has "the fairest claims" to be the Loxley mentioned in old ballads, where the famous hero Robin Hood was born.
See also
- History of Sheffield
- History of Yorkshire
- List of hundreds of England and Wales
