From a 'History of Barnburgh' J Stanley Large 1952

Now although Barnburgh Hall was the most important residence in, there was another one of importance within the Parish.

 Barnburgh Grange. This is of great antiquity and, as its name implies, was once attached to a Monastic Institution. I will explain this, briefly. From time to time the Religious Houses acquired land by bequests and endowments and as these grew in size it often became necessary for them to set up a grange and employ a granger (or bailif) to look after the land. 

Barnburgh Grange was part of Nostell Priory in whose possession it had been for over three centuries at the time of the dissolution. It has been said that part of the Grange was used as a Nunnery, but if this was so, it was unusual. 

After the dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-1540) it passed to Francis Shepherd, but the most noted family to have possession of the Grange was the Vincents who took over the estate about the time of the Civil War. Thomas Vincent was the first. He died on July 15th, 1667, and was buried at Barnburgh. In the wall of the North Chapel in Barnburgh Church may be seen two mural tombstones to the Vincent family, and there is also an inscribed slab in the floor of the Chancel. After about a century with the Vincents, the Grange was sold to a James Farrer, whose descendants afterwards took the name of Fawkes and are said to have some connection with Guy Fawkes of the Gunpowder Plot. There is no evidence in support of this however. 

There are many curious features about the Grange House, one of which is a huge fireplace now bricked up but which was originally about 8 feet deep. An examination of the plan shows that this large bricked up space as large as a room  is now entirely sealed off.

Whilst the present Grange House is of considerable age, it is certainly not the original building, and Mrs. Smith the present Lady of the House (1952) tells me that the West end of the existing range of stables etc. was part of the original house. Though there is no written evidence of this, an examination of the fabric would appear to support this theory.

The Grange to-day (1952) presents a somewhat neglected picture and leaves one with the impression of decayed refine­ment. Nevertheless it requires little imagination to visualise its former glory 1952

Harlington Halt

Did you know that Harlington once had its own railway station? Well, it certainly did! Perhaps ‘station’ is slightly too grand a word, but it was the place where trains stopped to pick up passengers. 

Harlington Halt was situated at the top of what is now Crane Moor Close. The line was known as the Dearne Valley Railway. Before 1923, it was operated by its parent company, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. From 1923 until 1945, the line belonged to the L.M.S., and then British Railways took over. 

The service ran between Wakefield (Kirkgate) and Edlington via Ryhill, Grimethorpe, Great Houghton, Goldthorpe, Harlington and Denaby.

 Each village along the route was equipped with a ‘halt’ which consisted of a cinder track with a wooden board at the rail edge and an old, dilapidated railway carriage for a shelter

The line was just over twenty miles long and to travel from Wakefield to Edlington took one hour. The cost of a cheap day return for the total run was 4s.2d. (21p). From Harlington to Wakefield took 46 minutes. 

The passenger service began on 3rd June 1912 and was withdrawn on 9th August 1951, due mainly to improved travel by road.

The line did remain open for some time after that for freight traffic, serving the collieries along the route.  As late as 1954, special day trips were run, twice a year, to the seaside. 

If you know when the seaside trips ended or when the line was finally closed or indeed anything at all about our own little railway line, please let us know.

The Pinfold

The Pinfold, can still be seen a little way up Hickleton Road on the left hand side. These Pin or Penfolds were used for impounding straying cattle or horses, and at one time the village would employ a Pinder (or Pounder) whose job it was to impound any straying beasts and look after them until the owner was found. If a person found cattle straying on his land he had the right to impound them until the owner recompensed him for any damage done. The owner had the right, however, to enter the pound (or pinfold) for the purpose of feeding and watering his cattle, but it was a punishable offence for him to remove them without permission, or until a settlement had been reached. Indeed that law still stands. 

A old tale is that some locals used break down a farmers fence, drive out the animals and send them down the road where a member of the gang would find them and take them to the pinfold. When they informed the farmer they had 'found' his animals. The farmer would reward them!  Money that went into one of the 3 pubs in Barnburgh no doubt! 

Hangman Stone Lane

There is another Barnburgh legend which gets completely overshadowed by that of the Cat and Man, and that is the story of Hangman's Stone Lane, which runs from the Ludwell Hill High Melton to Marr,  crossing  Barnburgh Craggs,.

The story goes that centuries ago, when sheep stealing was a capital offence, a man stole a sheep from a field at night.

He must have injured the sheep because he was carrying it over his shoulders and had tied its feet together with a rope.

 When he reached the lane now known as Hangman's Stone he stopped for a rest, placing the sheep on top of a stone post whilst he himself sat on the ground He then fell asleep.

The story is that the sheep must have slipped off the stone and the rope, which the man had round his body slipped up round his neck and strangled him, so doing the hangman out of a job.