Anston
North Anston - South Anston
North Anston and South Anston are situated in the south east of the borough of Rotherham and are often lumped together as Anston, which caused confusion with Aston. Basically North Anston is north of the A57 Worksop Road and South Anston is south which is sensible. It is really two separate villages with the claggy land around Ryton Brook (aka Anston Brook), the very busy road, and the railway line separating the two. There is reasonably easy commuting to Rotherham, Sheffield and Worksop. Anston is located 13 miles east of Sheffield, 10 miles southeast of Rotherham amd 7 miles west of Worksop.
In the Anston area there are scant remains from prehistory in the form of 8,000 year old flint knives. There are some Roman remains, that of a Romano-British farmstead at Smarston Hill Wood, south of South Anston Church. Finds in the domestic refuse indicate that there was probably a smithy here as well as the farm. The present day village seems to have been founded in Anglo-Saxon times. The settlement of North Anston was founded near the spring of water now known as The Wells in the hillside just north of the River Ryton (known locally as Anston Brook). South Anston is similarly located on a hillside on the south side of Anston Brook. The river between the two settlements was easily forded and later crossed by the stone Anston Bridge. Much of the surrounding area consists of well-drained, easily tilled soils and for along time the area was primarily agricultural.
The name Anston is mentioned in the Domesday Book, North Anston being Anestan and South Anston as LiTel.anstan. It is probably derived from 'an stan' or one stone rather than An's ton (town or farmstead). Long long ago standing stones were used to mark the ridgeway tracks and later the drovers' roads. Where Anston's one stone is these days is a mystery. I have also found another authority that contends that the village was named for Athelstan, King of the West Saxons in the 10th Century, other authorities reckon it refers to the quarrying which has long taken place in the area. Prior to 1066 Anston was amongst the lands owned by Edwin, Earl of Mercia and it was given to Roger de Busli by William the Conqueror.
Limestone has long been quarried in Anston. At one time there were 15 quarries in the area and I believe that one is still being operated. The limestone was burnt in kilns and put to a variety of uses. The best local example is the parish church of St James in South Anston, but Anston stone was exported far afield in the 19th Century and used to build the Houses of Parliament and the Geological Museum in London.
There was once a colliery within the parish called Harry Croft (1924-1930).
During the early 18th Century Anston was a popular destination with tourists and walkers. At this time the village changed its name to Anston-cum-Membris, and presumably dropped the cum-Membris after the tourists stopped coming.