It’s always a pleasure to return to local history, and we are particularly blessed in this area in the realm of toponymy, or placenames; see the villages of Elsecar, Hemingfield, and the inimitable Jump.

Why Jump?

Here is not the place for a full recounting of the purported origins of the name, see Leaping to Jump’s defence as a starter, but rather the story of its real establishment and growth.

There is a strong mining and industrial thread to its emergence, with the sinking of Earl Fitzwilliam’s Jump pit after 1836, and the coming of William Vizard’s Hoyland & Elsecar Colliery from 1840.

Jump-starting the village

But Jump’s full establishment, as a residential area in its own right, only really took off in the 1850s, with a critical change in the area’s economic circumstances; and it all largely hinged on the outcome of an important meeting at Wentworth…

In February 1849 a meeting took place at Wentworth Woodhouse, the South Yorkshire seat of the 5th Earl Fitzwilliam, William Charles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam. In attendance were the Earl’s agents, namely William Newman (1787-1870), Estate Steward, from Darley Hall, Worsbrough, Benjamin Biram (1803-1857) the coal agent, from Wentworth, and John Thomas Woodhouse (1809-1878), consulting engineer from Overseal, Derbyshire, acting as agent for the letting of the Milton Ironworks, in Hoyland.

The Earl’s staff had gathered to meet a new potential lessee, William Henry Dawes (1804-1878), an ironmaster from Staffordshire (living at Leveretts, in Handsworth, now part of Birmingham).

He was accompanied by Henry Marshall (1788-1880), partner and formerly clerk in the noted, if latterly ill-fated Birmingham private bank of Attwoods, Spooner, Marshall & Co. (a story for another day).

In the works, at Milton

Milton Ironworks was in limbo. The previous tenants, Robert and William Graham had reached the end of their lease. The blast furnaces had been out of blast for some time, and many of their workers had left or were leaving. The year before an advertisement had gone out seeking new tenants:

To IRONMASTERS, and Manufacturers of Steam- Engines, Boilers, Castings, Rails, Bar Iron, &c., &c.

MILTON IRON WORKS.

TO BE LET, for a term of 21 Years, and may be entered upon the First of October next, all those Old-established Iron-Works, called ” THE MILTON IRON- WORKS,” situate near to the Elsecar Coal-Field and the Tankersley Park Ironstone Grounds, and at a convenient distance from the Manufacturing Towns of Sheffield, Rotherham, and Barnsley, in the County of York. The Works consist of-

TWO BLAST FURNACES, with every requisite Appendage:-

FORGE and MILL, with Puddling and other Furnaces, Chafery for Drawing Uses, Rolling and Slitting Mills, &c., capable of Manufacturing from 90 to l00 Tons of Finished Iron per Week :-

FOUNDRY, with Pits, Drying Stores, and every requisite Apparatus for making Engine Work, and Castings of every description, to the extent of 100 Tons per Week :-

ENGINE-FITTING SHOPS, with Lathes, Boring and Planing Machines, Boiler Makers’ and Smiths Shops, and every requisite for carrying on Engine and Railway Work to a large extent:-

Together with an ample supply of ELSECAR COALS, and TANKERSLEY PARK and SWALLOW-WOOD IRON- STONE, on terms to be agreed upon.

The Works possess at present excellent Canal and River Communication, and will shortly have the advantage of the South Yorkshire Railway.

Advertisement, Sheffield Independent, 24 June 1848, p.4

It was in this light that W.H. Dawes discussed the prospects in Feb 1849. After the meeting, Mr Dawes was escorted to see the works themselves, which he described as being in ‘a very delapidated state’. Wishing to inspect the local minerals, that is the coal, the coke and the ironstone on offer, as well samples of the the pig iron being produced, Mr Dawes then asked to view the activities at the Earl’s own Iron Works, just down the hill at Elsecar.

At Elsecar, Mr Woodhouse explained the advantages, the Fitzwilliam Estate providing coal, coke and ironstone. Returning to Wentworth Woodhouse, the group dined together, and W. H. Dawes declared that he should not think of taking the Milton Works without the Elsecar Works.

