The opening of The Festival Gardens at Havercroft Green, 1951

This chronology has been written from information gleaned from an excellent book titled "Havercroft in Times Past" which was written by Michael Johnson and published in 1988 by

Countryside Publications Ltd, School Lane, Brinscall, Chorley, Lancashire.

The book was published to coincide with the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Havercroft First School which opened in 1928 as Havercroft Council School.

The ISBN Number of the book is ISBN 0 86157 275 0

The book is well worth reading and contains some wonderful photographs.

If you enjoy the Chronology then all credit must go to the author of the above book. I only claim credit for any errors and omissions within my chronology.

Because of the close proximity of Ryhill (where is the join?), many events shown in the Ryhill Chronology applied equally to Havercroft and it is important to read the two documents together - neither is very long and can quickly be printed off. This applies particularly to the canal, the pits, and the railways.

The name has been spelt in several ways over the years, including Havercrofte and Hauercroft. The first part of the word could be derived from the Old Norse word "hafr" meaning "he-goat" but it is most likely comes from the Old English word "haefera" meaning "oats", and as a croft is an enclosure, then Havercroft means "an oats enclosure". (Better than meaning an he-goat!).

For hundreds of years, Havercroft was an agricultural community and the few people who lived here worked in the fields.

1155    Havercroft does not appear in the Doomsday Book but it can be traced back on old maps and charters of 1155, when Henry the Second, father of Richard the Lionheart, was King of England.

1637    Havercroft was in the Parish of Felkirk and the school was founded in 1637 and still stands in the churchyard. It was "free for reading, writing and accounts to all the children of Havercroft". Local children attended there until new schools were built in Havercroft and Ryhill.

1672    The Hearth Tax returns - soon after Oliver Cromwell's time, listed only eleven families living in Havercroft, including one Gentleman John Gill whose house had seven fireplaces.

1708    Newstead Hall built.

1806    Thirteen men aged between 18 and 45 presented themselves at the White Bear Inn in Barnsley to volunteer for active service in the Napoleonic wars.

1841    Carr Lane changes its name to COW Lane, and about the same time Havercroft Close became Havercroft GREEN.

1858    A Trade Directory lists Havercroft's trades as 1 tailor, 1 shoemaker, 1 land agent, 1 farmer and butcher, 1 farmer and maltster, and 3 farmers. People had to travel to the nearby villages of Cold Hiendley, South Hiendley, or Ryhill to find a blacksmith, a wheelwright, a veterinary surgeon, a schoolmaster, a wine and spirit merchant, a mole catcher, a shopkeeper, or the landlord of a public house.

1861    Census figure is 109 people

1894    Havercroft with Cold Hiendley and Ryhill became part of Hemsworth Rural District Council, where it remained until 1974.

1901    Census figure is 490 people

1907    A map of the time shows an "empty" Cow Lane. There was no buildings at all between the Green and Newstead Hall.

1926    Land for Havercroft School bought by the old West Riding County Council from Mr H Ellison for £720. Building of the school took eighteen months to complete, and the total cost is thought to have been between £10,000 and £11,000.

1928    Havercroft Council Infants School opened under the Headship of Gertrude Towler. In September of that year there were 159 pupils who were taught by the Headmistress and only two other teachers!

1931    Census figure is 2038 people

1935    To celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V, the parish councils of Havercroft and Ryhill organised bonfires, bands, mementos, and teas for the old folk, widows, unemployed, and school children and toddlers. Silver Jubilee bank books and pencils were distributed to all pupils in school on May 3rd.

1935    Havercroft Parish Council agreed to provide "Ambulance Boxes" for the village to deal with road accidents, etc. These were large boxes containing a first aid box, a stretcher, and a blanket. The two boxes cost eight pounds ten shillings and were sited at the top of Havercroft Green and opposite the Eagle Hotel. By 1944 the boxes had become the victims of neglect so the Cow Lane box was moved into the Havercroft Working Men's Club, and the other was spruced up and new keys fitted, but unfortunately it disappeared about the time the Festival Gardens were laid out in 1951.

1937    Parish Council proposed building a village swimming pool. The proposal was considered in August 1937 and was put in abeyance, where it has remained ever since.

1937 - Coronation Year - Street parties, commemorative spoons with Royal crest in a box went to all children from West Riding County Council. On 21st October children were given day off school to visit Wakefield to cheer the King and Queen.

1938 - Schools reorganised with the juniors moving to Ryhill School and Havercroft Council School becoming Havercroft Infants and Nursery School. All children fitted with gas masks late in the year.

1939    First evacuees admitted in September. Later to come from Plymouth, Portsmouth, Edingburgh, Barrow-in-Furness, Coventry, Manchester, and London.

1940    Bombs dropped near Havercroft at Four Lane Ends in August.

1950    Land for School Playing Fields bought from National Coal Board for £2,500.

1950's    Colin Grainger,a former pupil of Havercroft School was picked for the England Soccer team. He played for Sheffield United.

1951    Festival Gardens laid out at Havercroft Green to commemorate the Festival of Britain. The cost was about £109.

1960's    The village doctors were Dr Vining and Dr Shooman and their surgery was at Dr Vining's house at the top of Cow Lane almost opposite the present Health Centre.

1962    Telephone installed in school.

1963    William Henry was awarded BEM for services to local government. First elected to Havercroft Parish Council in 1937 and remained so for 40 years. He a was member of Hemsworth Rural District Council until 1970. He was also NUM Branch President for 27 years. He died in 1981.

1964    Indoor toilets completed in school.

1970    Because of a fire at the school, the Christmas concert was held next door in the Miner's Welfare Hall. The fire was caused by burglars and damage amounted to almost £10,000.

Early 1970's    Miners Welfare Hall demolished and the Health Centre built on the site, and the Parish Hall was built in the Welfare grounds.

1971    School population reached 300. BBC Television came and recorded the children singing for a Jimmy Saville Programme.

1974    Havercroft with Cold Hiendley becomes part of the new Wakefield Metropolitan District Council.

1976    Newstead Hall demolished as it had fallen into disrepair and had been largely derelict since purchased by Mr Reuben Smith in 1965. A Public Enquiry was held before the Secretary of State gave permission for the listed building to be demolished. A modern farmhouse was built using stone from the original Hall.

1976    Nursery Unit at school officially opened.

1981    Census figure is 2234 people.

1986    Boiler at school burst on the day of the Christmas Concert and for two weeks the school was heated by portable calor gas heaters.

For information about the Ryhill and Havercroft War Memorial inside Ryhill Cemetery, CLICK HERE

More information is needed. If you can help, please e-mail me with anything you think could be included - it does not have to be ancient things!!