Totley History Group
Totley History Group

Moorwoods

1805 Indenture

Dated 19th December 1805 
         
Feoffment
 Mr. John Pinder
to 
Messrs. Peter Pinder and Saml. Pinder

The 1805 Indenture The 1805 Indenture

This Indenture made the nineteenth Day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and five Between John Pinder of Totley Bench in the parish of Dronfield in the County of Derby Farmer of the first part Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder both of Moorwoods in the said parish of Dronfield and County of Derby Farmers of the second part and Dennis Barker of Sheffield in the County of York Attornies Clerk of the third part Whereas by virtue of the last Will and Testament of John Lee formerly of Thrift House in Ecclesall Bierlow in the parish of Sheffield aforesaid Baker but now long since deceased Mary the daughter of the said John Lee became seized and possessed of (for an absolute Estate of Inheritance in Fee simple in possession) divers Messuages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments situate at Stannington in the parish of Ecclesfield in the said County of York and in the township of Ecclesall Bierlow aforesaid and the said Mary either was at the time she so became possessed of the said estates or afterwards became the wife of Robert Pinder late of Totley in the said County of Derby Yeoman deceased And she and her said Husband are both now dead And Whereas the said John Pinder is the oldest Son and Heir at Law of the said Mary (the Daughter of the said John Lee) and the said Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder are two other of her Sons And Whereas the said Robert Pinder survived his said Wife and supposing himself to have or assuming to himself the power of disposing of the Reversion Fee and Inheritance of the estates which his said Wife so became possessed of he by his last Will and Testament (which bears Date on or about the twenty eighth of March one thousand seven hundred and ninety three) devised the same Estates and Premises together with other Hereditaments and Estates unto his two sons the said Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder to each one equal and a like share of the same their Heirs and Assigns for ever subject to a certain Annuity and to divers Legacies and payments in his said Will mentioned And Whereas the said Robert Pinder by his said Will bequeathed certain parts of his property Chattels and Effects to his oldest Son the said John Pinder who upon the the death of his said Father which happened more than six years ago possessed himself thereof and hath ever since enjoyed the same he making his Election to accept and take the same rather than contest the validity of the Devise in the said Will contained to his said Brothers of the Estates of his said Mother of which he the said John Pinder became the legal Inheritor upon the Death of his said Mother Subject to his Father's Estate for Life by the Curtesy therein it being supposed that no Act was done by the said Mary Pinder to prevent such being the Case And Whereas in Order that the said Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder may become legally as well as equitably possessed of and entitled to the said Estates and Hereditaments of which their said Mother was so seized and possessed as aforesaid and of the Fee simple and Inheritance thereof they have requested their said oldest Brother to execute these presents which he hath consented to do. Now this Indenture Witnesseth that in Consideration of the Premises and particularly of the Bequests made to the said John Pinder by his said Father's Will as aforesaid And in Consideration of the Sum of five Shillings to him the said John Pinder paid by the said Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder immediately before the execution of these presents the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged He the said John Pinder Hath given granted sold alieued enfeoffed and confirmed And by the presents Doth give grant sell alieu enfeoff and and confirm unto the said Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder their Heirs and Assigns All and singular the Messuages Lands Tenements Estates and Hereditaments whatsoever both freehold and copyhold and wheresoever the same are situate with their Appurtenances wherein or whereto he the said John Pinder or any Person or Persons in Trust for him now hath or have or ever had any Right Estate Interest Title Claim property or demand either at Law or in Equity or otherwise howsoever as the Heir at Law of his said late Mother the said Mary Pinder deceased And the Reversion and Reversions Remainder and Remainders Rents Issues and Profits thereof And all his Estate Right and Interest in and to the same To have and to hold the said Messuages Lands Tenements Hereditaments and Premises hereby granted and enfeoffed or intended and mentioned so to be with their and every of their Rights Members and Appurtenances unto the said Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder their Heirs and Assigns as Tenants in Common To the only proper Use and Behoof of the said Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder their Heirs true and lawful Attorney for him the said John Pinder and in his name to enter into and upon the Messuages Lands and Hereditaments by these presents intended to be granted or any part thereof in the name of the whole and full and peaceable possession and seizin thereof to have and take and afterwards full and peaceable possession and seizin thereof to render and deliver to the said Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder To hold to them their Heirs and Assigns as Tenants in Common according to the purport and Intent of these presents And whatsoever the said Dennis Barker shall lawfully do in the Premises the said John Pinder Doth hereby ratify and confirm and agree to ratify and confirm In Witness whereof the said parties to these presents have hereunto set their Hands and Seals the Day and Year first above written.