After several further visits, terms of a lease for both ironworks were agreed, and in March 1850 William Henry Dawes entered into partnership with his brother George Dawes to lease the Milton and Elsecar Ironworks. George became the resident managing partner for the next 35 years, residing at Skiers Spring, Hoyland. The Dawes were here to stay.

Changing places

In March 1854, W. H. and George Dawes signed an agreement to purchase land in Wombwell chapelry, then in the Parish of Darfield, part of what was known as Skiers Close. It sat in the right-angle created by what are now Church Street and Wentworth Road. The land had actually belonged to the parson of Longnor in Staffordshire, held as a land investment under the Bounty of Queen Anne to supplement the income of their local clergyman, then the Rev William Buckwell.

HEMINGFIELD. – We learn from creditable information that Messrs. W.H. and G. Dawes, proprietors of the Milton Elsecar Ironworks, are going to erect a large number of cottage houses, which, when completed, will very near constitute small town. The number to be built is about 200, be put on the site between Hemingfield and Kitroyd, chiefly for the convenience of their workmen.

Barnsley Times, 28th April 1855, the numbers relate to Hoyland, Elsecar and Jump building by the Dawes.

With trade improving, the Dawes commenced considerable extensions at Elsecar: a new plate mill and a new forge for bar iron. The original lease from Earl Fitzwilliam had included only 35 houses near the Milton works, and 10 cottages at Elsecar, but cranking up production in their blast furnaces, forges and mills, they would need more workers, and for them they would need more housing.

By the following year many new houses were indeed being built. Initially referred to as Dawes’ Row, just as so many of the smaller developments in Jump were named after their small merchant builders. Ultimately 96 properties were erected on the corner of modern day Church Street and Wentworth Road. 

Latterly known at Milton Square, with internal streets called Milton Road and Fitzwilliam Road, the Dawes’ terraces were also known as Inkerman Row, and even Turkey, after the scenes of battle in the Crimean War from 1853-56, and perhaps alao some rather negative local press! For similar patriotic reasons the Dawes’ housing at Hoyland was named Sebastopol.

The winding down of the ironworks at the end of the 1870s spelled potential disaster for the local economy, at the Dawes ironworks were closed and demolished by 1885, but the changing fortunes of Coal mining stepped up to save the day, with many Jump houses being rented by workers from Hoyland Silkstone and Wombwell Main Collieries for many years after the Dawes’ properties changed hands.

Modern mysteries

Having looked deeper into the past, we would now like to ask for help from modern day Jump-ers, to see if anyone recognises any of these more modern faces, found in some local photographs, associated with the Bennett and Prior families.

Local historian Jane Ainsworth has kindly contacted the Friends of Hemingfield Colliery with details of two intriguing tins of family photos and memorabilia, seemingly connected to Jump, and asks if we can assist in tracing any remaining family who might wish to become custodians of this collection.

Jane writes: In 2024, I acquired two old tins full of photographs, few of which had any information on the back. A local ebay seller gave them to me to investigate.

There were also several key documents, which enabled me to carry out limited research into this family: birth & death certificates, a wedding invitation, rent book and a newspaper cutting about a death.

I am providing some information to see if I can trace any living relations, who might be interested to have the collection. It always seems wrong that such things are sold to strangers when they are far more precious to family – unless it really has reached a dead end.

Tracks in time

To start us off with a flavour of Jump’s inimitable social scene, does anyone you recognise a face in the band here? A colourful, albeit black and white, photo from a performance at the Jump Working Mens Club.

Jump on in. Clues and cues

Working from clues in the collection, the following Prior and Bennett family connections come to light:

• DORIS PRIOR (1898 – 1978) was born on 16 March 1898 in Jump (Cert). She married a coal miner. They had a daughter BLANCHE BENNETT, who married BAKER and lived at 28 Church Street, Jump. Doris Bennett died on 8 March 1978, aged almost 80, at 33 Turners Close, Jump. (Death Certificate).

