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Ulley
Ulley is apparently derived from 'Olleie', or in Saxon English an
forest-glade with owls. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English place names gives it as the Old English wulf-leah or wolf wood; either way it has a nice ring to it. The area around
Ulley is rich in history. A circular earthwork and burial mounds dating from Pre-Roman times were discovered on Guilthwaite Common. A Stone Age axe was found by a farmer near
Morthen.
Two Roman roads ran through Ulley Village and Roman coins have been found. A Saxon cross still stands at Morthen which is said to commemorate those slain at the battle of Brunanburgh,
whilst within the ward of Ulley were found battle-axes and spurs from about the 10th Century. The area was recorded in the Domesday Book as Ollei in the parish of Lactone (Laughton) and
was worth only forty shillings. Eventually the monks of Worksop Priory owned Ulley. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1530s) the land changed hands many times before it was
purchased in 1722 by Samuel Buck. His descendants still live at Ulley Manor. Buck and Robert Poynton were the main landowners at the time of the Enclosures Act.
Both Ulley Manor and Ulley Hall are 18th Century houses. As far as I know neither are open to the public. The church of Holy Trinity in Ulley was built about 1851 near the site of a monastic chapel. The lake at Ulley was constructed in 1874 as a main water supply reservoir for Rotherham. This is now part of Ulley Country Park.
Other Pages to Visit
Visit Ulley Country Park onsite at Recreation in Rotherham >> Parks >> Country Parks >> Ulley Country Park.