 

(signed) John Pinder

 

The 1805 Indenture - reverse The 1805 Indenture - reverse

[Reverse]

Signed Sealed and delivered being first duly stamped by the within named John Pinder in the presence of

(signed) B. J. Wake
             Henry Tudor

The 1805 Indenture - reverse The 1805 Indenture - reverse

Be it remembered that on this tenth Day of May one thousand eight hundred and six the within named Dennis Barker did enter into and upon the Messuages Lands and Premises within granted and enfeoffed or some part thereof and peaceable possession thereof did take (by virtue of the within written power of Attorney) and afterwards did deliver possession thereof unto the within named Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder in their own proper persons To hold to them the said Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder their Heirs and Assigns for ever as Tenants in Common according to the true meaning of the within written Deed In the presence of

 

(signed) Samuel Shaw
            William Shaw

Will of Robert Pinder of Totley Bents (1723-1799)

This is the last Will and Testament of Me Robert Pinder of Totley in the Parish of Dronfield in the County of Derbyshire Yeoman made this Twenty eighth day of March the thirty Third year of the reign of his present Majesty King George the Third and so forth in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and ninety three as follows that is to say First I will that all my just Debts Funeral Expenses The Charges of Proving and all other Charges attending the Execution of this my Will to be paid and Discharged by my Executors herein after named out of my Hereditaments and Premises Situate and being at Morewoods in the County of Derby aforesaid and at Standington in the County of York and hereafter mentioned to be Given and Devised to my Two Sons Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder Also I Give and Devise all and Every my Freehold and Copyhold Messuages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments with all the Appurtenances thereunto belonging and enjoyed therewith situate standing lying and being at Morewoods in the County of Derby aforesaid and at Standington in the said County of York or in the Liberties Precincts or Territories thereof (My Copyhold Premises being duly surrendered to the use of my Will) and these and every of their Rights Members and Appurtenances To have and to hold unto my two sons Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder to each an Equal and a like Share of the same their Heirs and Assigns for Ever subject Nevertheless to and Charged and Chargeable with the payment of all my Debts and other Expenses above mentioned and also of an Annuity and the several Legacies or Sums of Money hereinafter Named That is to say I Give and Bequeath to my Wife the Sum of Eight Pounds per year to be paid half yearly by my Executors hereafter named In case she have not her Residence and Maintenance with my Executors or one of them for and During the term of her Natural Life and also as many of my Household Goods as She thinks sufficient to furnish her an Apartment where she chooses and at Her Decease the said Good to be Returned to my Eldest Son John Pinder for his Sole use and Benefit Also I Give and Bequeath to my Eldest Son John Pinder the Possession of my Farm which I hold as Tenant to Samuel Shore Esq by and with the consent of the said Samuel Shore Esq only Subject to the Rent which shall become due and payable for the same Also I Give and Bequeath all and every my Household Goods Stock Quick and Dead with the Implements of Husbandry Hay and Corn or Hay and Corn which may be Growing upon the said Farm or Premises at the time of my Decease unto my Eldest Son John Pinder for his sole and Separate use and Benefit Also I Give and Bequeath unto my son Thomas Pinder the Sum of Fifty Pounds if he survive me but if not if he leave any Children lawfully begotten the I Give the same unto and amongst his children if more than one equally to be divided amongst them share and share alike and if but one such Child then I Give the whole of the said sum of Fifty Pounds unto such only Child Also I Give and Bequeath unto my daughter Hannah the wife of William Dungworth the sum of Forty Pounds if she survive me but if not then I give the same unto and amongst her Children if more than one to be equally Divided amongst them share and share alike and if but one such child then I give the whole of the said sum of Forty Pounds unto such only Child I Give and Bequeath unto my daughter Ellen the wife of Joseph Siddon the sum of Forty Pounds if she survive me but if not then I give the same unto and amongst her Children if more than one to be equally divided amongst them share and share alike and if but one such Child then I give the whole of the said sum of Forty Pounds unto such only Child I Give and Bequeath unto my daughter Mary the wife of Thomas Wilson the sum of Forty Pounds if she survive me but if not I give and bequeath the same unto and amongst her Children if more than one to be equally divided amongst them share and share alike and if but one such Child I give the whole of the said sum of Forty Pounds unto such only Child I Give and Bequeath unto my Daughter Sarah Pinder the sum of Forty Pounds if she survive me but if not if she have any Children lawfully begotten then I Give the same unto and amongst her Children if more than one to be equally divided amongst them share and share alike and if but one such Child I give the whole of the said sum of Forty Pounds unto such only Child Which Said Several Sums of Fifty Pounds Forty Pounds Forty Pounds and Forty Pounds I direct shall be paid to such of the said Legatees as shall be entitled thereto either my Children or Grandchildren by my Executors hereinafter named out of the said Hereditaments and premises hereinbefore Devised to them at the times hereafter mentioned viz. if to my Children within twelve months next after my Decease or to my Grandchildren

(signed) Robert Pinder

 

[page two]
at such time as they shall severally attain their Respective Ages of one and Twenty Years or marriage which shall first happen together with Interest for the same to Commence Twelve month next after my Decease after the rate of Four Pounds per Cent per Annum All the Rest Residue and Remainder of my Personal Estate Goods and Chattels whatsoever and wheresoever and what nature Kind or Quality soever not herein disposed of I Give and Bequeath the same unto my Two Sons Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder each an equal and like share of the same and I do hereby Nominate Constitute and appoint my said Sons Peter Pinder and Samuel Pinder Joint Executors of this my last Will and Testament In Witness thereof I have to this my last Will and Testament contained in two sheets of paper to the first sheet set my hand and to the second and last sheet my hand and seal the Date and Year first above written

 

Signed sealed published and declared by the Testator as and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who at his bequest and in his presence have subscribed own Names as Witnesses hereto

 

(signed) Robert Pinder

 

(signed) Robert Unwin
             James Taylor
             Robert Mortin

Will of Samuel Pinder of Moorwoods (1767-1819)