Census snapshots

1901 – Doris (aged 3) lived at 120 Chappell Square, Jump, Wombwell, with her parents, both born in Wombwell: George Prior (35) coal trammer, and Emma (35), plus her five siblings: William (12), Sarah Jane (10), Beatrice (8), Blanche (5) and John (1).

1911 – Doris (13) occupied four rooms at 6 Ottley Square, Jump, with her parents – George (44) coal hewer, and Emma who had given birth to 11 children but three had died – and four siblings: Blanche (14), John (11) at school, Mary Ann (4) and Lillie (3). Her nephew John William Prior (11 months) was with them.

1921 – still at no. 6 Ottley Square, Doris (23) lived with her parents – George (56) hewer at Elsecar Main, Emma had had three more children – and six siblings: John (21) sick, Mary Ann (16), Lily (13), Leonard (5), Tom (2) and George (1).

1926 – Doris married John Hopkinson in the Barnsley district. They had three children: Mellissa in summer 1926, John T. in 1927 and Clifford in 1931.

1935 – Doris Hopkinson married Arthur Bennett in summer in Barnsley. They had twins, Blanche and Frank in summer 1937 in Sheffield.

1939 – Doris (41) was at 27 Milton Road, Jump, with husband Arthur (60 – born 4 April 1879) colliery hewer, and four children. 

• ARTHUR BENNETT (1879 – ?) was the son of Frank (1852 – ?) coal miner born in Cornwall, and Eliza (1857 – ?) born in Jump. 

1881 – they lived at 123 Allott’s Cottages, Jump, with daughter Polly (8) at school, widow Charlotte Darley (57) born in Elsecar, and boarder Joseph Oxley (41) labourer.

1891 – Arthur (12) scholar, was at 150 Brick Yard, Jump, with his mother and two sisters: Elizabeth A (18) and Miriam (2). James Booth (28) coal miner, was a boarder.

1901 –  Elizabeth had married Thomas E S Williams (32) coal miner hewer born in Derbyshire, and they had taken over no. 150 with three children: Mildred M (2), Samuel S (1) and Walter (0), plus her two siblings: Arthur (21) coal trammer, and Miriam (12).

1911 – The Williams family occupied four rooms at 2 Brick Yard with four surviving children of seven, three at school: Mildred May (12), Samuel (11), Walter (10) and Rhoda (3) plus her brother Arthur.

• FRANK BENNETT – son of Doris and Arthur – of 27 Milton Road, Jump, was invited by Mr & Mrs P Wright of 36 Knollbeck Lane, Brampton, to the marriage of their daughter INA WRIGHT with JOHN ERIC BAILEY on 5 April 1953.
• UNIDENTIFIED COUPLE – wedding photo with “To DORIS March 22 1958” on the back.
• SARAH JANE MARTIN (1891 – 1971) of 71 Turners Close, Jump, died at home in December 1971, aged 81, after a long illness. She was born in Jump and lived there all her life, widowed for 22 years leaving 6 daughters and 3 sons. Member of Jump Working Men’s Club and Evergreen Club. Memorial Service at the Wesleyan Reform Church, burial at Jump & Hemingfield Cemetery. (Unidentified newspaper cutting dated 3 December 1971).

1939 – Sarah (48) was at 41 Milton Road, Jump, with husband Thomas (56 – born on 4 February 1883) colliery hewer, and three children: Thomas (18) colliery stationery engine driver, Mabel (12) scholar later married Bray. Percy Jubb (33) general labourer, and wife Harriet (24) were boarders.

• FRED HARGREAVES rented 83 Allotts Crescent (Rent Book). Inside – 2 Gardens from 1954 @ rent of 9 shillings. Then 33 Turners Close with rent increase to £1 in 1973 ending in August 1977. On a slip inside: £1 rent for an allotment for half a year paid by MR G HOPKINSON.

• A baby photo from 1993, on birth announcement card for UNCLE CLIFF – could this be Doris and John Hopkinson’s son Clifford?

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• Can you help? Please contact us at hemingfield.colliery@gmail.com