Brinsworth
The village of Brinsworth is situated the south west of the town of Rotherham and convenient for road connections to Sheffield and the motorway network. It is on rising ground to the west of the floodplain of the River Rother. Earlier versions of the name are Brynesford or Brinesford meaning Brin or Brini's ford from a Celtic personal name. It has also been called Brynnes Ford, Brunnesford & Brinford. There is also the possible meaning of the Brigantes Ford as the river here formed part of the barrier between the Celtic tribe of the Coritanni to the south, and the Brigantes, who were regularly revolting, to the north. Some authorities would have this ford as the one Don at Deadman's Hole, others as the ford across the Rother where Bow Bridge now stands. Both are a little distant from where the present day settlement.
Brinsworth is located about one mile south of the site of a Roman fort at Templeborough. In Roman times there may have been a settlement here as there is archaeological evidence of what was possibly a small temple. Pottery dating from the late 2nd and 3rd centuries was found. Remains of a Roman road were found which would be Icknield Street, which passed the fort, were discovered on White Hill in 1948, between Brinsworth and Canklow. There was also a grid of nine other streets.
The Battle of Brunanburgh or Brunanburh in 936, is supposed to have been fought between Brinsworth and Catcliffe. There are other postulated sites. There were two Saxon lords of the manor of Brinsworth in the middle of the 11th Century, Norman (that is a North man), and Godric. The entry in the Domesday book for Norman states:–
"Here Norman has three carucates and five bovates of land to be taxed, where there may be three ploughs. Rozeline has it now from William (de Perci) and is waste. Here are six acres of pasture. Wood pasture one mile long and 1 quarenten broad. The whole manor is one mile long and four quarentens broad. Value in King Edward's time 40s."
The entry for Godric in the Domesday Book in 1086 states:-
"In Brinesford Godric has 11 bovates of land taxable where 1½ ploughs are possible. Roger (de Busli) has it and it is waste. Value before 1066 15s."
Not much there then after the Norman soldiery had 'harried the north' to prevent, or possibly to foment, uprisings by the native Brits.
The 1379 poll tax returns shows that there were 58 assessed persons in Brinsworth, but this did not included clergy, children under 16, paupers and anybody who managed to avoid getting assessed. John Guneys, a lawyer and his wife Alice were assessed at 6s 8d and were by far the most important inhabitants. The next highest tax payer was Robert Brake, the village blacksmith, who paid 6d.
Some time in the Middle Ages a chantry chapel was founded at Tinsley to minister to the inhabitants of Tinsley, Brinsworth, Orgreave and Catcliffe. One old legend would have it that it was founded by Athelstan in the 10th Century to say masses for the warriors slain at the battle of Brunanburh but there is no actual evidence. In 1549 it was said to have been founded by the ancestors of Thomas Wentworth and Nicholas Denman to pray for their souls. This was dedicated to St Lawrence. When the borough boundaries were drawn Tinsley ended up in Sheffield.
The hearth tax returns of 1672 for Brinsworth record 21 listed properties including Mr Laughton's (Howarth Hall) with 11 hearths and Valentine Hart (who probably lived at Ickles Hall) with 9 hearths.
Until the 19th Century Brinsworth was largely a rural area. The population had only increased to 260 inhabitants according to the 1851 census. For most of history Brinsworth was part of the widespread parish of Rotherham and was at times cut off from the town by the rising of flood waters in the rivers Don and Rother. Priests were sent out from Rotherham Parish Church to minister to the population at such times. The long walk into Rotherham and back again to attend church services must have been very irksome. The parish of Brinsworth was created in 1903 and covered Canklow, Templeborough, Ickles and north of the Don, parts of Masbrough. The church of Brinsworth St Andrew was built as a mission church in 1885 but became the parish church when St George's was closed. St George's, was erected on land given by John Brown's, and opened in 1900. In 1903 it became the church for the new parish. It closed in 1974 and is a pretty poor state.
In the 20th Century the river valleys of the Don and the Rother became increasingly industrialised. Brinsworth Strip Mills built as part of the Templeborough Steel complex and British Oxygen being the largest firms around Brinsworth. Then in the 1960s there came the M1 thundering to the south side of Brinsworth.
Nowadays the village of Brinsworth is a mass of housing estates convenient for Rotherham, Sheffield and the M1. Another feature of modern Brinsworth is the number of sports grounds north and west running into Tinsley.
A map of 1870 shows Brinsworth Manor and Brinsworth Grange but I have so far found no information about them. If you can supply any details please let me know.
Photographs of Brinsworth