In the Name of God Amen I Samuel Pinder of Moorwoods in the Manor of Holmesfield in the Parish of Dronfield in the County of Derby Yeoman Do make this my last Will and Testament in manner following (that is to say) I give devise and bequeath unto my dearly beloved Wife Hannah Pinder All my Moiety or equal half part of and in all and every the Copyhold Messuages Lands and Tenements hereditaments and Premises situate standing lying and being at Moorwoods aforesaid [inserted: Together with all Allotments and Common Land made thereto under the Holmesfield Inclosure Act and] which I have duly surrendered to the Uses of my Will To hold the same unto my said Wife for and during the term of her natural life provided she keeps herself single and unmarried And from and immediately after her decease or marrying again I give devise and bequeath my Moiety of the aforesaid Copyhold Messuages Lands Tenements hereditaments and Premises unto my oldest Son Jonathan Pinder his heirs and assigns for ever he paying thereout the sum of Fifteen Pounds a year by half yearly payments unto my Wife for and during the term of her natural life And also paying the following Legacies which I charge and subject the said Moiety of the said Estate with the payment thereof namely unto my Son Robert Pinder the Sum of one hundred Pounds also unto my Son Thomas Pinder the like Sum of one hundred Pounds and/ also

 

[page 2] 
also unto my youngest Son Peter Pinder the like Sum of one hundred Pounds all which Legacies I direct shall be paid to my said Sons by my said Son Jonathan when they shall respectively have attained their several ages of twenty one years I give and bequeath unto my daughter Mary Pinder the sum of Sixty Pounds to be paid to her when she shall have attained her age of twenty one years or be married also I give and bequeath unto my daughter Ann Pinder the like Sum of Sixty Pounds to be paid her when she shall have attained her age of twenty one years or be married Provided nevertheless and it is my will and meaning that none of the aforesaid Legacies shall become payable during the life of my said Wife except she marries again and not then untill the youngest of my daughters shall attain the age of twenty one years when I direct that they shall be paid by my said Son Jonathan Pinder [inserted: his Heirs or assigns] within six months after the expiration of my youngest daughter having attained twenty one years of age and in case any of my said Sons and daughters should die before their Legacies shall become payable then I direct that the share of him or her so dying shall be paid to his or her legal issue but if he or she died without having such issue then the survivor or survivors of any of my Sons shall take/ the

 

[page 3]
the share of the Son or Sons so dying and the survivor of my said daughters shall take the share of the daughter so dying I give and bequeath all my Personal Property whatsoever and wheresoever Household Goods and Furniture subject to the payment of my Debts funeral expenses and the charges of proving this my Will unto my said Wife absolutely provided she does not marry again but if she does then I bequeath her sufficient furniture only for a Parlour and Bed room wheresoever she may reside and from that time I bequest all the rest of the said personal Estate and effects unto my said son Jonathan Pinder his Executors and Administrators I give my eldest Brother one shilling and Lastly I make constitute and appoint my said Wife Executrix of this my last Will and Testament thereby revoking and making void all former and other Will and Wills by me heretofore made and Do declare this to be my last Will and Testament In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal the twenty sixth day of January one thousand eight hundred and nineteen

 

Signed sealed published and declared by the said Testator as and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto set our hands and Witnessed hereto 

 

(signed) Samuel Pinder

 

The interlineations between the 11th and 12th lines of the first side and between the 21st and 22nd lines of the second side being first made and affirmed by us

 

(signed)      Jas. Mander.  Geo. Bland. William Ogden 

Will of Peter Pinder of Moorwoods (1757-1830)

In the name of God Amen I Peter Pinder of Moorwoods in the Manor of Holmesfield in the Parish of Dronfield in the County of Derby Yeoman Do make this my last Will and Testament in manner following (that is to say) I give devise and bequeath unto my nephew Thomas Pinder [insert the son of my Brother Samuel Pinder] All that my Moiety or equal half part of and in All and every the Copyhold Messuages Lands Testaments hereditaments and premises situate standing lying and being together with all Allotments of Common Land made thereto under the Holmesfield Inclosure Act at Moorwoods aforesaid (and which I have surrendered to the uses of my Will) And Also All my Freehold Estate and property whatsoever and wheresoever the same may be To hold the same unto the said Thomas Pinder his heirs and assigns for ever he paying thereout to my Nephew Jonathan Pinder the Son of my Brother Samuel Pinder the sum of Two Hundred and Twenty Pounds and to my younger Nephews Robert and Peter Pinder the younger Sons of my said Brother Samuel Pinder the sum of Fifty Pounds each And Also subject and chargeable with the payment of the Sum of Fifty Pounds to each of my nieces Mary and Ann the daughters of my said Brother Samuel Pinder when they shall severally have attained their ages of twenty one years or day of marriage respectively which shall first happen And in case any of the above Legatees should die before his or her Legacy shall become due and payable having lawfull Issue then I direct the Legacy of him or her dying o be paid to such Issue in equal shares but if nay of them should die before their Legacies should become due and payable without leaving lawfull Issue my Will and intent is that the Legacy of him or her so dying shall rest in the survivors and be divided equally between them and if only one should survive then to be paid to such survivor And it is my Will and Direction that my Executor hereinafter named shall not be liable to pay the aforesaid Legacies until the Decease of his Mother excepting the Legacy to his Brother Jonathan Pinder which I require to be paid when Ann the youngest Daughter of my Brother Samuel Pinder shall have attained her Age of Twenty one years And It is also my Will that my Executor Thomas Pinder shall pay Eight Pounds A Year by half yearly payments to my Nephew Jonathan Pinder towards the Maintenance of his Mother during the term of her natural life It is also my Will and desire that my Brother Thomas Pinder shall have his residence and maintenance with my said Executor Thomas Pinder at Moorwoods if he chooses to reside there during the term of his natural life- I give and bequeath to my Nephew Robert Pinder the son of John Pinder of Totley Bents the Sum of Five Pounds to be paid within Twelve Months after my Decease

