School History
The Village of Hemingfield
Hemingfield dates back to when the Scandinavians came to settle in Yorkshire at the time of the Viking invasions in the ninth century. We think the name comes from the man who first owned the field. He was called Hymel and so it became known as Hymel's field. The oldest know family was called Skyers. They cam to Hemingfileld in 1275 AD. Their name might have been 'de Skyers' and this name comes from the norse word 'sker' meaning projecting rock. When Mrs Perry's class were working from the old census from 1841 they found out that a family called Webster lived at Skyer's Farm. Mr Webster was an ancestor of Miss Joan Robinson who is the vice-chairperson of our governors. She had often wondered where her ancestors lived.
The village of Hemingfield grew in five separate parts from the five farms which surrounded the middle. 'Hill Top' looked down on the center of the village. There were three farms on the west side of the village in the direction of Jump and Elsecar and the fifth was 'Tingle Bridge,' which is where the canal was opened in 1796.
Tingle Bridge must have been the busiest part of the village especially when the colliery opened in 1842. The colliery closed in 1920. The pit is now flooded to the level of the canal. The houses on Tingle Bridge Lane were built in the 1930's and they became part of Hemingfield. They were needed because there were still pits operating all around the village providing employment for the inhabitants.
The oldest buildings in Hemingfield are the farm buildings at the Lundhill end, which are now all converted to luxury homes, and the Elephant and Castle at Tingle Bridge. The Elephant and Castle, Beech House and Lundhill farms at all made from sandstone which was dug from the quarry, which is now the garden of the house called 'The Sycamores.'
Industry
The industry in Hemingfield was the quarry, the colliery, Gedney's private mine and the canal at Tingle Bridge. There was also work at the farms around the village. The village grew slowly because there was not much work. Some people came to live in Hemingfield from Wombwell because they could travel easily to work.
The Canal
The canal was used to carry the coal from the pits at Hemingfield, Elsecar and Hoyland. The coal barges took the coal towards Cortonwood and Wath. The canal became less important when rail and then road transport provided a faster and more convenient solution to the transport problem. The canal and Hemingfield colliery closed in the 1920's.
The Quarry
The quarry in Hemingfield has not been used for more than 200 years. It is now part of the garden at The Sycamores. The stone might have been used to build some of the houses and farms in the village but most of the stone was used in the cutlery
industry. The stone was cut into grindstones and they were used to sharpen and polish knives. The grindstones were taken to Sheffield or Rotherham on the back of horse-drawn carts.
Stone from the quarry was also made into cornricks. They were used by farms to store corn. The cornricks were put between wooden planks and the corn was stacked on top of them. They overhung the stacks of corn and were supposed to keep the rats away from the corn.
The History of The Ellis C of E School
The Minutes of the Trustees Meetings
At the Brampton Bull's Head Inn, the twenty-ninth day of October, 1824
We, the Trustees of the Charity founded by the e will of the late Mr George Ellis, present at this meeting, order that; -
One hundred pounds be paid out of the funds of this charity towards the Erection of a Public Dame School in Hemingfield.
A gratuity of fifteen pounds a year be paid to the schoolmistress of the school to be created in Hemingfield for teaching poor children there.
Wentworth Fitzwilliam - Chairman
Frederick Williams
Thomas Vernon Wentworth
To Mr John Swift, Treasurer of the intended Hemingfield School, the sum directed to be paid at the last meeting towards its erection. £100.0s.0d.
At the Brampton Bull's Head Inn, the tenth day of November, 1826
We the Trustees of the Ellis Charity present at this meeting order that: -
Two hundred pounds be paid out of the Funds of this Charity towards the Erection of the School and on cottage adjoining it at Hemingfield (in addition to the former £100) upon condition of the School and Cottage, with the small Garden at the South-West corner of the School being conveyed to the trustees of the Estates of this Charity.
That the School Rooms at Hemingfield be fitted up out of the funds of this Charity provided the amount do not exceed two hundred pounds to be paid out of the funds of this Charity.
To John Smith for fixing the gate in front of Hemingfield School. £0.12s.0d.
To Dovey Jessop 1/2 a year's gratuity on Schoolmistress of Hemingfield due at Christmas 1826. £7.10s.0d.
To Picraley & Co for a bell at Hemingfield School. £2.9s.2d.
To Peter Gore for the iron work in the repairs of Hemingfield School and for hanging the bell there. £1.4s.101/2d.
To John Smith for stone and mason work in fixing the bell at Hemingfield School. £4.4s.0d.
To Samuel Smith for weeks, forms etc. in fitting up the Hemingfield Dame School agreeably to the order of the Trustees at their last meeting. £15.0s.0d.