Heritage
Whiston's Archaeological heritage » »
This aerial photograph shows the surrounding countryside, which is within the South Yorkshire
Forest plan
On the eastern side of the River Rother between Catcliffe and Whiston, a small part of the once-extensive Rother valley meadow land
still exists. (According to Parish Records, otters were quite common in the valley of the River Rother in the 18th Century.
Between 1722 and 1729 bounties were paid on 5 otter heads by church wardens to a hunter - David Snowden.
)
This area, known as Blue Man's Bower, also contains important archaeological features.
The other surviving historic landscapes are all ancient woodlands and include Canklow Wood, Hail Mary Wood, Treeton Wood and Nor Wood. The Earl of Shrewsbury's woods in the local area were recorded in the late 1500's, most belonged to the Earl's forges, suggesting that their most important product was charcoal. Of the 43 woods listed were:Sheffield, Ecclesfield, Handsworth, Kimberworth, Rotherham, Tankersley, Treeton and Whiston, a number of them were 'coalable'.
Lionel Copley, the ironmaster, was granted use of wood in a document dated 1666, to make up 1500 cords of log wood, spring wood and root wood for making charcoal each year, from the parishes of Sheffield, Ecclesfield, Rotherham, Handsworth, Whiston and Treeton, each cord to be 4ft. x 4ft. x 8ft., paying for the same at rates to be established by an umpire to be chosen by Henry Howard of Norfolk.
Revel Wood - The Revell family have been in Whiston since the early 1500's at least. Richard Revell was from about 1689, the Earl of Shrewsbury's Keeper of the Woods, a survey in 1719 tells us there was 240 acres of woodland in Whiston. Was Revel Wood named after him?
Large parts of the area are still agricultural, rolling farmland centred on Whiston and Ulley parishes still retains a variety of interesting field systems, although the
mechanisation of arable farming has led to the loss of hedgerows and hedgerow trees.
It is unfortunate but the electricity transmission lines do spoil the quality of the landscape
in places.
Whiston Meadows is one of the key sites in the South Yorkshire Forest's plans to preserve open land and woodland.
Whiston's Archaeological heritage » »
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