 

[page 2]
And Lastly I do hereby nominate constitute and appoint my said Nephew Thomas Pinder Sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament I hereby revoking and making void all former and other Will and Wills by me at any time heretofore made and do declare this to be my last Will and Testament contained on two sheets of paper- In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twelfth day of August in the year of our Lord One Thousand eight hundred and Thirty-

 

(signed) Peter Pinder

 

Signed sealed published and declared by the above named Testator Peter Pinder as and for hist last Will and Testament in the presence of us who at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other have subscribed our names as Witnesses thereto

 

(signed) Jas. Wright
             Jno. R Hemingway
             Jno. Nicholson 

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December

 

Sheffield Folk Chorale, Ecclesall Parish Church, 16/17 December, see Pauline for tickets.

January

February

March

April

May

To be advised

June

Unless stated otherwise our meetings are held in Totley Library on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm.

Pauline Burnett's book The Rise of Totley Rise has been revised and updated. It tells the story of this small piece of land from 1875 when there was only a rolling mill and chemical yard alongside the river a mile from Totley, through Victorian and Edwardian times, two world wars and up to the present day. It has 94 pages including a useful index and many illustrations from private collections. The book is available now from Totley Rise Post Office priced at £5, or through our website when an additional charge will be made to cover packing and postage.

A few copies are still available of Sally Goldsmith's book Thirteen Acres: John Ruskin and the Totley Communists. Totley was the site of a utopian scheme funded by art critic and social reformer John Ruskin. In 1877 he bought 13-acre St. George’s Farm so that nine Sheffield working men and their families could work the land and, to keep themselves busy, make boots and shoes. Sally tells an engaging story from our history with a quirky cast of characters including Ruskin himself, the poet and gay rights activist Edward Carpenter and Henry Swan, a cycling, vegetarian artist and Quaker. The book is available to order online from the The Guild of St. George by following this link.

A recently discovered box of WWII correspondence reveals the story of how a small group of ladies from Dore and Totley recruited knitters from the west of Sheffield and how their efforts made them the country's greatest provider of Comforts for the Minesweeping crews of the Royal Navy. The story is told in Knit For Victory, a new book from Totley History Group. Written by Pauline Burnett, it has 82 pages and many illustrations. It is on sale in local shops and via our website.  Further information about the correspondence is in this inside page of our website: Dore & Totley Minesweeping Trawlers Comforts Fund

The story is told in Totley War Memorial WW1 of the ten men from our village who gave their lives in the Great War. Written by Pauline Burnett, Jim Martin and Dorothy Prosser, a chapter is devoted to each of the soldiers with a family tree followed by as much information as could be discovered about the men and their families. There is also information about their military careers and the actions in which they lost their lives. The book has 64 pages and is illustrated throughout with photographs of the men, their families and the houses where they lived.

Totley All Saints' Church Parish Magazines for the years 1985-2006 with notices of baptisms, marriages and funerals and accounts of spiritual, educational, charitable and social matters in the village. Scanned in full, including advertisements from local traders.

In 1893 during the building of the Totley Tunnel there was an outbreak of smallpox amongst the navvies which spread to some of the local population. 17 people were buried in communal graves in Dore Churchyard, 6 from "Green Oak" (Lemont Road). The severity of the outbreak was principally caused by overcrowding and insanitary conditions in lodging houses .

Kathleen Grayson was a 39 year old housewife when WW2 broke out. She volunteered for the ARP and became an ambulance driver. During an air raid on Sheffield in July 1941, and despite her own injuries, she managed to get a seriously injured casualty to hospital. For this she was awarded a commendation from King George VI. Together with her friend Hilda Duffy, Kathleen also assembled a team of knitters to provide essential warm clothing for the men serving on the minesweepers patrolling the North Sea.

We have recently bought at auction the WW2 memorabilia of Douglas Platts whose family home was at Hillside, 98 Queen Victoria Road. After the war Douglas returned to his civilian occupation working in the family scissors manufacturing business. He lived in our area for the rest of his life.

We are very grateful to Mrs Valerie Taylor of Dore for lending us the title deeds to Lower Bents Farmhouse which is reputed to be the oldest surviving building in the area with a proven history back to 1621. We have now scanned and transcribed the deeds which could be particularly interesting to anyone with a connection to the local Fisher, Dalton and Marshall Families. 

Until 1844, when Dore Christ Church parish was created, Totley township was part of Dronfield parish. We have now transcribed the burial records for former Totley residents at St. John the Baptist, Dronfield for the period 1678-1870 and at St. Swithin, Holmesfield for the period 1766-1901.

