Thurcroft
The name Thurcroft has Viking roots as 'thorr' means thunder in old Norse, so is probably at least 1,000 plus years old, whilst croft means a small farm. Thor was the god of thunder and one of the best loved gods of warriors. The village of Thurcroft is first mentioned in a charter of Roche Abbey in 1309. The alternative is that the name means 'Enclosure of a man called Thorir'.
During the Middle Ages Thurcroft was in the possession of the Mirfin or Mirfield family (also spelled Merfyn, Merifield, Mirfield, Mirfyld, Mirfyn, Murfin, Myrfold, Myrfyld, Myrfyn). The earliest Mirfin was one Robert Mirfin mentioned in the 1380/1 Court Roll at the time of The Peasants' Revolt. The family also owned lands at Brookhouse and Slade Hooton. The estate descended into the female line several time and was owned by Beckwiths and others.
Thurcroft Hall, off Steadfold Lane was built for the Beckwith's in the 18th Century but I've been able to find very little about it so far. It is now owned by the Masarellas.
In 1900 all that existed at Thurcroft was a manor house and three farmsteads. By 1902 the Thurcroft estate was owned by Thomas Marrian of Thurcroft Hall who leased the coal under his estates to Rothervale Collieries Ltd. The sinking of the colliery began in 1909 but because of problems with water and faults in the rockthe coal measures were not reached until 1912. In 1913 full time mining commenced and there was a large increase in population as the mining company began to build housing for miners coming to work in the pit. Thurcroft Colliery like most of the pits around here is now closed. The site has been reclaimed and housing is being developed there.
The village of Thurcroft was within the parish of Laughton-en-le-Morthen. A mission church dedicated to St Simon and St Jude existed here but a permanent church in mock-stone was only built in 1937 by the colliery company. A new ecclesiastical parish of Thurcroft was formed in 1948. There was a wooden Methodist chapel built in 1917 which was replaced with a stone one in 1926; this is now the Rotherham Sports and Acro Display Club. The Catholic Church closed in 1989. A village cemetery was established in the 1920s.
In 1901 the population of the parish of Laughton stood at 631. By 1921 it had risen to 2,679 which was due almost entirely to the growth of Thurcroft. In 1923 a new civil parish of Thurcroft was formed, combining Laughton, Thurcroft and Brampton-en-le-Morthen. The recreation ground, paddling pool and tennis courts were built by local unemployed men in the 1920s and 1930s.