West Melton
The name West Melton comes from the geographical situation of the village ie. west of the town of Wath upon Dearne and the Old English Midleton, Norse Methaltun meaning the middle enclosure, farmstead or village. It is in the northwest of the Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire. There is an old centre to the village with the usual housing estates all around. There are some very nice old properties along Melton High Street, many if them originally farms or farm buildings; some of them are still working farms. We walked along here one Sunday morning and if the Sunday morning traffic is anything to go by it must be hell on earth at busy times.
According to the Domesday book published in 1086 there were three estates listed among the 'lands of the King's Thanes'. Arnthorr the Priest held lands here and at Brampton with arable land for five plough teams before 1066. Under the Norman William The Conqueror he retained some of his land. Other Saxon tenants had also retained estates at West Melton whilst the King had kept some land in Brampton and West Melton for himself.
For many centuries life in West Melton and similar villages moved slowly along at the pace of the agricultural year. Then along came King Coal. The Ordnance Survey Map for 1851 shows collieries at West Melton and at Cortonwood and a number of smaller coal pits. The real development came in 1873 when the first shaft of Cortonwood Colliery was sunk. Housing for the miners was built and the population rapidly increased hence the new church built in 1855.
View of West Melton
This view of West Melton was taken from Newhill at Wath.
Brampton Church
Address:- West Melton High Street, West Melton. Tel. 44 (0)1709 873210 (2009).The parish church is called Brampton Church (Christ Church) but is actually closer to West Melton than Brampton. This church was built in 1855 as the population of the village was increasing rapidly due to the expansion of the mining industry in the area. Open Tues 11am – 1pm, Weds and Thurs 10am – 12noon.
West Melton United Reform Church
Address:- Melton High Street, West Melton. Tel. 01709 8735180 (2009).The congregation of the United Reform Church was founded in 1797 and the church was built in 1799. It is one of the few Non–Anglican places of worship in Rotherham that is a listed building.