Whilst researching the history of the Dalton Family we found it useful to transcribe a number of early Wills and Inventories. These and those of many other Totley, Dore and Holmesfield people dating from between 1594 and 1856 have now been added to our website.

St. Swithin's Church, Holmesfield pre-dates Dore Christ Church and was the place where many of the people from Totley worshipped and were baptised, married and buried. Read the inscriptions on more than 750 gravestones in the churchyard including those of Mr. and Mrs. William Aldam Milner of Totley Hall, Jessie Matilda Tyzack (nee Fisher) of Avenue Farm, and Rev. J. A. Kerfoot of St. John's, Abbeydale.

Thomas Youdan was a music hall proprietor and benefactor who was living at Grove House, Totley in 1867 when he sponsored the first football knockout competition in the world for The Youdan Cup.

The words Millhouses Cricket Club can be seen in the background of team photos which are likely to date from between 1905 and the early 1920s, very probably pre-war. They were lent to us by Garth Inman who can identify his great uncle, Cecil Inman, in some of the photos and would like to know when they were taken and, if possible, the names of others present. Please take a look to see whether you can put names to any of the faces. 

Josiah Hibberd was seriously injured whilst working on the construction of the Totley Tunnel in 1892. He died on 9 May 1897 at the age of 38 having apparently spent most of previous five years in hospital.

Bradway House was built around 1832 by Henry Greaves, a farmer, together with two adjacent cottages. We have traced most of the occupants of the property from these early days up to the start of World War Two.

We have transcribed the baptisms records at St. John the Evangelist, Abbeydale from when the church was consecrated in 1876 until just after the start of World War 1. The records are arranged in alphabetical order based upon the child's name and show the date of baptism, the names of the parents, their home location and occupation.

Nick Kuhn bought an original 1920s poster which had this owners' blind stamp in one corner. The stamp almost certainly refers to a house named Wigmore that was built in the late 1920s or early 1930s. The first occupiers that we can trace are John Howarth Caine, a district mineral agent for the LNER, his wife Florence Jane (nee Prince) and daughter Doris Mary. The Caine family lived at Wigmore until 1936 by which time the house would have been known simply as 12 The Quandrant.

George Griffiths died on 13 December 1888 following an explosion during the sinking of number 3 airshaft at Totley Bents. His widow Florence died shortly afterwards and his two daughters Maud and Annie were adopted separately. Whilst Annie lived the rest of her life in Yorkshire, Maud emigrated to Australia in 1923 with her husband, John Burrows, daughter Margaret and son Jack, pictured above.

George Wainwright was said to have been born in Bamford, Derbyshire in 1714. He learned the trade of linen weaving and moved to Totley after his marriage on 1744. He became an ardent follower of John Wesley who paid many visits to Sheffield and who would have passed through or close to Totley. Preaching was at first conducted out of doors and when Wesley's preachers became harassed by a mob of Totley ruffians in 1760, George offered them safety of his own home. He remained a Methodist for all of his long life, dying in Dore in 1821 at the reputed age of 107.

Oakwood School was started by Mrs Phoebe Holroyd in 1925 initially as the Firth Park Kindergarten and, by 1927, as the Firth Park Preparatory School. Phoebe was still working at the school almost fifty years later when she was well into her seventies. We would like to hear from anyone with memories of the school. 

James Curtis was born at sea aboard HMS Chichester in 1790. He enlisted as a Private in the 1st Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards in Sheffield in 1812 and served in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular War. He later fought in France and Belgium taking part in the Battle of Waterloo. In later life James lived at the Cricket Inn where his son-in-law William Anthony was the licensed victualler. He died in Heeley in 1882 aged about 91. 

Charles Paul lived in Totley in later life. He was a local historian and archaeologist who was an authority on the history of Sheffield, especially the two areas he knew best: Attercliffe and Ecclesall. His books and letters to local newspapers were published under the Latin form of his name Carolus Paulus.

Towards the end of the 19th century Totley Hall gardens became a well known beauty spot that attracted many hundreds of visitors from Sheffield on open days and the rock gardens became one of its most popular features. Mrs Annie Charlesworth sent us six glass transparencies of the rock gardens taken, we believe, in the early years following the Great War.

Anton Rodgers send us photographs of three water-colours that had been bought by his grandfather at a sale of the contents of Abbeydale Hall in 1919. One was of a scene said to be in York by A. Wilson. A second was of a seated child with a dog believed to be pianted by Juliana Russell (1841-1898). The third was of Lake Como, by Ainslie Hodson Bean (1851-1918) who lived for much of his life on the Riviera and in North Italy.

A Canadian correspondent sent us photographs of a set of silver spoons that were bought in a small town in British Columbia. The case contained a note signed by Ebenezer Hall indicating that they were a wedding gift to Maurice and Fanny Housley. We think we may have traced how they got to Canada and where they might have been since.

Green Oak Park was opened on 23 March 1929 on land that had been bought by Norton District Council from John Thomas Carr, a farmer and smallholder of Mona Villas. In later years, the buildings were used by the Bowling Club (the green having been built in 1956) and by the park keeper. However, the buildings appear to have been constructed in several phases, the oldest of which predates the park to the time when the land was used for pasture.

