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Hatfield, South Yorkshire facts for kids

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Hatfield
Town and civil parish
Ingram Arms - geograph.org.uk - 1709123.jpg
The Ingram Arms & St Lawrence’s Church
Hatfield is located in South Yorkshire
Hatfield
Hatfield
Area 23.96 sq mi (62.1 km2)
Population 17,236 (2011 census)
• Density 719/sq mi (278/km2)
Civil parish
  • Hatfield
Metropolitan borough
  • Doncaster
Metropolitan county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town DONCASTER
Postcode district DN7
Dialling code 01302
Police South Yorkshire
Fire South Yorkshire
Ambulance Yorkshire
EU Parliament Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament
  • Don Valley
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°35′N 1°00′W / 53.58°N 1.00°W / 53.58; -1.00

Hatfield is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 17,236 at the 2011 Census. The town is located on the A18 road between Doncaster and Scunthorpe, and to the west of the M18 motorway. It shares a railway station with Stainforth on the line between Goole and Scunthorpe, and Doncaster. Recorded history in the parish extends as far back as 730, when Bede wrote about the Northumbrian King, Edwin, being killed in battle in the area.

Geography

It is located within the historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire on the border of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and is bisected by the M18 motorway. Junctions 4 and 5 of the M18, and Junction 1 of the M180 motorway are all within the parish. Hatfield forms part of the parliamentary constituency of Don Valley.

Anglo-Saxon history

Hatfield (also called Heathfield historically) near Doncaster is an ancient settlement and a Palace of the Northumbrian Kingdom called Meicen (may also be referred to as Meigen).

On 12 October 633 AD, King Edwin was killed in battle at Hatfield near Doncaster by Penda, King of Mercia. Penda was assisted in the battle by the Welsh under the leadership of Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Welsh (British) King of Gwynedd. Osric, a possible successor to Edwin, was also killed in the battle. Edwin’s son Edfrith also surrendered to Penda. See Battle of Hatfield Chase.

It is thought that this battle gave rise to the name of Slay Pit Lane in Hatfield where it is rumoured that the battle took place and the bodies of soldiers lay close by.

ShepardMap802Northumbria
Section from Shepherd's map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria. Click on the Picture to see the Meicen Capital – Hatfield (Heathfield)

Constituent settlements

Hatfield contains the following villages:

Dunscroft

Dunscroft lies on the A18 road, about six miles (10 km) from the centre of Doncaster. It is located at approximately 53°34′10″N 1°1′0″W / 53.56944°N 1.01667°W / 53.56944; -1.01667, at an elevation of around five metres above sea level. There is the Sheep Dip Lane primary school. The church is dedicated to St Edwin.

The village was enhanced in June 2005 by the addition of a pharmacy.

Dunsville

Dunsville lies on the A18 road, about five miles (8 km) from the centre of Doncaster. It is located at approximately 53°33′40″N 1°1′30″W / 53.56111°N 1.02500°W / 53.56111; -1.02500, at an elevation of around five metres above sea level.

Hatfield

Hatfield Church South Yorkshire
Hatfield's parish church

Hatfield lies on the A18 road, about seven miles (11 km) from the centre of Doncaster. It is located at approximately 53°34′40″N 1°0′0″W / 53.57778°N 1.00000°W / 53.57778; -1.00000, at an elevation of around five metres above sea level. It is served by the Hatfield and Stainforth railway station in Stainforth and Thorne.

The Domesday Survey of 1086 mentions a church at Hatfield but nothing of that building remains to be seen. The present imposing parish church of St. Lawrence was probably begun in the twelfth century. The south and west doors are Norman and so is the lower part of the outer walls of the nave. The Norman pebble construction can be seen quite clearly outside.

Hatfield has numerous public houses, including The Bay Horse, The Hatfield Chase, Hatfields, The Blue Bell, The Ingram Arms and The Green Tree. The original building known as the Abbey or Dunscroft Grange was demolished in 1966–7. For the final twenty years, this building was owned by Mr Harry Lewis. The old Abbey was possibly a dormitory to Roche Abbey at Maltby. Unfortunately, it had to be demolished because the 12th-century masonry and stonework were unstable. The main school for the area is Ash Hill Academy. There is the Travis St. Lawrence CofE Primary School and Hatfield Crookesbroom primary school.

Hatfield Woodhouse

Hatfield Woodhouse is a small, semi-rural village which lies on the A614 road, about seven miles (11 km) from the centre of Doncaster. It is located at approximately 53°34′10″N 0°59′0″W / 53.56944°N 0.98333°W / 53.56944; -0.98333, at an elevation of around five metres above sea level.

Hatfield Woodhouse also gave rise to RAF Hatfield Woodhouse two miles south of the village. The airfield was later named RAF Lindholme.

The new Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is nearby, at Finningley close to the border with Nottinghamshire. Although there has been much debate surrounding the use of the name Robin Hood in the name of the airport, the longstanding existence of the pub Robin Hood and Little John helps to justify the case for the name, as does its proximity to Sherwood Forest and also Barnsdale Forest.

Recently an application has been proposed to allow the demolition of the pub and several flats to be built in its place. This application has recently been denied due to rallies by locals to have the plans rejected. There is the Hatfield Woodhouse primary school.

West End

West End is a small village to the south-west of Hatfield Woodhouse. It is located at approximately 53°33′40″N 0°59′40″W / 53.56111°N 0.99444°W / 53.56111; -0.99444, at an elevation of around five metres above sea level.

Transport

Moto Services - geograph.org.uk - 158512 (cropped)
Doncaster Moto Services on the M18

The A18 road runs through the eastern part of Hatfield town, with the M18 and M180 motorways in the east of the parish. A proposal exists to develop land adjacent to the west side of Junction 5 on the M18, to a mixed development of housing and warehousing space known as Unity Park. The development, which is projected to involve housing, a marina and a new school, has led to the creation of a new link road from Junction 5 to Waggons Way in Stainforth. Junction 5 also has a motorway service area (MSA) known as Doncaster North, run by Moto.

A railway from Doncaster to Thorne first arrived in July 1856 with the station being labelled simply as Stainforth. It was replaced by a newer station called Hatfield and Stainforth in October 1866.

Notable people

  • William of Hatfield, (1336–1337), second son of Edward III
  • Cornelius Vermuyden, (1595–1677), Dutch engineer who drained Hatfield Chase and was awarded huge tracts of land in the area for his efforts

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