The Green and Ings Field
The Bartholomews
Refer to the Genealogy Section for information about the Bartholomews who were living on The Green sometime between 1891 and 1896
The Green,
left to right,Mr Bill Jeavons, Mrs John Spray, Mrs Alf Bartholomew ( Eva's mother), Mrs Joshua Armitage, Miss Eva Bartholomew (with pram), Mrs Ernest Rear, and Fred Clay.
Rose Cottage
Rose Cottage is one of the oldest buildings in the village. At one stage it was the Post Office. A brick is in the house wall next to the road where the old public postbox used to be, as this corner room used to be the old post office. Part of the doorway mullions can still be seen on the drive way which was it's entrance this has now been turned into a window.
The Armitage family lived here for many years until the early 1990's, when Mr Armitage died in his late nineties. He used to ride around the village on a horse and cart
I understand it is possible that Mr Armitage who lived here was the nephew to Harold Armitage who wrote the book Sorrelsykes
The Post Office
I understand that the Post Office was first in Rose Cottage, then moved to a house across The Green called Coys Croft where Richard Shaw lived. Later it moved to a house further along The Green before it was moved to Turner Lane.
There is no longer a Post Office in the village.
The census of 1871 does not mention a Rose Cottage, but there is mention of a Post Office where Ann Thackry aged 64, was a Grocer and Postmistress. She was born at The Ickles. Also living here was her niece, Mary Kelk, born in Brampton, aged 40, who it is noted was 'blind from birth'. There was a Servant, Mary Andrews from Sutton on Trent, 2 boarders and 2 lodgers, William Mellors and Henry Wilson.
The 1891 census shows Ann Thackry, now aged 84, as a boarder living at Holly Cottage, the home of John B. Brown aged 32. Holly Cottage is next to the Ball Inn.
The 1891 census tells us that the Post Office was situated on The Green, the postmaster was Richard J. Shaw, aged 43.
In 1901, through to 1905, Richard James Shaw is still Postmaster. By 1911, the entry tells us that Richard J. Shaw is now Postmaster,Parish Clerk and Sexton.
The Armitage Family
Living on The Green in 1891 was Joshua Armitage,aged 38,a Quarryman from Stone, and his wife Harriet aged 35,from Brampton Bierlow, Yorkshire. They had a son Frederic aged one year
James Armitage aged 65 and his wife Sarah aged 69, from Kimberworth, are recorded as living at 61 The Hill, in 1891.
A further entry in the 1891 census shows John Armitage,aged 31, a Stonemason,born in Whiston, living with his wife Hannah aged 29,who was born in Dudley Staffordshire. They had 4 children: Francis J. aged 7, Nellie aged 4, Annie aged 2, and Mildred who was 3 months old.
White's Directory of 1901 lists a John Armitage, as a Quarry Owner, Stone Merchant and Builder .
Harold Armitage- ... for fifteen years the editor of The Citizen. He has done notable journalistic and literary work on The Schoolmaster and other journals. His Sorrelsykes, published in 1913, has nostalgic reminiscences of his childhood in Whiston and nearby Treeton. Anyone familiar with the area will have little difficulty in locating themselves. This book includes the full text of a Christmas play performed about 1883. The characters are: Fool, St. George, Slasher, Doctor, Prince of Paradine, King of Egypt, Hector, Beelzebub and Devil Doubt. He has also written Chantryland(1910) dealing with the Derbyshire sculptor's native countryside, and, more recently Early Life in Hallamshire, a work of archaelogical interest. Source:
Read about the April 1986 version of a play based on the play from Whiston near Rotherham published in the book entitled Sorrelsykes by Harold Armitage.
Rotherham Archives hold a copy of the book Sorrellsykes
Early Record - The first record I have found of an Armitage in Whiston is:
Thomas Armitage who married a Susannah Renshaw on 18 DEC 1793 at Whiston, Yorkshire. Source IGI Index
Abdy Farm
In September, 1749,
John Whitehead senior gifted to John Whitehead junior, Abdy Farm, Whiston, Whiston Corn Mill and a colliery at
Herringthorpe, reserving for his own use one house at Whiston.
The Whiteheads also held land in Dalton Parva. On his death in 1766 all estates of John Whitehead senior were passed to John Whitehead junior.
Joseph Smedley the local milkman lived in a cottage next to Abdy Farm.
©2004