We believe the old Totley Police Station at 331 Baslow Road was built around 1882. Two lock-up cells were excavated just below floor level in the summer of 1890. We have traced the Derbyshire Constabulary police officers who lived there from John Burford in 1886 to George Thomas Wood who was there when Totley was absorbed into Sheffield in 1934.

David Stanley lived in Totley Rise in the later years of his life. Born in Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, he joined the 17th Lancers when he was 19 and rode in the Charge of The Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava where he was seriously wounded. For the first reunion of veterans in 1875, he told his story to a reporter from the Buxton Herald.

This picture postcard was addressed to Miss Abell, Holly Dene, Totley Brook Road and posted in Rotherham on 10 December 1907. Edith Annie Abell was born on 4 February 1887 in Sheffield and her family came to live in our area in the 1900s, staying for the rest of their lives.

Charles Herbert Nunn enlisted in the British Army on 23 August 1915 and was sent to France on 18 December 1915 to served with the British Expeditionary Force. In March 1916 it was discovered that he was underage and he was returned home. Shortly after his 18th birthday he re-enlisted and was again posted abroad where, in addition to this trio of medals, he was awarded the Military Medal. 

This certificate was awarded jointly by the Red Cross and St. John's Ambulance to Isaac Henry Williams, of Lemont Road, for his services during WW1 as a stretcher bearer. We are seeking anyone who can help us pass it on to a living relative.

In 1832 Samuel Dean pleaded guilty to stealing a quantity of lead from the Totley Rolling Mill and was sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia. He sailed on the Mangles and upon arrival in New South Wales he was sent to work for William Cox, the famous English explorer and pioneer. After receiving his Certificate of Freedom in 1840, Samuel became a farmer and went on to have a very large family. Samuel was born in Whitechapel around 1811 to parents Samuel Dean Snr. and Susannah Duck. His descendant Sarah Dean would like help in tracing his ancestry.

Ellen Topham was born in 1889 in Nottingham. Her parents had been living together since 1862 but had never married so it was most unusual that, after their deaths, Ellen was accepted into Cherrytree Orphanage. Even more so since her father, Snowden Topham, had been acquitted somewhat unexpectedly in a widely reported manslaughter trial. Ellen remained at Cherrytree until her death from pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 15.

Mabel Wilkes was a resident in Cherrytree Orphanage between 1897 and 1905. Her granddaughter Sally Knights sent us these images of a book presented to Mabel as a prize for her writing. Sally also sent us some personal memories of her grandmother and a photograph of a locket which contains portraits of Mabel and her husband Septimus Gale.

John Henry Manby Keighley was living at Avenue Farm when he enlisted in 1916. He fought in France with the Cheshire Regiment but after home leave in early 1918 he went missing. The Army were unable to determine whether he had deserted or returned to the front and been either killed or captured by the enemy. In August 1919 he was formally presumed killed in action but it appears he did not die but returned home to his family.

Horace Ford was admitted to Cherrytree Orphanage on 26 October 1888 at the age of six. He left at the age of 14 to become an apprentice blacksmith and farrier. Soon after his 18th birthday Horace enlisted in the Imperial Yeomanry to serve his country in the war in South Africa. His letter home to his Orphanage mentor tells of the lucky escape he had in battle.

Pat Skidmore (née Sampy) lived on Totley Brook Road from 1932 to 1948 before her family moved to Main Avenue. In this short article she remembers her time at Totley All Saints School where she was a contemporary of Eric Renshaw and Bob Carr.

As we have nowhere to exhibit memorabilia and artifacts, we have created a Virtual Museum instead. The latest addition to our collection is this double-sided Totley Rise Post Office oval illuminated sign which was on the wall of 67 Baslow Road before the Post Office business transferred to number 71. Please contact us by email if you have things that you own and would like to see added to the virtual museum.

Conway Plumbe was a man of many talents who came to live in Totley Rise around 1912. As a young man he had poems published by Punch magazine and is remembered in modern collections of WW1 poetry. A number of his paintings were accepted by the Royal Academy. An engineering graduate of London University, he joined the Civil Service where he rose to a high level as a factory inspector, publishing two books on the subject and giving a series of talks on workplace health and safety on BBC radio during WW2. In retirement he wrote a philosophical-spiritual work called Release From Time.

Inside Totley Rise Methodist Church there is a Roll of Honour commemorating the soldiers from its congregation who served their king and country during the Great War. For all but one of the 28 names the soldier's regiment is recorded in the next column. The exception is David Cockshott for whom 'killed in action' is written alongside yet he appears on no war memorial in our area and no record of a mortally wounded soldier of that name is to be found. We think we have solved the mystery.

Mrs. Kate Plumbe moved from Mansfield to Totley Rise with a number of her family in 1913 and became closely involved with the Totley Union Church. Her daughter Winifred became a missionary and headmistress in Calcutta for over 38 years following which she returned home to live with her sister Hilda on Furniss Avenue. Hilda had also been a teacher, missionary and, like her mother, a volunteer at St. John's VAD during WW1.

Thomas Glossop was a cutler and razor manufacturer who was well known amongst cricketing and gardening circles. Despite going blind, he was able to continue his hobbies with remarkable success

The Totley Union Cycling Society Prize Giving and Fete was held on the fields near Abbeydale Hall on 18 July 1914. Anne Rafferty and Gordon Wainwright have named some of the people in two wonderful photographs of the event. Can you identify any more for us? 

The Tyzack family are well known in our area for owning iron and steel trades at Walk Mill, Abbeydale Works, Totley Rolling Mill and Totley Forge. This article covers the history of the family from the late 18th century when William Tyzack the founder of the company was born until the early 20th century when Joshua Tyzack farmed at Avenue Farm, Dore.  

Walter Waller Marrison moved to Totley around 1897 with his wife and their two young sons. He was a house builder who constructed properties around Totley Brook and Greenoak before ill health forced him to take up less physically demanding work. In 1904 he took over the tenancy of the grocers and off licence at number 71 Baslow Road. After his death in 1908, his widow Kate and later their eldest son Jack continued to run the business until it was sold in 1934.   

Ron Wijk of Nieuw-Vennep in the Netherlands has sent us two scanned images of drawings of old cottages made by the celebrated Dutch painter, Anton Pieck (1895-1987) simply annotated "Totley", and wondered whether we could identify their locations.

We would like to thank Christopher Rodgers for bringing to our attention this fascinating log of the 85th Sheffield (St. John's and Totley Orphanage) Wolf Cub Pack for 1927-45. The log is published jointly by Sheffield Scout Archives and Totley History Group as a free PDF download. It is illustrated by no fewer than 92 photographs and is supported by a comprehensive index and biographies of some of the main participants.

Following our Open Meeting event on School Days, Roger Hart, Howard Adams and John Timperley have each written to us with their memories of Norwood School, which was located in the rooms attached to the Dore & Totley United Reformed Church on Totley Brook Road. 

On 22nd July 1909 the children of Dore and Totley Schools celebrated by a pageant the union of England under King Ecgbert which took place at Dore in AD 827. The pageant was devised and written by Mrs Sarah Milner and her daughter Marjorie and performed in a field close to Avenue Farm in front of a large audience. Photographs of the event survive together with a fragment of the script.

John Edward Greenwood Pinder had lived all 46 years of his life in Totley but on census night, Sunday 2 April 1911, he was not at home; he was in Derby Gaol serving a sentence of three months hard labour. From the age of 20, John had been in and out of local courts for a series of minor offences including drunkenness, assault, wilful damage and night poaching. Finally he was sent to gaol for cutting down and stealing 86 small trees which he sold in Sheffield market for Christmas.

We have already transcribed the census returns for Totley, Totley Rise and Dore. Now we have transcribed Census Strays. These are people who were born in Totley but are missing from our earlier transcriptions. They may have been living, working or studying elsewhere or just away from home on the night the census was taken. Two people were in prison. Others were in Union Workhouses, hospitals and asylums. Fully indexed strays from the 1851, 1861, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses are available now. 

We wish to thank Gillian Walker for allowing us to digitize an archive of material about the 1st Totley Scout Group. Most of the material was collected by Arthur Percival Birley in the period 1949-51 and there are many interesting documents pertaining to the building of the scout hut on Totley Hall Lane. In addition four Newsletters survive, two from the 1940s and two from 1971.

We are grateful to Angela Waite and All Saints' Parish Church for giving us access to baptismal and kindergarten birthday rolls dating from 1926 to 1941. We have transcribed the names, addresses, birthdates and baptismal dates and created an alphabetical index of entries for you to search. 

Edmund Sanderson, a Sheffield estate agent, aquired the land on either side of the old drive to Totley Grove in 1874 and divided it into plots for development. He called it the Totley Brook Estate. But before many houses were built, the estate road was severed in two by the building of the Dore & Chinley Railway line. The eastern end of the road became the cul-de-sac we now call Grove Road

John Roberts was born in Sheffield in 1798. He became a partner in one of the leading silversmiths firms in the city before moving to Abbeydale Park in 1851 and extending the house in Victorian gothic style. He paid for the building of St. John's Church and was believed to dispense more in charity than any other person in the neighbourhood including his protege Ebenezer Hall.

The Coke Family owned the Totley Hall Estate from 1791 to 1881. With the aid of a family tree to guide us, Josie Dunsmore takes us through the story of their tenure. 

When the Rev. D'Ewes Coke inherited the Totley Hall Estate in 1791 it had two farms. Josie Dunsmore tells the story of how the two farms were combined under the tenancy of Peter Flint with the aid of field maps drawn by Flint himself and later by the Fairbanks family.

Do you think you recognize this face? More than sixty photographs of the girls and teachers at Hurlfield Grammar School for Girls in the 1940s were given to Totley History Group by Avril Critchley, who was herself a student at the school. The collection includes fifteen form photographs from June 1949. There would have been a number of girls from the Totley area attending the school in those days.

Christine Weaving tells the story of her 2 x great uncle George Edward Hukin, a Totley razor-grinder, and his life-long friendship with the academic, poet, writer, and free-thinker Edward Carpenter.

Eric Renshaw (pictured here on the right with Bob Carr) grew up and lived in Totley from 1932 to 1960. Many of his memories are of a sporting nature.

We are very grateful to Gordon Grayson for giving us this splendid sale document for the Norton Hall Estates, following the death in 1850 of Samuel Shore. The estates included a large part of Totley and the document has maps and illustrations, plus schedules of land and property with the names of tenants. We have also added a transcription of the entries for Totley and Dore. 

Watch this Youtube video of the talk given by Dr. Mark Frost and Sally Goldsmith on Ruskin, Totley and St. George's Farm. The talk was hosted by Totley History Group on 20th May 2015 as part of the Ruskin in Sheffield programme. Also enjoy a video of the outdoor performance Boots, Fresh Air & Ginger Beer written by Sally.

When Jacqueline A. Gibbons became interested in what made her father tick, it began a journey through WW1 archive records and led to her flying from Toronto to visit the house and village where he lived and the countryside that he so much enjoyed. Jacqueline reminds us that in the early 20th century Sheffield was a driving force of industry and that Totley was the place where many of its remarkable people lived and where they formulated their ideas.

Edgar Wood was the designer of The Dingle, 172 Prospect Road, built in 1904 for Rev. William Blackshaw, the founder of the Croft House Settlement. The house, together with its western terrace and boundary walls, has now been awarded Grade II listed building status. 

What was probably "the most perfect little garden railway in existence" in 1910 was to be found in the grounds of Brook House, Grove Road, the home of its designer and constructor, Guy Mitchell. Look at some wonderful photographs and read reports in newspapers and a full appreciation in Model Railways magazine. 

We have now completed our transcription of Totley School's Admission Records for the period from 1877 to 1914. There is also a useful index to the names of the scholars and to their parents or guardians. We are very grateful to Sheffield Archives and Local Studies Library for allowing us to transcribe and publish these records and for permission to reproduce the photograph of a specimen page of the register.

On 8, 9 and 11 November 2014 Totley History Group held an exhibition at Dore & Totley United Reformed Church to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. Below are additional links to some of the photographs we were lent and stories we researched especially for the exhibition.

 

Oscar Creswick was a local farmer who served with the Army Service Corps in Salonika and who after the war returned to Totley to become the innkeeper of the Cricket Inn and a member of the village's successful tug of war team.

 

Walter Evans was a market gardener who also ran a small grocery shop on Hillfoot Road when war broke out. He fought with the Machine Gun Corps at the fourth battle of Ypres. After the war, Walter ran a grocers shop at the top of Main Avenue.

 

Fred Cartwright was another Totley soldier who survived the Great War. He fought in France and Belgium and although he wasn't wounded he was gassed and was home on sick leave when his daughter was delivered by Nurse Jessop during a snowstorm in January 1917.

 

Maurice Johnson joined the Yorkshire Dragoons, a territorial unit, on 1 Jan 1914 and so was called up at the very start of the war. He fought throughout the war on the Somme, at Ypres and at Cambrai. After demobilization in 1919 Maurice returned to his old occupation in the steel industry.

 

Bill Glossop lent us a letter written by his father, William Walton Glossop to his wife describing life in the army during training in the north east of England and asking her to keep him in mind with the children.

 

The photo above provides a link to an album of photographs taken of WW1 Hospitals at St. John's, Abbeydale and the Longshaw Estate.

 

Nora Green, of Chapel Lane, was only 14 when war broke out. In 1914 she was ill with diphtheria and was sent to the isolation hospital at Holmley Lane, Dronfield. Nora recovered and wrote a letter of thanks to one of the hospital staff and the reply she received survives. 

 

We have collected together on this page the names of local men who appear on various War Memorials and Rolls of Honour in Totley, Dore, Abbeydale, Norton, Holmesfield and Dronfield.

 

Unfortunately we were unable to identify all the photographs we were lent of Totley Soldiers. Please take a look at this album to see if you recognize any of the missing names.

This walk visits locations that have strong associations with Totley during the First World War. It includes the homes of the ten soldiers from the village who lost their lives, the auxiliary hospitals, war memorials, and even the rifle range on which the soldiers trained. Take a look at the first draft of a new walk by the authors of "Totley War Memorial WW1 1914-1918"

We wish to thank the Trustees of Cherrytree for giving us permission to publish transcriptions of the Cherrytree Orphanage Admissions Book entries for the years 1866-1929. There is also an alphabetical index for you to look at.

With more people having access to faster broadband and mobile networks, we have uploaded seven full and unedited oral history recordings and also added more short excerpts for you to listen to.

Our transcriptions of local trade directories have been expanded to cover the 95 years from 1837-1932 and have also been indexed. From the days when there were a handful of farmers, stone masons, saw handle makers & scythe grinders to the wonders of the Totley Bridge Garage Company, Betty's Boudoir and The Heatherfield Shopping Centre.

We continue to add to our Totley Newspaper Archive. Recent entries have included several about The Plumbe Family, Thomas Glossop and accidents during the construction of Totley Tunnel.

Totley Church of England Parish Magazines for the years 1922-1939 and 1948-1967 with notices of births, marriages and deaths and accounts of spiritual, educational, charitable and social matters in the village. 

Around 90 photographs taken by Stuart Greenhoff for his thesis A Geographical Study of Dore and Totley including several of Totley Moor Brickworks. Superb!  

Chronologically ordered snippets of information recorded by Brian Edwards during his many years of research into our local history.

Read the inscriptions on more than 700 gravestones in  the churchyard.

 

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